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Yeast. They already participate in producing some of the most popular pain-killing substances around: beer and wine.
酵母这种物质现已加入到最受欢迎的止痛剂—啤酒和葡萄酒的生产酿造中。
Now, scientists have engineered yeast that can also make one of the most powerful analgesics: morphine.
现在科学家发现酵母也可以用于制作最有效止痛剂之一的吗啡。
Their work is in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.
这项研究结果已经在《自然化学生物学》杂志上发表。
Opiates like morphine and codeine are essential for treating severe pain.
像吗啡和可待因这样的鸦片制剂是抑制剧痛必不可少的药物。
But making these meds isn't easy.
但制作这些药物绝非易事。
All are derived from opium poppies, and tens to hundreds of thousands of tons are needed to meet global needs.
它们都源自罂粟，要想满足全球需求则需要数万乃至几十万吨。
The crops can also be affected by climate, disease and even political turmoil in the countries where the plants are grown, which further limits commercial production.
而种植罂粟受到气候、疾病，甚至政治动乱的影响，这些因素都会进一步限制其工业产量。
To get around these potential challenges, researchers have turned to yeast, an organism that can be grown easily on industrial scales.
为了解决这个难题，科学家们将研究对象转为可以在工业规模下更易种植生长的有机酵母。
The scientists inserted into yeast cells a handful of genes isolated from the opium poppy.
科学家们将从罂粟分离出的少量基因植入酵母细胞中。
These genes encode the enzymes the plants use to produce opiates.
就是这些基因可以对出产麻醉剂的植物酶进行再编码。
After tweaking the system to adjust the relative amounts of the enzymes, the researchers could feed their yeast a precursor chemical called thebaine, and get pure morphine in return.
在经过对植物体系进行酶相对数量的调整后，研究人员会在这些酵母中加入一种名为二甲基吗啡的混合化学物质，这样就会得到纯净的吗啡。
The yeast can't yet make opiates from scratch.
酵母现在还没有能力单独产出麻醉剂。
But with a bit more effort and a few more enzymes, yeast may produce painkillers that are prescription strength.
但是如果继续努力及投入更多的酶物质，酵母或许会产出适合处方剂量强度的止痛剂。
