Yeast makes painkillers from sugar
Biotech breakthrough could cut production costs
The first strain of yeast that can synthesise painkilling opioids from scratch using a sugar feedstock has been engineered by scientists in the US. Yields are currently very low, however, with tonnes of yeast required to produce a single dose of painkiller. But the team behind the work believe that the yeast can be substantially improved, and could help to drive down the cost of producing painkillers and develop new opioids.
This article provides a link to coverage by Chemistry World
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