The shikimate pathway is fundamental for the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids—tryptophan, tyrosine and phenylalanine—in plants, bacteria and fungi. This pathway, which is absent in mammals, has ...

Scientists in China have developed a way to synthesize medicarpin in yeast—specifically, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as baker’s yeast. Like paclitaxel in the 1990s, this tumor-attacking ...