In this blog post, we will look at how E. coli insulin production technology was developed and how it contributes to human health.
Biology is a discipline that analyzes all living things in nature and their phenomena and scientifically identifies their causes. Biology is a broad discipline that aims to understand the structure, function, and ecological interactions of all living things, including animals, plants, and microorganisms, and to explore the basic principles of living things through this. However, the greatest interest in biology lies in analyzing how these research results can be applied to humans. For example, this includes applications such as studying the anti-cancer effects of certain plants or developing treatments for human diseases using the genetic characteristics of certain animals. One of the ultimate goals of biology is to improve human health and quality of life through such applications.
Based on this purpose, the discipline that has developed in conjunction with the development of biology is biotechnology. Biotechnology is a discipline that produces practical results by artificially manipulating the characteristics of living organisms based on the basic knowledge of molecular biology and genetics. Biotechnology is still in the development stage, but it is attracting attention as it may be the key to achieving the long-cherished dream of mankind, including eternal life, through various research and technological advances. For example, gene therapy technology that inhibits the aging process that occurs in cells or prevents diseases by correcting specific genes shows the possibility of this technology.
In fact, biotechnology is already so close to our daily lives that we can easily find it in our daily lives. The principles of biotechnology are applied to traditional fermented foods such as yeast-based alcoholic beverages and kimchi fermentation, and today, the field has expanded to include health supplements using lactic acid bacteria and the use of microorganisms for environmental purification. This shows that biotechnology is not just something that exists in the laboratory, but has a direct impact on our lives.
The insulin production method using E. coli, which is said to be the beginning of the development of biotechnology both academically and industrially, will be introduced. This technology, which was discovered in the early stages of biotechnology research, is considered an important example of the practicality of biotechnology. In particular, it has made a significant contribution to human health by enabling the mass production of insulin, which is essential for people with diabetes. When families gather for the holidays, they can see people with diabetes getting insulin injections, which is more than just a matter of health management. If insulin is not injected, blood sugar levels rise rapidly, so insulin is considered an essential element for maintaining life for people with diabetes. Then why do diabetics have to take insulin injections and why is it important to produce insulin using biotechnology?
The human body is made up of a sophisticated interplay of hormones. Hormones are physiological regulators that promote or inhibit specific actions. When there is a lack of nutrients, they secrete promoting hormones, and when there are too many, they secrete inhibiting hormones to maintain homeostasis in the body. Among them, insulin plays an important role in lowering the sugar level in the blood. Conversely, when the blood sugar level is too low, a hormone called glucagon is secreted to raise the blood sugar level and balance it. However, if the insulin secretion function is impaired and the blood sugar level cannot be lowered, diabetes occurs. Diabetes is a disease that has no cure yet, and currently the only way to control blood sugar is to inject insulin.
Like most hormones, insulin is an organic compound with a very complex structure. It is too complicated and expensive to synthesize in a chemical laboratory, so it is not practical. In the past, insulin was extracted from the pancreas of pigs, but the amount of insulin obtained from a single pig was very limited, resulting in high production costs. In addition, there were concerns about the immune response that occurs when using insulin extracted from animals. The solution to these problems is the production of insulin using E. coli.
Escherichia coli is the most studied microorganism in the biological world. It is not harmful to the human body and is useful because it can be quickly and easily mass-propagated. E. coli reproduces in a binary fashion, in which the DNA and nutrients in the cell are doubled and then the cell is divided in half to form two individuals. Since the DNA is completely identical, it can produce the desired substance in large quantities and stably.
The method for producing insulin is as follows. First, the insulin gene is inserted into E. coli so that the E. coli can produce insulin on its own. E. coli has a circular genetic material called a plasmid that is shaped like a donut. This is extracted using a special method, the unnecessary parts are cut off, and then the insulin gene is combined. By inserting the modified plasmid into E. coli again, E. coli is equipped with the structure to produce insulin.
There are many advantages to producing insulin using E. coli. First, it is much simpler and can be produced in larger quantities than extracting it from pig pancreas, making it more cost-effective. Second, it avoids the ethical issues that can arise when extracting insulin from pigs. Third, production using E. coli enables mass production, which contributes to reducing the price burden of insulin injections for people with diabetes. In this respect, insulin production using E. coli is a representative example of biotechnology contributing to human life.
Although biotechnology is still in its infancy, it is expected to have great potential compared to mechanical, chemical, and civil engineering. In particular, the scale of factories required for biotechnology is not as large as that of other industries, so there is a possibility of generating high profits without relatively large investments. In addition to its economic potential, biotechnology is expected to improve the quality of human life and open up new possibilities in various fields such as medicine, the environment, and agriculture. I hope that biotechnology will continue to make great strides and contribute to the treatment of various diseases that are difficult to solve at present, as well as to the long-cherished dream of eternal life.
