Biohackers Are Engineering Yeast to Make THC
Source: motherboard.vice.com
How do you get weed without the weed? By genetically engineering yeast to produce THC, of course.
Once theorized in a stoner magazine column more than a decade ago, a biotech startup working in Ireland is actively trying to transplant the genetic information that codes for both THC and another cannabinoid called CBD into yeast so that new medicinal (and, perhaps recreational) "marijuana" can be grown in a lab—no plants necessary.
"Right now, growing medical marijuana is expensive and it’s heavily regulated as well. It’s slow to grow, you’ve got to go through several different strains before you get a stable blend," Sarah Choukah, CEO of Hyasynth Bio, told me. "We’re thinking to bypass all this, to make it quick to grow, we can develop pot from technology that could give us customizable blends of yeast."
That’s right—you can have different strains of THC-producing yeast, just like you do with marijuana. On its website, the team says that "rather than relying on plant strains generated from selective breeding, specifically crafted microbes can be designed within a matter of days."
Choukah and her cofounder, Kevin Chen, say they aren’t exactly sure what the final form of their product will be, but you won’t smoke it. Most likely, the THC will be delivered via a patch, a topical cream, or in vaporizer or e-cigarette form.
The goal here, at first, isn’t to create another way for people to get high. Instead, it’ll be using the ability to quickly and precisely modify THC content to create more specialized treatments for specific diseases, such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. It’ll also be creating reliable THC for researchers to work on. But the recreational market is certainly on the team’s radar.
"Further down the line, depending on how the regulatory environment is, we might get into recreational," Choukah said.
[...]
Read the full article at: motherboard.vice.com
Who Is Trying To Patent Marijuana?
What a drag, Israeli firm grows "highless" marijuana
Tune into Red Ice Radio:
H.P. Albarelli Jr. - Germ Warfare, CIA, LSD and the Murder of Dr. Frank Olson
Rick Simpson - Hemp Oil Cancer Cure
Mitch Schultz - The Spirit Molecule
Rick Strassman - DMT: The Spirit Molecule, Inner Paths to Outer Space & The Soul of Prophecy
Carol de la Herran - Robert Monroe & Altered States of Consciousness
Neil Sanders - Hour 1 - The Dark Art of Mind Control
Kevin P Miller - Generation Rx, SSRI’s & Happy Pills
