Plant cell cultures as a source of bioactive small molecules.

Plants have provided some of our most important pharmaceuticals and are a continuing source of novel bioactive molecules for drug development. Cell suspension cultures of higher plants are a complementary source of novel chemistry with significant advantages over whole plants, including plasticity of expression and re-accessibility. With an emphasis on recent progress, the use of plant cell cultures for both new lead discovery and as a route to the production of known bioactives will be described. Developments in strategies that can be applied to facilitate future success in the area are discussed.