Avermectin, from winning the Nobel Prize to “innovation in China”

Abstract:

The uprise of the superpower nations is always accompanied by the breakthrough and advances of technologies and innovations in the history. Natural products play very important role in human health, such as anticancer molecular taxol, anti-infection drug artemisinin that save a lot of lives, metabolic disease treatment, nutrition and health care. However, more has never been explored. With the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to William C. Campbell, Satoshi Ōmura, and Youyou Tu for the discovery of avermectins and artemisinin respectively, the second “Golden age” in the development of natural product is dawning. China is a “world factory” and natural drugs-rich country, but how to upgrade and advance the industry and realize the China dream? Avermectins, produced by Streptomyces avermitilis, are pesticide with high efficiency and low levels of side effects. However, the low producer and expensive development pattern of high consumption, high contamination is not sustainable. Solving the problem, increasing the production and utilization of raw material, reducing the energy consumption and cost of production, decreasing environmental pollution are key to transform China into a power house. In this paper, we case-study avermectins to review the industry development driven by fundamental research. Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences increased the production of avermectin 1000 folds to 9 g/L, which out licensed to new Veyong biochemical Ltd and avermectin Coalitions. As a result, Merck Sharp and Dohme ceased the manufacture of avermectins. The success also shed lights on the improvement of other natural product drugs in China.