The cannabis enzyme resurrection study from Wageningen University is a fascinating example of ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) in action—scientists essentially “time-traveled” to revive ancient proteins that offer advantages like greater versatility, robustness, and easier production in biotech systems. This could lead to cheaper, more abundant therapeutic cannabinoids (e.g., higher-yield CBC for anti-inflammatory uses) without relying solely on growing finicky modern plants.It’s exciting to think about extending this approach to other areas of ancient biology. Here are some examples of what I’d love to see scientists bring back (or are already exploring in similar ways), and how this kind of research could reshape medicine:
- Ancient photosynthetic enzymes (like Rubisco variants) — Rubisco, the enzyme plants use to fix CO₂, is notoriously inefficient in modern crops. Researchers have already resurrected ancestral versions from millions of years ago (e.g., in Solanaceae family studies) that show promise for faster, more efficient CO₂ capture. Bringing back even older, pre-C4 pathway ancestors could supercharge photosynthesis in food crops, helping combat food insecurity and climate change impacts on agriculture. In medicine, this indirectly supports better nutrition and reduces reliance on resource-intensive farming for medicinal plants.
- Extinct nitrogenase enzymes from early Earth — Nitrogenase fixes atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms, a key step for life. Recent work (e.g., NASA-supported studies resurrecting ~3.2-billion-year-old versions) has shown these ancient forms work in modern microbes and reveal early biosignatures. Reviving optimized ancient nitrogenases could inspire new biotech ways to produce nitrogen fertilizers sustainably (reducing environmental damage from synthetic ones) or even engineer microbes for nitrogen-fixing crops. Medically, this ties into gut microbiome engineering or novel antibiotics targeting bacterial nitrogen pathways.
- Promiscuous ancient enzymes for broader drug discovery — Many modern enzymes are highly specialized, but ancestral ones are often more “promiscuous” (able to handle multiple substrates), like the cannabis ones. I’d love to see this applied to antibiotic resistance: resurrecting ancient bacterial or fungal enzymes (e.g., beta-lactamases or other resistance mechanisms from pre-antibiotic eras) to understand and outpace evolving superbugs. Or ancient versions of human-related enzymes (e.g., for metabolic disorders) that might be more stable or less immunogenic for gene therapy/enzyme replacement treatments.
- Extinct plant or microbial pathways for rare therapeutics — Think resurrecting enzymes from ancient lineages that produced potent natural compounds lost to evolution—like anti-cancer alkaloids from extinct plants, or antimicrobial peptides from ancient microbes. This could unlock new classes of drugs that modern biodiversity no longer provides.
Overall, this research could transform medicine by:
- Enabling cheaper, scalable production of complex plant-based drugs via engineered microbes or yeast (bypassing plant growth limitations).
- Providing more stable/efficient enzymes for therapies (e.g., lower immunogenicity, higher activity).
- Accelerating drug discovery by revealing “lost” biochemical diversity—ancient promiscuity could yield novel molecules or pathways for antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, pain relief, or even neuroprotective agents.
- Offering insights into evolutionary trade-offs, helping design synthetic biology solutions tailored to human needs (e.g., multi-target cannabinoids or personalized enzyme therapies).
It’s like mining the deep past for tools to solve modern problems—very Jurassic Park, but focused on molecules rather than dinosaurs, and far more practical for biotech and health. What about you—what ancient biology revival excites you most?
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