Latest news with #StephenWallace
Fast Company
12 hours ago
- Health
- Fast Company
Scientists engineer bacteria to turn plastic waste into painkillers
Tales of turning water into wine or weaving straw into gold are one thing, but a new study shows that scientists can transform trash into . . . Tylenol? Scientists at the University of Edinburgh were able to convert plastic waste into paracetamol, aka acetaminophen, the active ingredient in the pain reliever Tylenol. Stranger yet, they pulled off the alchemical feat using the bacteria E. coli. 'We're able to transform a prolific environmental and societal waste into such a globally important medication in a way that's completely impossible, using chemistry alone or using biology alone,' says study coauthor Stephen Wallace, a chemical biotechnologist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The research team began with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic found in food packaging and polyester clothing. Using established chemical methods, they broke down the PET plastic into a precursor molecule and then added it into a cell culture of E. coli that was genetically modified. Enzymes in the modified E. coli bacteria were able to convert the plastic precursor into paracetamol 92% of the time. The transformation relies on a chemical process known as a Lossen rearrangement, which can convert one kind of molecule into a different kind of molecule. Scientists have known about the Lossen rearrangement for more than 100 years, but generally observe the phenomenon in a flask or a test tube. The research group is now working with pharmaceutical makers including AstraZeneca, one of the study's sponsors, to replicate the same chemical transformations on a larger scale. The new research isn't the first to observe the way that bacteria can be deployed to usefully break down plastic. Researchers have previously studied how wastewater bacteria found in urban waterways use a special enzyme to chew up plastic trash and convert it into carbon-based food. As we grapple with the cascading environmental and health effects that decades of proliferating plastics have wrought on the planet, bacteria capable of converting plastic into harmless or even useful molecules is a promising area of research.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Bacteria can turn plastic waste into a painkiller
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Tylenol could potentially be made greener and cheaper with the help of bacteria. Scientists were able to use a bacterial chemical reaction to convert a plastic water bottle into paracetamol with no environmental strain. This development could alter the way drugs are produced and provide a much-needed solution to the plastic pollution problem. The bacteria Escherichia coli or common in the gut microbiome, can be used to break down plastic into paracetamol, according to a study published in the journal Nature Chemistry. Paracetamol, or acetaminophen, is the main active ingredient in the painkiller Tylenol. It is generally produced using fossil fuels, namely crude oil, which has been known to worsen climate change. But "by merging chemistry and biology in this way for the first time, we can make paracetamol more sustainably and clean up plastic waste from the environment at the same time," said Stephen Wallace, a professor at the University of Edinburgh and the lead author of the study, to The Guardian. The researchers triggered a chemical reaction in known as the Lossen rearrangement that "until now had only been observed in test tubes," said Spanish newspaper El País. The was genetically modified to be able to break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic used in food packaging and bottles, and ultimately produce paracetamol. This process can occur at room temperature and produces no carbon emissions. "It enables, for the first time, a pathway from plastic waste to paracetamol, which is not possible using biology alone, and it's not possible using chemistry alone," Wallace said to Science News. While it will take time before the painkiller can be widely produced using this method, "this could mark part of a broader shift toward more sustainable, biology-based manufacturing practices, both in the pharmaceutical industry and in plastic recycling," El País said. Plastic waste has been known to harm the environment and can pollute waterways and leach chemicals into the ecosystem. Microplastics have also been found almost everywhere on Earth and in our bodies. "I genuinely think this is quite an exciting sort of starting point for plastic waste upcycling," Wallace said. PET plastic "creates more than 350 million tons of waste annually," said a news release about the study. While PET recycling is possible, "existing processes create products that continue to contribute to plastic pollution worldwide." This research could be the solution to the pollution. The study's findings indicate that "PET plastic isn't just waste or a material destined to become more plastic," Wallace said in the release. "It can be transformed by microorganisms into valuable new products, including those with potential for treating disease." This is not the first time bacteria have been used to break down plastic, and it likely will not be the last. However, the ability to create medicine from plastic introduces a fresh area of research. "Based on what we've seen, it's highly likely that many — or even most — bacteria can perform these kinds of transmutations," Wallace said. "This opens up a whole new way of thinking about how we might use microbes as tiny chemical factories."
WIRED
20 hours ago
- Health
- WIRED
The Next Acetaminophen Tablet You Take Could Be Made From PET
Jun 27, 2025 8:53 AM This research could represent the first documented case of acetaminophen production from plastic waste using E. coli bacteria. acetaminophen pill box, boxpaper, blister tablets Photograph: Jorge Martinez Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have succeeded in transforming certain plastic waste into acetaminophen using the natural properties of the common bacterium Escherichia coli ( E. coli ). This breakthrough represents a milestone with the potential to drive more sustainable methods of drug production and, at the same time, contribute to the reduction of plastic pollution globally. The study, led by Stephen Wallace, revealed that E. coli cells contain phosphate, an organic compound capable of catalyzing a chemical reaction known as Lossen rearrangement. In general terms, this process involves the rearrangement of the atoms of a hydroxamate ester molecule to form a new structure called isocyanate, a chemical intermediate that, when reacted with water, produces primary amines. These substances are essential in numerous biological processes and in drug synthesis. Using synthetic biology, the scientists manipulated the bacteria to redirect their internal chemistry and transform a PET-derived molecule known as terephthalic acid into the active ingredient in acetaminophen. They used a fermentation process, similar to that used in brewing beer, to accelerate the conversion of industrial PET waste into the drug, obtaining results in less than 24 hours. According to the findings, approximately 90 percent of the final product corresponded to acetaminophen. Importantly, this conversion was done at room temperature and with virtually no carbon emissions, suggesting that the drug can be produced in a more environmentally friendly way. Wallace noted that what was most surprising about the process was that the Lossen rearrangement occurred naturally within living bacteria, without the need for laboratory catalysts. That is, they took advantage of the microbial cells' own capabilities to trigger the desired reaction. 'The funny thing is that we didn't have to teach the bacteria how to do the reaction: The trick was to realize that they already had the tools, and we just had to guide them,' explained the researcher in statements reported by El País. 'We used synthetic biology to build new metabolic pathways within the bacteria that guide their chemistry toward producing the compound we wanted. In this case, a drug.' Sustainable Drug Production The work, published in the journal Nature, could be the first documented case of acetaminophen production from plastic waste using E. coli . However, the authors stress that further studies will be necessary to achieve industrial-scale production. In addition, they caution that the safety and efficacy of the resulting drug in humans have yet to be evaluated, so future research will be required. Despite these limitations, the scientists emphasize that their results open up new possibilities for addressing the problem of plastic waste and reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with drug manufacturing. Currently, the production of drugs such as acetaminophen consumes thousands of tons of fossil fuels, especially petroleum, which contributes significantly to climate change. In turn, PET generates more than 350 million tons of waste per year, causing serious damage to the environment. Although this material is recyclable, current methods often result in products that perpetuate global plastic pollution. 'This work demonstrates that PET plastic is not just a waste product or a material destined to become more plastic: Microorganisms can transform it into valuable new products, including those with therapeutic potential,' concluded Wallace. This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
Japan Today
a day ago
- Health
- Japan Today
E.coli can turn plastic into painkillers, chemists discover
Paracetamol can be made by combining the bacteria and plastic waste, scientists have discovered Scientists have found a way to use the bacteria to convert plastic waste into a popular painkiller, a study said, though outside experts doubted the technique would make a dent in the fight against plastic pollution. Paracetamol, which is one of the most commonly used drugs worldwide, is made from the derivatives of fossil fuels, often by Asia-based subcontractors using cheap, polluting methods that contribute to climate change. The world is also facing an escalating crisis of plastic pollution, with countries set for another bruising round of negotiations in August in the hope of sealing an international treaty to reduce plastic waste. The British team of researchers behind the new study sought to find a solution to the two problems by roping in a third -- which is normally known for making people sick when they eat contaminated food. First the chemists used a molecule derived from PET plastic, which is used in bottles and many other plastic products the world over, to spark a chemical reaction in a strain of This created a molecule they called PABA, according to the Nature Chemistry study, which was partly funded by drug firm AstraZeneca. By genetically modifying the bacteria, the chemists were able to transform their molecule into acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol. "This work demonstrates that PET plastic isn't just waste or a material destined to become more plastic -- it can be transformed by microorganisms into valuable new products, including those with potential for treating disease," lead study Stephen Wallace said in a statement. Singaporean researchers not involved in the study praised how it combined synthetic and biological chemistry. But "several practical considerations remain" to take this idea beyond the proof-of-concept stage, they wrote in a linked commentary in the journal Nature Chemistry. The chemical reaction produces only a limited amount of PABA molecules, which "may be insufficient for industrial applications", they wrote. Melissa Valliant, communications director of the Beyond Plastics project of Bennington College in the United States, expressed skepticism. "A new 'plastic-eating bacteria' pops up in the news every few months and has been doing so for years," she told AFP. "These discoveries never scale up to anything significant enough to tackle the massive plastic pollution problem." This "crisis needs to be stopped at the source," she added, which means "companies and policymakers must reduce the amount of plastic being produced and used in the first place". © 2025 AFP
Arab Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Arab Times
Breakthrough study: Bacteria convert plastic waste into painkillers
LONDON, June 24: Researchers have discovered that bacteria can convert plastic waste into painkillers, offering a more sustainable way to produce these medicines. Chemists found that E. coli bacteria can create paracetamol (acetaminophen) from a substance made in the lab using plastic bottles. 'Many people don't realize paracetamol is currently made from oil,' said Professor Stephen Wallace, lead researcher at the University of Edinburgh. 'Our work shows that by combining chemistry and biology, we can produce paracetamol more sustainably while also helping to clean up plastic waste.' Published in Nature Chemistry, the study explains how the team discovered a chemical reaction known as the Lossen rearrangement — a reaction never before observed in nature — could occur inside living cells without harming them. The researchers started with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic used in food packaging and bottles. Using environmentally friendly chemical methods, they converted PET into a new material. When this material was incubated with a harmless strain of E. coli, it was transformed into para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), through a process involving the Lossen rearrangement. Typically, the Lossen rearrangement requires harsh lab conditions, but here it happened naturally in the presence of E. coli, catalyzed by phosphate inside the bacteria. PABA is vital for bacterial growth, especially for DNA synthesis, and is normally produced inside cells from other compounds. However, the E. coli in the experiment was genetically modified to block its usual production pathways, forcing the bacteria to use the PET-derived material instead. The researchers are excited by these findings, which suggest plastic waste can be turned into useful biological materials. 'It offers a way to completely 'hoover up' plastic waste,' Wallace said. Next, the team further engineered E. coli by adding two genes—one from mushrooms and one from soil bacteria—that enabled the bacteria to convert PABA into paracetamol. Using this engineered E. coli, the team produced paracetamol from the PET-based starting material in under 24 hours, achieving low emissions and up to 92% yield. While more work is needed to scale this process for commercial production, the results point to a practical future application. 'This method creates a pathway from plastic waste to paracetamol that neither biology nor chemistry alone could achieve,' Wallace said.
