Prof. Smita Srivastava and her research group focus on high-value plant derived pharmaceuticals of therapeutic value. These high-value compounds are extracted from natural plants, which have become endangered due to overharvesting to meet the market demand. In vitro cultivation of these plants can not only conserve nature, but also provide a uniform and consistent product quality and quantity, unlike the variations found in natural plant extraction due to uncontrolled geographical and climatic conditions.

The group develops microbial and plant cell based bioprocesses for sustainable production of these plant metabolites, as alternatives to natural plant extraction. The research group has also been working on developing high-yielding plant cell lines via rational metabolic engineering, using genome scale metabolic modelling and simulation.

Currently, the group is working on enhanced production of phytochemicals such as camptothecin, alpha-tocopherol, cyclotides, vasoactive APIs and azadirachtin from in vitro cultures of Nothapodytes nimmoniana, Helianthus annuus, Viola sp., Gentiana kuroo, Swertia corymbosa, Azadirachta indica and Santalum album. In addition, the group is actively investigating endophytes, to establish a microbial fermentation route for the anti-cancer drug camptothecin.