Accessible Type 2 diabetes medication through stable expression of Exendin-4 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Diabetes mellitus affects roughly one in ten people globally and is the world's ninth leading cause of death. However, a significant portion of chronic complications that contribute to mortality can be prevented with proper treatment and medication. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, such as Exendin-4, are one of the leading classes of Type 2 diabetes treatments but are prohibitively expensive. In this study, experimental models for recombinant Exendin-4 protein production were designed in both Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Protein expression in the chromosomally integrated S. cerevisiae strain was observed at the expected size of Exendin-4 and confirmed by immunoassay. This provides a foundation for the use of this Generally Regarded as Safe organism as an affordable treatment for Type 2 diabetes that can be propagated, prepared, and distributed locally.