ArtemiFlow is a

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

company, founded in 2012 by

Peter Seeberger Peter H. Seeberger (born 1966, in Nuremberg) is a German chemist. Biography Seeberger studied chemistry at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. He completed his Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1995 as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Colora ...

. The company produces and sells pharmaceutical drugs containing the active ingredient

artemisinin Artemisinin () and its semisynthetic derivatives are a group of drugs used in the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum''. It was discovered in 1972 by Tu Youyou, who shared the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for he ...

and its derivatives to fight

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

and other diseases. As of 2025, Adam Maust is the CEO of ArtemiFlow.

Science and development

Seeberger developed a process to produce artemisinin in large quantities in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way, especially to meet the needs of developing countries. This was an alternative to Sanofi's genetic engineering process. Initial difficulties were the large-scale implementation of the manufacturing process, the cultivation of

annual mugwort ''Artemisia annua'', also known as sweet wormwood, sweet annie, sweet sagewort, annual mugwort or annual wormwood, is a common type of wormwood native to temperate Asia, but naturalized in many countries including scattered parts of North Ameri ...

in Vietnam and the financing of the

start-up A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses that do not intend ...

. According to the first CEO

Dirk Pohlmann Dirk Pohlmann (born August 11, 1959) is a German journalist, author, Scriptwriter, screenwriter, director and producer of about 25 historical documentaries for German Public broadcasting, public media Arte, ARD (broadcaster), ARD and ZDF. He held ...

, the company was hoping for support from the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be List of wealthiest charitable foundations, the third largest char ...

. The latter supported competing products from the Sanofi company made from genetically modified yeast. According to Pohlmann's account, the foundation's monopoly position in funding the international fight against malaria made it difficult for ArtemiFlow to gain a foothold. In addition, simply announcing synthetic production dropped prices for producers, so less artemisinin was expected to be produced. ArtemiFlow partnered with the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

in 2018. Researchers at the university grew

Artemisia annua ''Artemisia annua'', also known as sweet wormwood, sweet annie, sweet sagewort, annual mugwort or annual wormwood, is a common type of wormwood native to temperate Asia, but naturalized in many countries including scattered parts of North Ameri ...

, which fights malaria, as part of the partnership. Artemiflow developed a reactor for novel artemisinin production and developed higher-yielding plants in Kentucky in collaboration with the university.

The new chemical production process is the first example of how not only the starting materials for making a drug or natural product are derived from plants. The catalyst, the tool that drives the reaction, also comes directly from plants.

In 2020, the university and Artemiflow partnered on a clinical study to test the plant and its anti-cancer effects. For developing the new process, Seeberger, Kerry Gilmore, and Andreas Seidel-Morgenstern were awarded the 2021 Science Prize for "Affordable Green Chemistry" by the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

COVID-19

Production on the potential use of artemisin against

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

was controversial, in part because of possible conflicts of interest owing to Seeberger's leadership of ArtemiLife. The critical article in the SZ was answered by an article in the German magazine ''Focus''.{{Cite web, title=Pflanzenextrakte aus Beifuß sollen vor Covid-19 schützen – das steckt dahinter, url=https://www.focus.de/gesundheit/news/struppiges-corona-mittel-pflanzenextrakte-aus-beifuss-sollen-vor-covid-19-schuetzen-das-steckt-dahinter_id_12151877.html, access-date=2021-11-15, website=FOCUS Online, language=de

References

External links

Official website
Biotechnology companies Biotechnology companies by country Biotechnology companies established in 2012 Malaria