Global supply of a key, plant-based, anti-malaria¹ drug is set to be boosted by a genetic² study, scientists say.

科学家称，全球供应一种关键的、植物提取的抗疟疾药物因一项基因研究而成为可能。

Scientists say they can boost supply of the key anti-malaria drug artemisinin

Researchers have mapped the genes³ of Artemisia annua黃花蒿 to allow selection of high-yield varieties.

The study, published in the journal Science, aims to make growing the plant more profitable for farmers.

"It's a major milestone⁴ for the development of this crop," Professor Ian Graham from the University of York in the UK told BBC News.

Short supply

The research has been welcomed by Dr Chris Drakeley, director of the Malaria Centre at the London School of Hygiene⁵ and Tropical Medicine. "Anything that enables an increased yield收益，产量 of product from something like Artemisia annua is a major step.

"This is the first line anti-malarial患疟疾的，毒气的 in nearly all endemic地方病 countries at the moment and supplies can be limited."

Artemisinin青蒿素 combination therapies, or ATCs, are used widely to treat malaria and are seen as the best solution to the parasite's increasing resistance to anti-malarial drugs.

Professor Graham, who led the study, hopes that new higher yielding and more robust强健的，粗野的 varieties could increase global supply of the malaria treatment within three years.

"Our aim is to have hybrid杂种的，混合的 seeds that can be released to farmers in the developing world by 2011 or 2012. With a year lag for planting, this would have an impact on supply in 2012 or 2013."

"We have to wait six to eight months from putting the seed in the ground to harvesting the crop and seeing how it has performed."

Dr Drakeley hopes the new varieties will become available quickly.

"This will allow an increase in the basic compound that forms ATC therapies. If they can get these seeds out in the timeframe they're talking about it'll be a major advance," he said.