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n2doc

(47,953 posts)
Fri Aug 14, 2015, 07:01 AM Aug 2015

Genetically engineered yeast produces opioids

For thousands of years, people have used yeast to ferment wine, brew beer and leaven bread.

Now researchers at Stanford have genetically engineered yeast to make painkilling medicines, a breakthrough that heralds a faster and potentially less expensive way to produce many different types of plant-based medicines.

Writing today in Science, the Stanford engineers describe how they reprogrammed the genetic machinery of baker's yeast so that these fast-growing cells could convert sugar into hydrocodone in just three to five days.

Hydrocodone and its chemical relatives such as morphine and oxycodone are opioids, members of a family of painkilling drugs sourced from the opium poppy. It can take more than a year to produce a batch of medicine, starting from the farms in Australia, Europe and elsewhere that are licensed to grow opium poppies. Plant material must then be harvested, processed and shipped to pharmaceutical factories in the United States, where the active drug molecules are extracted and refined into medicines.

"When we started work a decade ago, many experts thought it would be impossible to engineer yeast to replace the entire farm-to-factory process," said senior author Christina Smolke, an associate professor of bioengineering at Stanford.

more

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150813142535.htm

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Response to n2doc (Original post)

Warpy

(110,900 posts)
4. Yeah, we know, aint it great?
Fri Aug 14, 2015, 05:20 PM
Aug 2015

Eventually the spores will escape and if our batch of homebrew is contaminated, it will have the extra kick of laudanum. We'll get toasted on half a bottle instead of half a case.

cstanleytech

(26,080 posts)
5. Well just imagine the cost savings then because you wont have to drink
Sat Aug 15, 2015, 12:54 PM
Aug 2015

nearly as much to get your buzz on.

cstanleytech

(26,080 posts)
7. I'm not to worried though because not to many people can modify the gene code
Sat Aug 15, 2015, 04:13 PM
Aug 2015

and even if the yeast were to get out breweries have enough safe guards and control checks that it will never see the open market, the black market is another story but then some people do like their drugs.

Warpy

(110,900 posts)
8. Did you miss the word "homebrew?"
Sat Aug 15, 2015, 04:16 PM
Aug 2015

Some of us are or have been brewers at home because we can't stand mass produced lagers that taste like carbonated cat piss. While contamination from wild yeast is rare, it can happen if the brewer isn't careful. In most cases, it gives the beer a weird flavor. In this case, it will give it a kick on steroids.

cstanleytech

(26,080 posts)
9. I dont consider home brewers to be black market since its legal to brew beer
Sat Aug 15, 2015, 05:13 PM
Aug 2015

and I dont think you all will be effected much either by this since most of you obey the rules on brewing and you can bet they will make a rule banning this yeast in home brewing if need be.

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