About this episode

Dr. Christina Smolke discusses her innovative approach to drug manufacturing using biology at Antheia.

Dr. Christina Smolke runs a brewery, except the yeast isn’t making alcohol. It’s making medicine. At Antheia, Smolke has turned a long-shot Stanford research project into a new way to manufacture critical pharmaceutical ingredients, using biology instead of traditional chemistry. The approach is already being used to produce opioid precursors for Narcan, with more drugs in the pipeline aimed at chronic shortages and supply-chain failures. Smolke talks about regulation, security, and why some of the hardest problems in science are worth chasing—especially when everyone says they won’t work.

People in this episode

Guest: Christina Smolke

Topics covered

• drug manufacturing
• biotechnology
• pharmaceuticals
• opioid precursors
• supply chain
• regulation

Keywords

• drug manufacturing
• biotechnology
• Christina Smolke
• Narcan
• opioid precursors
• pharmaceutical ingredients
• supply chain

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Antheia, Stanford

Products: Narcan

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