Can Plastic Waste Be Transformed into a Parkinson’s Disease Treatment?

Scientists have successfully converted plastic waste into an essential treatment for Parkinson’s disease. This breakthrough relies on the use of genetically modified bacteria capable of transforming a plastic component into levodopa, a molecule used for decades to relieve the symptoms of this neurodegenerative disease.

Plastic, particularly from bottles or packaging, contains a compound called terephthalic acid. Using bacteria such as Escherichia coli, researchers designed a biological process that breaks down this acid in several steps. First, it is converted into an intermediate substance, then into catechol, before finally being transformed into levodopa. To optimize production, scientists divided the steps between two distinct bacterial strains, avoiding blockages that could slow down or halt the reaction.

One of the major challenges was efficiently introducing terephthalic acid into the bacteria. The researchers incorporated a specialized transporter into the bacterial membrane, thereby improving the absorption of the compound. They also discovered that certain intermediate molecules inhibited levodopa production. By separating the steps between two different types of bacteria, they bypassed this issue and obtained significant quantities of the drug.

The process operates under mild conditions, without toxic products or extreme temperatures. It has produced up to 5 grams of levodopa per liter of culture, an amount sufficient for several therapeutic doses. The plastic waste used comes from both industry and used bottles, demonstrating the feasibility of large-scale recycling.

To make this process even more sustainable, researchers tested the use of microalgae. These microalgae capture the carbon dioxide released during the transformation, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of the process. Although this approach is still under development, it paves the way for more environmentally friendly production.

This innovation does not single-handedly solve the problem of plastic waste, but it shows how synthetic biology can give polluting materials a second life. By transforming waste into medicine, this technique combines recycling and public health, offering an alternative to traditional methods that rely on fossil resources. It also highlights the potential of microorganisms to create high-value products from materials considered waste.

Content References

Official Reference

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-026-01785-z

Title: Microbial upcycling of plastic waste to levodopa

Journal: Nature Sustainability

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Authors: Benjamin Royer; Yuta Era; Marcos Valenzuela-Ortega; Thomas W. Thorpe; Connor L. Trotter; Kitty Clouston; John F. C. Steele; Nicoll Zeballos; Eugene Shrimpton-Phoenix; Bhumrapee Eiamthong; Chayasith Uttamapinant; Christopher W. Wood; Stephen Wallace