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

## TL;DR

This paper explores using yeast to produce a diabetes drug called Exendin-4, aiming to make it more affordable and accessible.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the successful expression of Exendin-4 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a safe and cost-effective organism.

## Key findings

- Exendin-4 was successfully expressed in S. cerevisiae at the expected size.
- The expressed protein was confirmed using immunoassay techniques.
- This yeast-based production could lead to affordable diabetes treatment.

## Abstract

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.