Uses - Medicine
Insulin Production (and other chemicals)
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The first application of genetic engineering approved for human use was the production of insulin to treat diabetes. This was done in 1982 in a drug called Humulin, currently being marketed by Eli Lilly and Company. Scientists isolated the gene that encodes for insulin, then inserted the gene to plasmids in the cells of E. coli baceteria. The bacteria then began to produce insulin.To read more about how this is accomplished, go to rDNA.
Using similar genetic engineering techniques, scientists are able to produce large amounts of substances useful in medicine, especially the type of organic compounds called peptides, which are short proteins. In addition to insulin, other peptides are nervous system transmitters such as endorphins, a promising new treatment for heart attack victims called tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), and substances produced in the hypothalamus that control the production of hormones.
| Current FDA Approved recombinant t-PA's (for heart attack victims) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand Name | Generic Name | Company | Year Approved |
| Activase | Alteplase | Genentech | 1996 |
| Retavase | Reteplase | Centocor | 1996 |
Human growth hormone, a peptide, is readily available from genetically engineered bacteria. It is used to treat victims of inherited dwarfism.
Yet another useful peptide that genetic engineering allowed to become widely available was a group of substances called interferons. Interferons promote the production of a protein that stimulates the immune system. These substances are useful for treating viruses and may be effective against certain types of cancer. Prior to the advent of modern rDNA techniques, thousands of units of human blood needed to be processed to obtain enough interferon to treat a few patients. As such, it was very expensive. Genetic engineering reduced the cost and provided availability of this substance.