Mystery of how plants make a family of medicinal molecules has been solved

Nature, Published online: 18 March 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00790-8The cinchona alkaloids are a family of plant-derived compounds that include quinine, an antimalarial drug also used as the bittering ingredient in tonic water.

Mystery of how plants make a family of medicinal molecules has been solved
Mystery of how plants make a family of medicinal molecules has been solved Photo: Nature News

This is a summary of: Lombe, B.

K.

et al .

Biosynthesis of cinchona alkaloids.

Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10227-x (2026) .

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00790-8
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