10070176Engineering a Microbial Platform for the Sustainable Production of PaclitaxelClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKPaclitaxel (branded as Taxol) is one of the most important anticancer drugs and has been used for therapy of different types of cancer. It first gained FDA approval in 1992\. The compound, considered a blockbuster anticancer drug, was originally isolated from _Taxus brevifolia_ (Pacific yew), but is now known to be present in the approximately eleven _Taxus_ species. Global demand for paclitaxel is increasing, given it is the primary chemotherapeutic agent utilised against many forms of cancer including ovarian, lung and breast cancers. Cancer remains one of the greatest challenges faced by medicine today and is a leading cause of deaths worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths (WHO, 2022). The global paclitaxel injection market was valued at US$ 4.5 billion in 2021 and is predicted to rise to US$ 11.2 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 12.5% (VerifiedMarketReports, 2022). Commercial paclitaxel is currently sourced either from the bark or needles of the Pacific yew (_Taxus brevifolia_), which is both destructive and low yielding, or via chemical semi synthesis which involves the chemical modification of late precursors extracted from plant cell culture. These processes are limited by high costs. Therefore, the development of a more sustainable source is critical to meet growing global demands. **Our vision** is a sustainable, high-added value, bio-based production of paclitaxel which will spur medical innovation, reduce costs, and expand paclitaxel's use into fields such as skin disorders, renal and hepatic fibrosis, inflammation, axon regeneration, limb salvage, and coronary artery restenosis. We envisage a revolution where small, digitally controlled bioreactors are operated by highly qualified personnel -- producing little/no waste, while consuming carbon and utilising less resource-intensive feedstocks (e.g., waste, instead of resource-intensive sugars used in fermentation). **Our key objectives** involve research on three engineered strains: carbon consuming cyanobacteria and algae, paving the way towards carbon-negative paclitaxel; and Actinobacteria which feed on biological waste (instead of sugars). **We will focus** on producing 0.1g/L of paclitaxel in both a batch and continuous process, coupled with robust techno-economic analyses to select the best strain for scale-up. **Our innovation** is a first-of-a-kind attempt to produce commercial paclitaxel via bacterial strains which consume carbon dioxide and/or waste -- paving the way for lower-cost, more circular, sustainable medical products.