Only a month after scientists announced they had genetically engineered yeast to produce the painkilling medication hydrocodone, researchers have again hacked the organism, and this time they have turned it into the main psychoactive compound of marijuana.
Yes, according to Gizmodo and the New York Times, biochemists at Hyasynth Bio have used their talents to produce the key components of pot, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the ingredient that activates the pleasure center of the brain when a person uses cannabis.
This breakthrough wasn’t done with recreational uses in mind, however. Synthetic versions of THC are already available in pill form, and are currently used to treat nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by HIV infection or chemotherapy treatment in cancer patients. By modifying yeast, researchers could potentially produce the substance more easily and less expensively.
Hyasynth Bio chief executive told the Times that the discovery “could literally change the lives of millions of people.” The new method, which uses precursor molecules to produce small amounts of THC, could also help scientists better understand how the substance works, Gizmodo added.
More to come from yeast
According to the Times, researchers have been attempting to coax yeast into synthesizing this psychoactive compound for more than eight years. Early attempts, however, were frustrated by the fact that scientists did not know all of the enzymes used by the marijuana plant to produce THC. Cheaper, faster DNA analysis tools have solved that issue in recent years.
University of British Columbia adjunct professor Dr. Jonathan Page, who assisted with the gene sequencing efforts, has established a company of his own (Anandia Laboratories) with the hopes that he will also be able to reproduce the components of cannabis using yeast. Both Anadia Labs and Hyasynth Bio are awaiting approval from the Canadian government to begin production.
Dr. Page’s company is also planning to use yeast to synthesize chemicals found in trace amounts of cannabis that have produced promising early results as potential medical treatments. These substances include cannabidivarin, which in preliminary rodent studies has been found to prevent seizures, and the potential anti-inflammatory tetrahydrocannabivarin.
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