There is a new development on the horizon that has significant implications for the societal problem of addiction and drug enforcement. The journal Nature Chemical Biology has just published an article regarding research that has yielded a single yeast cell that can be synthesized into the precursor to morphine. These cells have the capability to perform the final few steps in making the drug.
Prescription pain medicines may become more effective, less addictive and less costly due to this process. Also, research in similar biochemical processes may result in new pathways to synthesize up to 2,500 compounds with potential for improvements in the pharmacological treatment of a variety of health issues.
It took mere weeks for partnering researchers at U. C. Berkeley and Concordia University in Quebec to make this breakthrough, something they expected to take years. This accelerated result finds us unprepared. Current laws regulate drugs themselves, but no policy exists for the regulation of precursors, such as this yeast cell.
These advances in medicine bring difficult complexities along with the progress. Potentially, opiates could be made in home labs in the near future. One researcher commented that this could be as soon as the next couple of years. Producing homemade heroin could become as easy and accessible as home-brewing beer.
This provides one more illustration of the importance of parents staying current with trends in substance abuse and having early, frequent conversations with their kids about steering clear of drugs and alcohol. Visit DrugFreeAZKids.org for information and resources about the many ways parents can act to reduce such risk to their children, no matter their age.
For additional information on this topic:
DeLoache, W. C. et al. Nature Chem. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.1816 (2015).
Ehrenberg, Rachel. "Engineered Yeast Paves Way for Home-brew Heroin." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 18 May 2015. Web. 03 June 2015.
Hadlington, Simon. "Opiate-Making Yeast Could Lead to "Home-Brewed Heroin"" Scientific American Global RSS. ChemistryWorld, 19 May 2015. Web. 03 June 2015.
Oye, K., Bubela, T. & Lawson, J. C. H. Nature 521, 281–283 (2015).
Oye, Kenneth A., J. Chappell, H. Lawson, and Tania Bubela. "Drugs: Regulate 'home-brew' Opiates."Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 18 May 2015. Web. 03 June 2015.
Twilley, Nicola. "Home-Brewed Heroin." The New Yorker. N.p., 18 May 2015. Web. 03 June 2015.
