Bioengineered Yeast Opens New Doors for Industrial-Scale Herbal Medicine

A team of bioengineers from Kobe University has achieved a major milestone in the industrial-scale production of herbal medicines by leveraging a species of yeast to produce the medicinal compound *artepillin C* at unprecedented levels. Artepillin C, known for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties, has traditionally been difficult to produce en masse as it's only available as a bee culture product. Lead researcher HASUNUMA Tomohisa, in collaboration with YAZAKI Kazufumi from Kyoto University, bioengineered the yeast *Komagataella phaffii* to incorporate the enzyme responsible for artepillin C production. The yeast strain was chosen for its ability to grow at high cell densities and its effectiveness in producing certain chemical compounds. The research team utilized careful tuning of key steps in the molecular production line to increase artepillin C yield by tenfold. **Further improvements are being considered**, including enhancing the chemical step's efficiency and developing a molecular transport system to optimize compound yield. **This research not only advances artepillin C production but also offers new insights into the microbial production of various plant-derived compounds, expanding the potential for industrial-scale herbal medicine production.**