MIAMi · Project

Brewing Cancer and Psychosis Drug Ingredients in Yeast Instead of Harvesting Rare Plants

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Some of the best cancer and mental health drugs come from rare tropical plants that are incredibly hard to farm and harvest. Imagine if instead of growing thousands of plants and extracting tiny amounts of medicine, you could brew the same ingredients in yeast — like making beer, but the output is pharmaceutical compounds. That's exactly what MIAMi did: they mapped the chemical recipes inside over 20 plant species, then reprogrammed yeast cells to produce those same medicinal molecules. They tested over 1,000 different yeast designs and successfully produced three specific compounds being evaluated as cancer and psychosis treatments.

By the numbers

2,000+

Monoterpenoid indole alkaloids accessible from common precursor strictosidine

20+

MIA-producing plant species studied for pathway discovery

100+

DNA elements characterised for gene expression control

1,000+

New-to-nature pathway designs prototyped in yeast

Target compounds produced: tabersonine, alstonine, rauwolscine

Consortium partners across 6 countries

Total project deliverables completed

The business problem

What needed solving

Pharmaceutical companies depend on rare plant-derived alkaloids for cancer and mental health drugs, but plant extraction is slow, expensive, seasonal, and nearly impossible to scale reliably. Over 2,000 known therapeutic alkaloids remain underexploited because their plant sources are not genetically tractable. The industry needs a manufacturing-ready alternative that can produce these high-value compounds consistently and at scale.

The solution

What was built

MIAMi built engineered yeast strains capable of producing three specific therapeutic alkaloids (tabersonine, alstonine, rauwolscine) in demonstrable quantities. They also created a public parts repository with over 100 characterised DNA elements, a Bio-CAD platform for designing compartmentalised biosynthetic pathways, and standardised SOPs for bioengineering — all validated through prototyping over 1,000 pathway designs.

Audience

Who needs this

Pharmaceutical companies sourcing plant-derived active ingredients for oncology or CNS drugsSynthetic biology companies building microbial production platforms for high-value chemicalsCDMOs expanding into bio-manufactured API production via fermentationBiotech startups developing yeast-based production of natural product therapeuticsAgrochemical companies looking for sustainable alternatives to plant-harvested compounds

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Pharma companies sourcing plant-derived active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)

If you are a pharmaceutical manufacturer struggling with unreliable supply of plant-derived alkaloid ingredients — this project developed yeast-based production of tabersonine, alstonine, and rauwolscine. These are compounds with demonstrated bioactivity against cancer and psychosis. The microbial production route could replace your dependency on plant extraction, which is seasonal, low-yield, and hard to scale.

Biotechnology / Synthetic Biology

SME

Target: Biotech companies building microbial cell factories for high-value chemicals

If you are a biotech company developing microbial production platforms — MIAMi created a public parts repository and Bio-CAD tool for engineering compartmentalised biosynthetic pathways in yeast. They characterised over 100 DNA elements for controlling gene expression and protein interactions. These standardised building blocks could accelerate your own strain engineering programs for alkaloid or related compound production.

Contract Research / CDMO

mid-size

Target: Contract development and manufacturing organizations serving pharma clients

If you are a CDMO looking to expand into bio-manufactured APIs — MIAMi prototyped over 1,000 new-to-nature pathway designs using automated genome engineering and identified robust designs for scale-up. Their standardised SOPs for bioengineering and proven yeast production processes for three specific alkaloids could give you a head start in offering fermentation-based API manufacturing services to pharma clients.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or access MIAMi's yeast strains and production processes?

The project data does not include specific licensing terms or pricing. The consortium includes 3 industry partners and 2 SMEs, suggesting commercial pathways were considered. Contact the coordinator at Danmarks Tekniske Universitet to discuss licensing of the engineered yeast strains and Bio-CAD platform.

Can this yeast-based production actually work at industrial scale?

MIAMi specifically designed for scale-up: they prototyped over 1,000 pathway designs using automated genome engineering to identify the most robust ones. A demo deliverable confirms delivery of large quantities of tabersonine, alstonine, and rauwolscine. However, full industrial-scale validation would still require further process development.

What is the IP situation — who owns the strains and tools?

With 8 partners across 6 countries including 3 industry partners, IP ownership is governed by the consortium agreement. The project mentions a public parts repository, meaning some tools are openly available, while optimised production strains likely remain proprietary. Specific licensing terms should be discussed with the coordinator.

How far along are these compounds as actual drugs?

The project tested bioactivity of rauwolscine, tabersonine, and alstonine as cancer and psychosis treatment drug leads. These are at the drug lead evaluation stage, not yet in clinical trials. A pharma partner would need to take these through preclinical and clinical development.

What are the environmental benefits compared to plant extraction?

MIAMi evaluated the environmental benefits and risks of microbial production compared to existing plant-based value chains. Yeast fermentation eliminates the need for large-scale cultivation of tropical plants, reduces land use, and provides a more consistent supply. Based on available project data, specific environmental impact numbers were not published in the materials reviewed.

Can MIAMi's platform be used for other compounds beyond the three demonstrated?

Yes. The project mapped biosynthetic pathways across more than 20 MIA-producing plant species and built tools for over 2,000 monoterpenoid indole alkaloids derived from the common precursor strictosidine. The Bio-CAD platform and parts repository were designed for forward engineering of new pathway designs, making it extensible to other alkaloid targets.

What kind of technical team would we need to implement this?

You would need synthetic biology and metabolic engineering expertise to work with the engineered yeast strains and Bio-CAD platform. The consortium developed standardised SOPs for characterisation of over 100 DNA elements, which should lower the learning curve. Integration with existing fermentation infrastructure would also require bioprocess engineering capacity.

Consortium

Who built it

The MIAMi consortium brings together 8 partners from 6 countries (Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, UK), with a balanced mix of 3 universities, 2 research institutes, and 3 industry partners including 2 SMEs. The 38% industry ratio is strong for a research project and signals genuine commercial intent. The coordinator, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU), is a leading European technical university with established bioengineering expertise. The presence of industry partners suggests the technology was developed with manufacturing feasibility in mind, not just academic publication. For a business looking to access this technology, the mix of academic depth and industry pragmatism in the consortium is a positive signal.

DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITETCoordinator · DK
EXPLORA SRLparticipant · IT
FUTURE GENOMICS TECHNOLOGIES BVparticipant · NL
KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
JOHN INNES CENTREparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITE DE TOURSparticipant · FR
MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EVparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU), Denmark — search for the MIAMi project lead in DTU's biosustainability or bioengineering department

Order a report on this consortium See DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the MIAMi team to discuss licensing their yeast production strains or Bio-CAD platform? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting with the right people at DTU and industry partners.

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