Toni Kutchan, PhD

Toni Kutchan serves a vice president for research and is the Oliver M. Langenberg Distinguished Investigator at the Danforth Center where she is investigating two aspects of natural products that are found in plants; how plants produce medicinal natural products at the enzyme and gene level, which could lead to new sources of medications for use against conditions such as dementia and cancer; and the use of plant natural products as components of biofuels.

She is a leading expert in the molecules derived from the opium poppy, including the lifesaving opioid antidote medications. “Production of these drugs creates an industrial waste stream. It’s not good for the people working in the lab, and it creates a nasty waste pond. We have recently discovered a microorganism that can manufacture opiates in a cleaner, more sustainable way. Now we’re looking for industrial partners who can help us transform this lab work into an industry process.”

As a recipient of federal research grants, the Danforth Center is prohibited from working on medical cannabis. However, Missouri recently legalized the production of industrial hemp, a crop which was king in Missouri in the late 1800s and which produces high-quality fiber useful in many products, such as textiles, rope, paper, and cosmetics. The Danforth Center and the Kutchan Lab are already forming partnerships. “With the cutting-edge technology and infrastructure at the Danforth Center, we can accelerate the breeding and help reestablish this useful cash crop in the state of Missouri. Hemp has been illegal for 100 years. We are now attempting to go from zero to introducing a modern crop.”
 
Prior to joining the Center in 2006, she spent 20 years researching biochemistry at the University of Munich and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biology.  In recognition of her scientific achievements, Toni was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2017 and the prestigious German Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina) in 2010. She received her doctorate in biochemistry from Saint Louis University and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
 
Toni credits training the next generation of scientists as a very rewarding part of her work at the Danforth Center and adds: “Training the up-and-coming generations is so important, making sure they have broad interests and perspective. Together, we can make the world a better place, safer, more sustainable. By unlocking the secrets of plants, we will make peoples’ lives better—and that’s a good feeling.”