From sugar, genetically modified yeasts are able to produce an opiate. According to the researchers, this is the most complex process ever devised in yeast.
For centuries, yeasts have been used for the fermentation of wine and beer, or for raising bread. But beyond their use in the food industry, these microorganisms allow the manufacture of drugs such as artemisinin used in the anti-malaria arsenal. Genetic modification of yeasts could also allow the production of opiate painkillers, such as morphine, as described by American researchers in the prestigious journal Science.
The authors of this work present how by manipulating the genome of baker’s yeast, they were able to produce opioids without poppy. By adding or modifying 23 genes, it is able to produce hydrocodone from sugar. “This is the most complex chemical bio-synthesis ever designed in yeasts,” says Christina Smolke, head of this work and assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford University. This process makes it possible to manufacture painkillers in a few days while the current industrial process requires at least a year between the harvest of the poppy and the synthesis of these powerful analgesics.
Leads for other drugs
For the moment, the productions are still very low and are greedy in yeast. It takes more than 16,000 liters of genetically modified yeast to produce a single dose of hydrocodone. “This is just the start,” says the researcher. The techniques that we are developing and which have just proved their worth for opioids can be adapted to the production of other medicinal products derived from plants that fight against cancer, infectious diseases or chronic pathologies such as hypertension or arthritis ”. The authors also insist on reducing costs and the possibility of cultivating these yeasts anywhere in the world, especially in countries without access to these analgesics.
However, these advances presented as revolutionary raise fears of misuse for illicit purposes. A risk recognized by the researchers themselves. “We would like this question to be the subject of a debate bringing together researchers and decision-makers. We need guarantees that ensure that the development of synthetic biology will take place in the most responsible way possible, ”says Christina Smolke.
Last May, another team of researchers also announced that they would be able to produce morphine without poppy using bioengineering. They were also worried that their processes would fall into the wrong hands.
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