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Brief Communications

Nature 431, 413-414 (23 September 2004) | doi:10.1038/431413a; Published online 22 September 2004

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Analgesia:  Morphine-pathway block in top1 poppies

Anthony G. Millgate1,2, Barry J. Pogson2, Iain W. Wilson1, Toni M. Kutchan3, Meinhart H. Zenk4, Wayne L. Gerlach5, Anthony J. Fist6 & Philip J. Larkin1

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This opium poppy mutant provides chemical precursors for non-addictive analgesics.

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The opium poppy is a source of the pharmaceuticals codeine, morphine and their derived analgesics. Here we describe the initial characterization of the poppy mutant known as top1 (for 'thebaine oripavine poppy 1'), which accumulates the morphine and codeine precursors thebaine and oripavine and does not complete their biosynthesis into morphine and codeine. The original discovery of top1 stimulated a re-engineering of the opioid industry in the island state of Tasmania, which grows over 40% of the world's licit opiates, in order to produce thebaine and oripavine efficiently from morphine-free poppy crops to provide precursors for highly effective analgesics and for treatment of opioid addiction.