The artificial herbal cell based on a traditional Chinese medicine formulation: Compound Danshen yeast 1.0

In 2023, the market for traditional Chinese medicine formulas exceeded RMB 120 billion, growing at about 8% thanks to policy support and technological innovation. This rapid expansion has strained China’s supply of medicinal resources, with many rare and endangered materials—especially fauna‑derived ones—now facing serious shortages. Compound Danshen is a commonly used herbal formula for treating coronary heart disease and angina in the Pan‑Asian region. Typical preparations include Compound Danshen Dripping Pills and Compound Danshen Tablets. Its primary components are Salvia miltiorrhiza (tanshinones and phenolic acids), Panax notoginseng (Notoginsenosides), and borneol (serves as a complementary ingredient.)

This research is led by Professor Zhubo Dai (Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China). Dai’s team is based on synthetic biology technology and molecular pharmacognosy practices, using the traditional Chinese medicine compound formulation Compound Danshen as the research subject. The objective is to construct a artificial herbal cell for Compound Danshen, enabling the simultaneous production of its key active components—including notoginsenosides, tanshinones, and borneol—within a single microbial strain. This engineered strain, termed Compound Danshen Yeast 1.0, successfully produced protopanaxadiol at 62.34 mg/L, miltiradiene at 15.38 mg/L, and borneol at 2.54 mg/L in shake-flask fermentation.

Unlike previous efforts that engineered artificial cells to synthesize individual active compounds or single components, this study takes a further step by attempting cross‑species, multi‑component biomimetic synthesis within a single cell. For the first time, this platform offers a pathway toward the total synthesis of the active ingredients found in TCM formulations, setting a foundational precedent for their potential industrial-scale production. It lays the foundation for one‑step fermentation production of traditional Chinese medicine formulas and demonstrates tremendous potential for the conservation and development of TCM resources.

See the article:

Compound Danshen Yeast 1.0

https://journals.lww.com/stcm/fulltext/2024/12000/compound_danshen_yeast_1_0.6.aspx