Scientists have discovered a way of making a drug for Parkinson’s disease from used plastic bottles, saying it shows how waste materials can be “reimagined as valuable resources”, according to Independent.

Developed by a team at the University of Edinburgh, the approach harnesses the power of bacteria to transform waste plastic into a frontline Parkinson’s medication called L-DOPA.

It is said to be the first time a natural biological process has been used to turn plastic waste into a therapeutic for a neurological disease.

The process involves using specially-engineered E. coli bacteria to turn a type of plastic used widely in food and drink packaging – polyethylene terephthalate, or PET – into L-DOPA.

First, the PET waste – some 50 million tonnes of which are produced annually – is broken down into its chemical building blocks of terephthalic acid.

Molecules of the acid are then transformed into L-DOPA by the bacteria through a series of biological reactions.

The researchers said the method is more sustainable than traditional methods of making pharmaceuticals, which rely on fossil fuels.

They said the breakthrough could pave the way for the growth of a “bio-upcycling industry”, which could use waste material to produce products like flavourings, fragrances, cosmetics and industrial chemicals, as well as pharmaceuticals.

Study lead Professor Stephen Wallace said: “This feels like just the beginning.”

“If we can create medicines for neurological disease from a waste plastic bottle, it’s exciting to imagine what else this technology could achieve.

“Plastic waste is often seen as an environmental problem, but it also represents a vast, untapped source of carbon.

“By engineering biology to transform plastic into an essential medicine, we show how waste materials can be reimagined as valuable resources that support human health.”

The team’s attention will now turn towards further developing the technology so it can be used in industrial applications.

They said this will involve further optimising the process, improving its scalability, and further assessing its environmental and economic performance.

The research was carried out at the university’s new Carbon-Loop Sustainable Biomanufacturing Hub, which aims to transform UK manufacturing by converting industrial waste into valuable, sustainable chemicals and materials.

It was supported by Edinburgh Innovations, the university’s commercialisation service.