The databases of the ELIXIR infrastructure provide information on the properties of pharmaceutical compounds

Vinca alkaloids are the first known naturally-derived anti-cancer drugs. Vinblastine and vincristine are on the WHO list of essential medicines. The Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) is one of the few plants that have directly produced approved anticancer drugs. The names vinblastine and vincristine are derived from the genus Vinca, to which the Madagascar periwinkle belongs. This flower that grows on the island of Madagascar. has saved thousands of children with lymphatic leukaemia.

“It is fascinating that molecules created by the process of mutual survival between plants and insects can influence human biological processes. In nature, an active chemical structure is no coincidence, but repurposing these rare molecules for new uses such as medicine requires innovation,” says Tommi Nyrönen, director of ELIXIR Node of Finland. Nyrönen has studied medicinal substances.

“Natural compounds that may be toxic to one species can, if properly dosed, help another species, as in the case of vinca alkaloids. What’s exciting is what we don’t yet know, because we don’t yet know all the microbes or plants on Earth yet. Similar discoveries can be made in the future by collecting and analysing molecular-level data from research in living nature.”

Information on vinca alkaloids can be found in many databases. For example, ChEMBL, BioStudies, UniProt and Reactome provide information on pharmacological properties, target proteins (such as tubulin), mechanisms, and cellular effects.

“ELIXIR is a data infrastructure on living nature. The databases are part of ELIXIR’s data repositories, which are freely available for scientific research, education and industry,” says Nyrönen.

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The databases of the ELIXIR infrastructure provide information on the properties of pharmaceutical compounds

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