Treating Malaria May Soon Become Easier Thanks to High-Yielding Wormwood

Malaria is one of the currently most actively fought diseases in the world. The trick is to actually get to the afflicted patient before the disease starts becoming active, and that’s what scientists have been trying to figure out for a while now.

The most effective solution to the malaria problem right now is the Artimisia annua, commonly referred to as sweet wormwood – in fact, it’s already been naturalized in many countries where malaria is a common occurrence.

The problem with this solution is that the plant involved, the Atermisia annua, is a very low-yield one, discouraging farmers from growing it as they can’t profit a lot from it. Recent scientific developments may very well change this, though. Scientists at the University of York have managed to select the gene traits which make the plants higher-yielding, enabling them to produce genetically modified versions which maximize the number of artemisin producing glands on every leaf.

The research is still ongoing, but shows very promising results so far.

[ Via Treehugger ]

Share

If you're new here and you like our articles, how about subscribing free for our updates via RSS feed.