Scientists turn plastic waste into medicine to help people
Could your used plastic bottles end up as a medicine?
- Published
Over at the University of Edinburgh, scientists have discovered a way to turn plastic rubbish into medicine.
This amazing bit of research uses a special type of bacteria - incredibly tiny living things found everywhere on Earth, which can only be seen with a microscope - to change the plastic.
Afterwards, the scientists are left with something that can help people who have Parkinson's disease.
It's a big step forward in both tackling the problem of plastic waste and helping people with Parkinson's.
The study's lead scientist Professor Stephen Wallace said: "This feels like just the beginning."
He says his team's discovery could have a big impact on how medicine is made in the future.
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What is Parkinson's disease?
Parkinson's is a disease in which parts of the brain become more damaged over many years.
People who have Parkinson's don't have enough dopamine, which is a chemical that sends messages between the parts of the brain and nerves that control movement.
This leads to problems with moving around, including shaking and slowness.
At the moment, there is no cure for Parkinson's, but there are lots of treatments to help people manage the symptoms of the disease.
And that's where this new discovery comes in.
Other support for people with Parkinson's includes types of therapy to help with movement or speech
What have the scientists discovered?
By engineering E. coli bacteria, scientists are able to break down a type of plastic called PET, which is used in lots of food and drink packaging.
They can then transform what's left into a leading Parkinson's medication called levodopa, or L-dopa.
Levodopa can help some people with Parkinson's increase their dopamine levels, which can improve movement.
Because this new way of producing levodopa uses bacteria, it's a more natural process than the usual methods of making the medicine, which often rely on fossil fuels.
Plastic is a very useful material, but the waste is often not recycled and can end up in lakes, rivers, or seas
The team at the University of Edinburgh now need to see if they can develop this technology to make lots more medicine in a way that is affordable and still good for the environment.
Professor Stephen is very excited about what the future could hold.
"If we can create medicines for neurological disease from a waste plastic bottle, it's exciting to imagine what else this technology could achieve.
"By engineering biology to transform plastic into an essential medicine, we show how waste materials can be reimagined as valuable resources that support human health."