News Chemistry

Modified bacteria convert plastic waste into pain reliever

With a little help, E. coli converted 92 percent of broken-down plastic into acetaminophen

A scientist in a white lab coat operating a centrifuge machine in a laboratory, handling a green rotor with sample tubes, with lab equipment and storage boxes on shelves in the background.

Engineering biologist Stephen Wallace harvests genetically engineered E. coli that can convert broken-down plastics into a common painkiller.

Edinburgh Innovations

By Skyler Ware

Dealing with plastic waste is a real headache. But with a little help, bacteria can turn plastic into a painkiller.

Genetically engineered Escherichia coli bacteria converted a broken-down plastic bottle into the active ingredient in pain medicines like Tylenol and Panadol, scientists report June 23 in Nature Chemistry.