Bioengineers to Make use of Yeast for Drug Manufacture -

We all know that yeast has been used for years domestically, right from baking your daily bread to brewing your evening beers. Well, the researchers at Stanford are now working on use of synthetic biology and making yeast do much more than earlier. These scientists are not using the property of fermentation of the genetically altered yeast but they are using it to pump out a non -narcotic cough suppressant known as noscapine, which is sourced naturally from opium poppies.
It is known from ancient times that plants like opium have medicinal properties but at the same time extracting these compounds from such plants is not only time consuming but also dangerous. Additionally, growing this plant requires legal permissions and it can be carried out only in a particular geographical region. Another setback with poppy is that it takes a complete year to mature.

http://www.acsce.edu.in/blog/bio-engineers-make-use-yeast-drug-manufacture/