Harnessing bacteria to make insulin

Discovery of insulin

Two scientists, Frederick Bantin and Charles Best, discovered that insulin is the hormone that diabetics lack, and they discovered a way to obtain it from the animal pancreas. Scientists have tried for years to manufacture insulin after learning about the chemical structure of insulin. Humans, but the quantities produced through chemistry alone were small, and were not sufficient for patients at that time, until they discovered how to benefit from bacteria to produce insulin in the seventies. This is done by changing it at the genetic level.

Animal insulin remained in use until the 1980s. As patients around the world relied on insulin extracted from pigs and cows to treat diabetes, it was not identical in composition to human insulin despite their great similarity, and therefore some patients suffered from allergic reactions. As a result of the difference in composition between the two types of insulin.

Harnessing bacteria to make insulin

Insulin is manufactured using recombinant DNA technology; Where scientists insert human genes into the genetic material of bacteria, which are later called recombinant bacteria, which are bacteria that can produce the protein encoded by the human gene. In this process, scientists build the human insulin gene in the laboratory, then remove a ring of the bacteria’s DNA. It is known as a plasmid (in English: Plasmid), then they insert the human gene into it, and thus the human gene becomes part of the genetic material of the bacteria. After that, they return the plasmid ring to the bacteria, then they place these recombinant bacteria in large fermentation tanks, and there the recombinant bacteria begin using the gene. Human insulin to begin producing, then scientists obtain manufactured insulin to be purified from impurities and used in treatment.

Organisms used to make insulin

There are many protein medicines that are manufactured using what is known as recombinant DNA technology, and among the living organisms used to manufacture various medicines such as insulin: Escherichia coli, which has many advantages. Including the high growth rate, simplicity of growth requirements, ease of handling in the laboratory, high productivity, and low cost of use. Other organisms used in this also include a type of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and genetically modified plants (in English: Transgenic plants) as is the case with the oilseeds of the mouse ear cress plant (in English: Arabidopsis thaliana).

Types of insulin

There are different types of insulin used to treat diabetes, including the following:

• Rapid-acting insulin: Rapid-acting insulin begins its action approximately 15 minutes after its injection, and its concentration reaches its highest level in the blood after about an hour, and its effect continues for two to four hours. Examples of this type of insulin include: insulin lispro (in English: rapid-acting insulin). In English: Lispro), insulin aspart (in English: Aspart), and insulin glulisine (in English: Glulisine).
• Short-acting insulin: Short-acting insulin begins to work about 30 minutes after it is injected, and its concentration reaches the highest level in the blood after about 2-3 hours, where its effect continues for 3-6 hours. Examples of this type include: Regular insulin.
• Intermediate-acting insulin: Intermediate-acting insulin begins to work approximately 2-4 hours after its injection, and its concentration reaches the highest level in the blood after approximately 4-12 hours, and its effect continues for 12-18 hours. Examples of this type: insulin (NPH).
• Long-acting insulin: Long-acting insulin begins working several hours after it is injected, and its effect continues for approximately 24 hours. It can be used with both rapid-acting or short-acting insulin if necessary. Examples of this type include: insulin glargine. (in English: Glargine), Detemir (in English: Detemir), and Degludec (in English: Degludec).
• Rapid-acting inhaled insulin: This type of insulin reaches its highest concentration after about 15-20 minutes, continues to work for 2-3 hours, and is usually used with long-acting insulin.

Other medicines manufactured with recombinant DNA technology

There are many drugs manufactured using recombinant DNA technology, including the following:

• Antibiotics: Antibiotics are the largest group in terms of economic importance among products obtained through fermentation. Examples of antibiotics manufactured by microorganisms include: Penicillin, Cephalosporin, and Chloramphenicol. (in English: Chloramphenicol), Streptomycin (in English: Streptomycin), Clindamycin (in English: Clindamycin), Vancomycin (in English: Vancomycin), and Teicoplanin (in English: Teicoplanin).
• Blood clotting factors: Blood clotting factors manufactured using recombinant DNA technology include factor VIII and factor IX. Used to treat hemophilia.
• hormones: Hormones manufactured using recombinant DNA technology include the growth hormone known as somatropin, and the hormone insulin.
• Growth factors: Many growth factors have been manufactured that are used to prevent infections associated with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia, and anemia caused by chemotherapy. Chemotherapy, as well as erythropoietin, a hormone produced by the kidneys, stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells.
• Cytokines: Cytokines are defined as molecules that activate immune cells, regulate their growth and differentiation, and stimulate the inflammatory response.
• Enzymes: Such as the enzyme Dornase alpha, which is used to treat cystic fibrosis, and the enzyme Alteplase, which is used to dissolve blood clots, which can cause heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms, and strokes.
• Vaccines: Such as the influenza vaccine and the hepatitis B vaccine.