Chemical Engineers Respond to the Addiction Epidemic

Drug addiction has reached epidemic proportions worldwide, with dire consequences for individual addicts, communities, and entire societies. The addiction epidemic threatens to destabilize not only healthcare, but also economic welfare. Because chemical engineers have a duty to serve the public and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical engineering progress 2017-11, Vol.113 (11), p.29-33
Main Authors: Bhatia, Sujata K, Turock, David L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Biochemical engineering
Bioengineering
Biology
Biosynthesis
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineers
Cocaine
Counterfeiting
Disease control
Disease prevention
Drug abuse
Drug addiction
Drug overdose
Drug use
Engineers
Epidemics
Ethics
Fentanyl
Heroin
Laboratories
Manufacturing
Morphine
Narcotics
Neurobiology
Neurosciences
Pain
Pharmaceuticals
Prescription drugs
Society
Substance abuse treatment
Trends
Yeast
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Summary:Drug addiction has reached epidemic proportions worldwide, with dire consequences for individual addicts, communities, and entire societies. The addiction epidemic threatens to destabilize not only healthcare, but also economic welfare. Because chemical engineers have a duty to serve the public and address pressing societal needs, it is critical that they develop processes and products to help prevent and address drug addiction. This article describes the current state of the addiction epidemic and its history; discusses biochemical engineering processes for the biosynthesis of therapeutics with lower potential for addiction; and touches on the chemical engineer's or industrial professional's obligation to communicate with the public about drug addiction. The biochemical engineering advances described in this article could provide less-addictive opioids, as well as targeted therapies for individuals who suffer from addiction. Moreover, because treatments for opioid overdose such as naloxone are chemically related to opioids themselves, manufacturing process innovations could increase the availability of these treatments.
ISSN:0360-7275
1945-0710