Media unit at the College of Science

A master's thesis was discussed in the College of Science at the University of Basrah entitled (Isolation and identification of paclitaxel from endophytic fungl isolates  from some medicinal plants and evaluation of its efficacy on human breast cancer cell line) by the graduate student Eman Hussein Bishara and  the study aims to: produce the compound Paclitaxel from some endophytic  fungi and test its effectiveness on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line .During the current study , 590 isolates were recovered from 60 cultivated and wild plants .  Fungi were  identified on the   morphologica characteristics  and  molecular  analysis of  ITS and LSU  rDNA. Fifty  isolates were tested for their ability to produce the anti-cancer paclitaxel compound . The study concluded that the tested plants are hosts for  one or more species  of fungal endophytes,  which represent an alternative to the endophytic fungi of yew plant species ( Taxus spp. ).Nine species were recorded for the first time in Iraq , and registered in the Japanese Gene Bank.  This quantity is large compared to what was produced in previous studies and may represent the highest in the world , therefore , the fungi isolated from plants in the Iraqi enviromentes could be of high production . the Paclitaxel compound  produced from endophtic fungi in this study showed efficacy and activity against breast cancer cell line MCF-7 , and may have an effect on other types of human cancer cells . The study recommended conducting genetic engineering research on Chaetomium and Alternaria species to enhance the production of Paclitaxel compound at higher levels, studying new types and strains of fungi and testing them in producing Paclitaxel compound to improve the production process. Conducting applied studies on Paclitaxel compound produced from fungal endophytes as anti-canser  drug. Study of gene expression of compound producing fungi in order to improve production of paclitaxel .