Scientists Find Gene Secret That Lets Poppies Make Morphine

Scientists have identified a key gene used by poppies to make morphine, paving the way for better methods of producing the medically important drug, potentially without the need for cultivating poppy fields. The latest finding follows recent success in engineering brewer's yeast to synthesise opiates such as morphine and codeine from a common sugar, boosting the prospect of "home brew" drug supply. But whether making morphine in bubbling vats of yeast will be commercially...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - jeudi 25 juin 2015