Topic > Human Insulin Production

"Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In 1978, genetically modified human insulin was produced using a new technology that can hopefully produce an unlimited amount of human insulin by controlling the potency of tiny microorganisms Long ago people used bacteria to improve their lives. For example, people used bacteria to process milk in cheese and yeast to make bread and beer In other words, bacteria have been an essential part of human life. They are particularly good at absorbing a substance such as food and turning it into another substance such as waste figure out how to make bacteria make medicine by modifying themselves at the genetic level. In other words, they noticed that inside the bacteria, tiny loops of genes called “plasmids” determine which substances the plasmids will produce independently of the chromosomes.“By splicing the sequence. chemistry of human insulin and then by inserting this modified plasmid into an E. Coli bacterium, scientists created a small insulin factory that multiplied when fed, creating many more of these factories until a veritable river of insulin could be produced” (ari.aynrand .org). This new technology has reduced many of the threats from animal insulin production. Now, people who had had bad reactions to animal insulin could be treated with human insulin, and there was no longer a risk of running out of insulin thanks to the speed and affordable price with which we could now produce it. Additionally, on December 13, 2016, the University of Oregon declared the discovery of a newly discovered bacterial protein, produced in the zebrafish intestine, that triggers the multiplication of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells during early larval development. This research can potentially have human health implications. The findings, which could one day lead to new treatments for diabetes, highlight the important role of resident microbes in the development of the pancreas (Sciencedaily). Understanding how the microbiota influences the development of beta cells, which are lost in patients with type 1 diabetes, could ultimately lead to new diagnostic and preventative approaches for this disease. Using germ-free zebrafish as a model, lead author and doctoral student Jennifer Hampton Hill explored the possibility that certain gut bacteria are necessary for the pancreas to besiege itself with good numbers of beta cells during development. He found that, during the first week of life, germ-free fish did not undergo the same beta cell expansion as conventionally raised fish. However, exposing the germ-free fish to specific bacteria restored beta cell mass to normal levels (Sciencedaily). This restoration became the basis for his research and the ultimate discovery of a new bacterial protein that alone could stimulate the growth of insulin-producing cells. This shows that bacteria carry out such an essential process for homeostasis. “This is a new idea that the microbiome could be a source of signals for pancreatic development” (Sciencedaily). OU biologist Karen Guillemin and her colleagues have developed methods for growing germ-free zebrafish that, in the long term, allow them to ask what happens when the animals develop without the presence of microbes. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a custom essay"