Complete biosynthesis of QS-21 in engineered yeast. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38720067/)

These scientists found a way to make a special ingredient called QS-21, which is used in vaccines to make them work better. QS-21 is usually hard to get because it comes from a tree in Chile or has to be made in a complicated process. But these scientists figured out how to make it using yeast, which is a tiny organism. They had to change the yeast's genes and add 38 different enzymes to make this happen. The process they used in the yeast is similar to how plants make QS-21 in their cells.

By doing this, the scientists were able to not only make QS-21 but also make similar substances that could be used in vaccines. This new way of making QS-21 will help scientists understand how it works better and design even more effective vaccines in the future.

Liu Y., Zhao X., Gan F., Chen X., Deng K., Crowe SA., Hudson GA., Belcher MS., Schmidt M., Astolfi MCT., Kosina SM., Pang B., Shao M., Yin J., Sirirungruang S., Iavarone AT., Reed J., Martin LBB., El-Demerdash A., Kikuchi S., Misra RC., Liang X., Cronce MJ., Chen X., Zhan C., Kakumanu R., Baidoo EEK., Chen Y., Petzold CJ., Northen TR., Osbourn A., Scheller H., Keasling JD. Complete biosynthesis of QS-21 in engineered yeast. Nature. 2024 May;629(8013):937-944. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07345-9. Epub 2024 May 8.