Scientists have developed a novel method using engineered bacteria to upcycle plastic waste into a valuable pharmaceutical. The research, published in the journal 'Green Chemistry', demonstrates the conversion of terephthalic acid, derived from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, into the Parkinson's disease drug levodopa (L-DOPA).
The team from the University of Edinburgh engineered the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida to produce the enzyme tyrosine phenol-lyase. This enzyme enables the microbe to synthesize L-DOPA from intermediates derived from broken-down plastic. The process offers a potential dual benefit: reducing plastic pollution and creating a sustainable supply chain for an essential medicine.
Levodopa is the primary treatment for managing Parkinson's symptoms, but its traditional chemical synthesis is complex and generates hazardous waste. This new bio-based approach represents a significant step towards circular chemistry. However, the technology is currently at a laboratory scale, and further development is needed to assess its economic viability and scalability for industrial production.
