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Getting Yeast to Make Medicine
Oct 5, 2023
Guest Christa Smolke, Co-founder and CEO of Antheia, discusses turning yeast cells into tiny factories for drug production, potentially solving drug shortage issues. The podcast explores the challenges of engineering yeast to produce drugs, the use of yeast in disrupting traditional farming methods for drug ingredients, and the benefits of therapy and bioengineering insights.
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Quick takeaways
- Fermentation technology can disrupt the drug manufacturing industry by providing consistent infrastructure, faster manufacturing cycles, and repurposable facilities.
- Enthaya's approach involves strategically directing protein production in yeast cells to produce complex drug ingredients, striking a balance between the yeast's objectives and drug production.
Deep dives
The Problem of Generic Drug Shortages
The US faces a persistent shortage of generic drugs due to limited manufacturing capacity and complex supply chains. Shortages are caused by vulnerabilities in farming practices, climate-related disasters, and long manufacturing cycles. The solution lies in disrupting the industry by advancing fermentation technology, which offers consistent infrastructure, faster manufacturing cycles, and repurposable facilities. This technology can provide more cost-effective, high-quality drug ingredients while optimizing resource usage.
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