THC production by yeast

Cannabinoids, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active drug in cannabis, can also be produced by bioengineered yeast, a process colloquially known as pharming.^[1] In 2007, a research group reported the successful transgenic placement of a THCA synthase gene from Cannabis plant into the Pichia pastoris yeast, giving the yeast the ability to turn the precursor molecule cannabigerolic acid into THCA.^[2] In 2019, researchers at University of California, Berkeley reported in Nature that they had bioengineered yeast able to completely synthesize THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids, using only sugar as a food.^[3]^[4]

At least two companies have pursued intellectual property protection for biosynthesis of cannabinoids in yeast.^[5] The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health has funded research into "techniques to synthesize cannabinoids in yeast", saying that if successful, it "would cost less than obtaining them from the cannabis plant".^[6]

References

^ Greenberg, Gary (April 5, 2020). "Cannabis Scientists Are Chasing the Perfect High". The New York Times. Recent research has shown that it's possible to grow cannabinoids from yeast, cutting out the need for any horticulture
^ Small 2016.
^ Sanders, Robert (February 27, 2019), "Yeast produce low-cost, high-quality cannabinoids", Science Daily, Synthetic biologists have created an enzymatic network in yeast that turns sugar into cannabinoids, including tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, but also novel cannabinoids not found in the marijuana plant itself. The yeast factories would be more environmentally friendly and less energy intensive than growing the plant and separating out the psychoactive and non-psychoactive ingredients. They may also yield cannabinoid derivatives with unexpected medical uses.
^ Dolgin, Elie (February 27, 2019). "Scientists brew cannabis using hacked beer yeast – Researchers modify microbe to manufacture cannabis compounds including the psychoactive chemical THC". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00714-9. S2CID 92526476.
^ Hefazi, Siamak (June 12, 2019). "Cannabis, Yeast and the Quest for Cannabinoid Synthesis". Pillsbury - Internet & Social Media Law Blog at JD Supra.
^ "Cannabis (Marijuana) and Cannabinoids: What You Need To Know/Research Funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Retrieved 2020-04-05.

Small, Ernest (November 2016). "Biosynthesis and genetics of the cannabinoids of Cannabis". Cannabis: A Complete Guide. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4987-6163-5. OCLC 971400059.