Two Paths to Complex, Plant-Based Medicines (IMAGE)
Caption
To develop the world's first yeast bioengineered to produce medicinal opioids, a team led by Stanford bioengineer Christina Smolke had to overcome the challenge represented by these molecular diagrams. The left diagram represents (S)-reticuline, a compound found in many plants that could be useful in treating cancer, infectious diseases, and chronic conditions like hypertension and arthritis. But in certain plants, like the opium poppy, this molecule is flipped, as shown on the right, into (R)-reticuline. Figuring out how this flip occurred enabled the Stanford team to develop yeast bioengineered to produce medicines based on active ingredients downstream of both of these precursor chemicals.
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Credit: Stephanie Galanie, Smolke Lab
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