Re: GM insulin made from E COLI!!

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http://www.agresearch.co.nz/scied/search/biotech/gene_gmoexamples.htm#

GM Insulin

What is it?

Insulin is a hormone that controls sugar levels in an

organism.

Diabetes occurs in people when there is too little or

too much insulin produced. To control diabetes,

sufferers usually inject insulin once or twice daily.

Until the mid-1980's most insulin was produced by

extracting an human-equivalent insulin from the

pancreas of animals (usually pigs).

GM insulin is a genetically modified form of insulin.

How was it genetically modified?

****The genetic sequence for insulin was removed from

human DNA. This was then inserted into the DNA of a

bacteria, Escherrichia coli (E. coli). ******

How does it work?

The gene inserted into the bacteria cell is inherited

from cell to cell as the cells multiply. The insulin

protein is produced (expressed) by the cells. The

insulin is then extracted from the cells.

What are the advantages?

Problems with BSE in Britain have made users wary of

products derived from animals. GM insulin carries none

of these concerns.

GM insulin is also cheaper to produce than pig-based

extraction.

What are the disadvantages?

During the production process there are points at

which contamination of the insulin mix can occur. This

caused initial problems with patient reactions to

these contaminants.

Some patients have reported hypoglycaemic problems

after switching to GM insulin - they have lost the

ability to detect the onset of hypoglycaemia. However,

various studies indicate that over a third of

long-term diabetics lose this ability after 10 years

of treatment.

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