Engineered yeast that make cancer drugs could spare a rare flower

04 August 2026

Modified baker’s yeast can produce a precursor for a drug that is usually derived from an endangered plant and its relatives.

The endangered plant Sinopodophyllum hexandrum is among the sources of a precursor for two cancer therapies. Credit: Felis Images/Nature Picture Library

Every year, millions of people take the drugs etoposide and teniposide, which are used to treat cancers of the lung, blood and other organs. But the process of manufacturing both drugs is low-yield and complicated. It also relies on precursors from plants in the subfamily Podophylloideae, including the endangered plant Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (also known as Podophyllum hexandrum), which is native to high-altitude Himalayan regions. Now, researchers have detailed a new pathway for making the drugs — with help from baker’s yeast1.

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