Antibiotics Biosynthesis
Updated: Apr 9, 2019
Ali Awan’s paper on engineering Baker’s yeast to produce and secrete active antibiotics is online in Nature Communications with lots of news coverage too.
This project is our pilot study to bring biosynthesis of a fungal antibiotic into yeast. Fungi naturally produce many antibiotics to keep bacteria at bay, and in the age of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) we want to use yeast synthetic biology to help out the eukaryotes in this evolutionary arms race.
· Research highlights: Yeast cells turned into penicillin factories: Nature
· Could good old yeast spell the end of superbugs?: The Daily Mail
· Cheers! Beer holds the key to new antiobiotics: The Times (paywall)
· Baker’s yeast makes Pencillin: The Hippocratic Post
· Mass production in yeast: SGD Yeast Genome News
· Engineering baker’s yeast to produce penicillin molecules: Imperial College London