Advances in the microbial biosynthesis of therapeutic terpenoids

Terpenoid natural products and their derivatives exhibit bioactivity that is utilized in FDA-approved drugs and candidates for future drugs; however, the widespread utilization of terpenoids has been limited by complex, low-yielding native biosyntheses and chemical syntheses. Microbial total/semi-biosynthesis of natural and new-to-nature terpenoids from sustainable feedstocks is scalable and can achieve economically viable cost targets. Herein, this review describes foundational advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering as exemplified by efforts to biosynthesize prominent terpenoids (i.e. artemisinin, taxol, vinblastine, QS-21, and cyclopamine) in engineered microorganisms (e.g. Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Emerging methods that accelerate microbial biosynthesis campaigns (i.e. automation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and combinatorial screening) are then discussed.