Scientists engineer bacteria to convert PET plastic into Parkinson’s drug levodopa

Key facts

• Researchers engineered Escherichia coli (E coli) to convert discarded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic into levodopa.
• The study was published in Nature Sustainability.
• The work was carried out by scientists at the University of Edinburgh.
• PET plastic is commonly used in bottles and food packaging.
• Levodopa is the leading treatment for Parkinson’s disease, which affects more than 10 million people worldwide.
• Traditional levodopa production relies on multiple fossil fuel‑based chemical steps and is energy intensive, costly and carbon heavy.
• Earlier research by the same Edinburgh team showed plastic can be turned into paracetamol, converting up to 90 per cent of plastic from a one‑litre PET bottle into paracetamol in 24 hours, equivalent to nine 500 mg tablets.
• In 2022, researchers at the University of Southern California demonstrated that engineered fungi can break down polyethylene (PE) into compounds useful for antibiotics, antifungals and cholesterol‑lowering drugs.
• A collaborative study led by the University of St Andrews with partners in the Netherlands and Germany showed PET plastic could be converted into starting materials for cancer therapies and anti‑bleeding drugs.
• The approach could reduce reliance on fossil fuels and support a circular economy by reusing waste plastic for medicine production.
• Scaling the process to industrial levels will require cost‑effective manufacturing, regulatory safety approval, sufficient plastic waste collection and long‑term investment with collaboration among scientists, industry and policymakers.