Discovery of alkaloid biosynthesis enzymes featured in ‘From First Principles’ podcast
News
Posted on Tuesday 10 March 2026
New research from Dr Benjamin's Lichman's lab has been published in the New Phytologist.
A recent paper from researchers in Dr Benjamin Lichman’s lab published in New Phytologist has been featured in the ‘From First Principles’ podcast series.
The 30-minute review provides an engaging and accessible analysis of the research which demonstrates that some plants appear to have adopted an evolutionary ‘trick’ of reusing chemical processing tools commonly found in microbes to defend themselves. By understanding how plants make these substances, Lichman lab and collaborators aim to produce new and improved chemicals for medicines more quickly, cheaply and with less environmental impact.