Scientists have found a new way to make a Parkinson’s drug – out of old plastic.
The plastic is polyethylene terephthalate (or PET), widely used in plastic bottles and other packaging, and now deeply embedded in the environment.
The drug is levodopa, often called the “gold standard” for managing the motor control problems that come along with Parkinson’s.
A team led by researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland deployed specially engineered Escherichia coli bacteria to go from plastic to pharmaceutical, in a sustainable way.
Not only could the new method help put a dent (however small) in our plastic pollution crisis, it also offers a way forward for eco-friendly drug development. Current methods for making levodopa rely heavily on fossil fuels.
“This work…