Researchers engineer tobacco plant to produce psychedelics

Paula Berman and Asaph Aharoni reported in a March 2026 Science Advances paper that their team engineered Nicotiana benthamiana, a tobacco relative widely used in plant biology, to produce five psychedelic compounds in a single plant assay. (science.org) The work mapped the full biosynthetic pathway for N,N-dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, and then combined that route with pathways for psilocin, psilocybin, bufotenin and 5-methoxy-DMT, according to the paper. The study was published by researchers affiliated with the Weizmann Institute of Science. The paper describes the result as a plant-based platform for making and diversifying psychoactive indolethylamines. (science.org) ### Which plant did the researchers alter? Nicotiana benthamiana was the host species used in the experiments, the paper said. The plant is a close tobacco relative and a common laboratory system for transient gene expression, which lets researchers test metabolic pathways quickly in leaves rather than breeding a stable crop line over multiple generations. Asaph Aharoni’s lab at the Weizmann Institute studies plant metabolism and specialized small molecules, according to the institute’s faculty page. That background helps explain why the team used a plant chassis rather than a microbial system for this project, though the paper itself presents the work as a biosynthesis platform rather than a commercial production method. (science.org) ### Which psychedelic compounds did the plant make? The March 2026 paper lists five natural psychedelic tryptamines produced in the engineered leaves: psilocin, psilocybin, DMT, bufotenin and 5-methoxy-DMT. The authors said those compounds are normally associated with different biological sources — mushrooms for psilocin and psilocybin, plants for DMT, and the Sonoran Desert toad as one source of bufotenin and 5-methoxy-DMT. (science.org) Science Advances said the team reconstructed “the full biosynthetic pathways” of those molecules in one plant assay. The paper also said the researchers engineered halogenated analogs that do not naturally occur in plants, adding a second layer to the work beyond reproducing known compounds. (weizmann.ac.il) ### How did they get one plant to do chemistry from different kingdoms? The Science Advances article said the team “elucidated the complete” DMT pathway and then blended enzymatic steps from plants, fungi and animals in the same host. The paper describes that as reconstruction of psychedelic tryptamine biosynthesis “from three kingdoms in plants.” (science.org) The supplementary materials identify Paula Berman and Asaph Aharoni as corresponding authors, and the Weizmann publications page lists the same author group on the 2026 paper. That author list includes Olga Khersonsky, David Meiri and Sarel J. Fleishman among the named participants. (science.org) ### Does this mean tobacco is becoming a drug crop? The paper describes a research assay, not a field-ready crop or approved drug supply chain. The experiments used transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana, a standard lab approach that is designed for controlled testing of inserted pathways in plant tissue. (science.org) Phys.org, summarizing the study, said the work was aimed at finding more sustainable and scalable ways to access compounds now sourced from plants, fungi and animals. That description aligns with the paper’s focus on biosynthesis and pathway engineering, but neither source says the system is ready for clinical manufacturing. (science.org) ### Why did the paper draw attention beyond plant biology? The March 2026 paper says psychedelic indolethylamines have “therapeutic potential,” and recent coverage highlighted possible research and pharmaceutical uses if production methods improve. New Scientist reported on April 1 that demand for psychedelics is rising for research and medical uses, while the paper itself frames the work as a route toward plant-based production. (science.org) Science Advances also notes that the team produced non-natural halogenated analogs with “prospective therapeutic potential for psychiatric conditions.” That phrasing appears in the paper, but it does not amount to evidence of clinical efficacy or regulatory approval for any compound made in the plants. (phys.org) ### What comes next from the researchers? Science Advances published the study and supplementary materials in 2026 with Paula Berman and Asaph Aharoni listed as corresponding authors. Any next step — whether follow-up pathway optimization, yield work or additional analog design — would most likely appear through those authors’ future publications or institute updates tied to the Weizmann plant sciences program. (science.org 1) (science.org 2)