Bio-Production of Opioid Painkillers (IMAGE)

Stanford University School of Engineering

Bio-Production of Opioid Painkillers

Caption

Stanford Bioengineer Christina Smolke has been on a decade-long quest to genetically alter yeast so they can "brew" opioid medicines in stainless steel vats, eliminating the need to raise poppies and then industrially refine derivatives of opium into pain pills.

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Credit: Poppy image created by Rachel Sakai

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