Flasks showing varying carotenoid production by engineered yeast cells. Courtesy of Klaudia Ciurkot Press release issued: 15 July 2021 Scientists have uncovered a way to control many genes in engineered yeast cells, opening the door to more efficient and sustainable production of bio-based products. The study, published in Nucleic Acids Research by researchers from DSM’s Rosalind Franklin Biotechnology Center in Delft, the Netherlands, and the University of Bristol, has shown how to unlock CRISPR’s potential for regulating many genes simultaneously. Baker’s yeast, or Saccharomyces cerevisiae to give it it’s full name, is considered as a workhorse for biotechnology. Not only has it been used for producing bread and beer for thousands of years, but today it can also be engineered to produce an array of other useful compounds that form the basis of pharmaceuticals, fuels, and food additives. However, achieving optimal production of these products is difficult, requiring the complex biochemical networks inside the cell to be rewired and extended through the introduction of new enzymes and the tuning of gene expression levels.