Engineered Flavin-Dependent Oxidases for Cannabinoid Synthesis

The patent segments the cannabinoid production process by dividing it into two distinct parts: (1) engineered cells that produce high purity individual cannabinoid compounds through genetic modification, and (2) traditional plant extraction for obtaining mixtures. This segmentation allows selection of the appropriate method based on whether high purity or cost-effectiveness is the priority

The patent introduces engineered cells as an intermediary system between traditional plant cultivation and final cannabinoid product. These genetically modified cells act as biological factories that convert plant precursors into high purity cannabinoids, eliminating the need for time-consuming purification steps while maintaining high product quality

The engineered cells are designed to autonomously perform the cannabinoid synthesis process. The genetic modifications enable the cells to self-regulate the biochemical pathways, automatically converting precursor molecules into high purity cannabinoids without requiring complex external purification equipment or multiple processing steps

The patent changes the fundamental parameter of production location from plant-based extraction to cell-based synthesis. By transferring the production capability to engineered cells with modified metabolic pathways, the system achieves high productivity and purity while simplifying the overall production architecture, as cell cultures require fewer downstream processing steps compared to plant extraction