Codon-Optimized Nucleic Acid for Heterologous Cannabinoid Biosynthesis
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Solution Overview
Problem
The pharmaceutical industry has not fully tapped into the medicinal potential of the Cannabis plant due to low concentrations of various cannabinoids, limiting therapeutic applications to primarily tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC/A), cannabinolic-acid (CBD/A), and cannabinol (CBN), while other cannabinoids with unique properties remain underutilized.
Innovation Solution
A method for biosynthesizing hundreds of compounds, including cannabinoids, terpenoids, stilbenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic amides, using biological molecules and enzymes, allowing for the production of rare cannabinoids at low cost and without the need for growing Cannabis plants, utilizing readily available biological organisms and sugar-based starting materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If Cannabis plants are cultivated to obtain cannabinoids, then cannabinoids can be produced, but the concentration of cannabinoids in the plant is very low, requiring large-scale cultivation to achieve therapeutic dosages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses heterologous expression systems (bacteria, yeast, plant cells) as intermediaries to produce cannabinoids. Instead of relying on Cannabis plants themselves, the invention transfers cannabinoid biosynthetic gene pathways into alternative host organisms that can be cultivated more efficiently and produce higher concentrations of the desired compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the biological system parameters by selecting different host organisms with superior growth characteristics and cannabinoid production capabilities. By modifying the host organism type, cultivation conditions, and genetic expression parameters, the system achieves higher cannabinoid concentrations without requiring large-scale Cannabis cultivation.
2Quantity of substance
If rare cannabinoids are produced through traditional Cannabis cultivation, then these compounds can be obtained, but the production cost is high and the process is inefficient due to low concentrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs alternative host organisms as intermediaries to produce rare cannabinoids. By using bacteria, yeast, or plant cell cultures that can be grown in controlled environments with optimized nutrient media, the invention reduces cultivation costs and improves accessibility of rare cannabinoids compared to traditional Cannabis plant cultivation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates genetic copies of cannabinoid biosynthetic pathways in alternative host organisms. By replicating the essential genes and enzymatic pathways in hosts that are easier and cheaper to cultivate, the system produces rare cannabinoids at lower costs while maintaining product quality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If Cannabis plants are grown to access various cannabinoids with unique medicinal properties, then diverse compounds can be obtained, but this requires growing illegal plants in many jurisdictions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses legally acceptable alternative host organisms (bacteria, yeast, non-cannabis plant cells) as intermediaries to produce cannabinoids. This approach bypasses legal restrictions on Cannabis cultivation while still providing access to diverse cannabinoid compounds with their unique medicinal properties through heterologous expression of biosynthetic pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of cultivating Cannabis plants to obtain cannabinoids, the invention inverts the approach by using other organisms to produce the same compounds. This reversal of the traditional production method eliminates legal barriers while maintaining the ability to produce diverse cannabinoid profiles.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the widespread production of medicinal compounds at low cost, overcoming the limitations of low cannabinoid concentrations in Cannabis plants and opening new medical applications, while reducing the need for illegal plant cultivation and substance trafficking.
Implementation Method 1
The present invention is directed to a codon optimized nucleic acid that encdes a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence: (i) the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2; or (ii) a portion of the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein the codon optimized nucleic acid has at least 85% identity to the nucleic acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 when aligning the nucleic acid sequences and allowing for gaps, and wherein the codon optimized nucleic acid encodes the polypeptide in a host organism with enhanced expression.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a method for the biosynthesis of hundreds of compounds, mainly found in the Cannabis plant. The starting material for these compounds can be any biological compound that is used/produced in a biological organism from the sugar family starting materials or other low cost raw materials processed via enzymes or within organisms to give final products. These final products include, but are not limited to: cannabinoids, terpenoids, stilbenoids, flavonoids, phenolic amides, lignanamides, spermidine alkaloids, and phenylpropanoids. Specifically, the present invention relates to the regular/modified/synthetic gene(s) of select enzymes are processed and inserted into an expression system (vector, cosmid, BAC, YAC, phage, etc.) to produce modified hosts. The modified host is then optimized for efficient production and yield via manipulation, silencing, and amplifying inserted or other genes in the host, leading to an efficient system for product.