Poppy-free opiates

A new system for synthesizing opioids in yeast offers the first realistic chance of producing the painkillers without relying on poppy field farming, and represents the most sophisticated biosynthetic pathway engineered in yeast to date. While the Stanford University group that developed the method is spinning out Antheia Inc. to scale up and commercialize the technique, it's well aware the start-up will need to incorporate a strategy for handling concerns the system could feed, rather than stymie, illicit drug manufacturing.

"We very much support and think it's important that there be an open, deliberative process to discuss what the real concerns are related to technology, and to develop strategies that mitigate those concerns," said Christina Smolke, principal investigator on the study, associate professor of bioengineering at Stanford and CEO of Antheia...