Insulin production using genetically engineered bacteria

Bacteria can be given a human gene containing the instructions for making insulin. The gene is inserted into the bacteria’s DNA. The bacteria are then grown and express the gene, using its instructions to produce human insulin.

The insulin is collected and purified to remove bacterial material and other impurities. It is also checked before being used to treat people with diabetes, because contamination or impurities could harm patients.

Large numbers of bacteria can be grown to produce insulin in large quantities. This provides a supply without relying on insulin extracted from animal organs. It is the bacteria, not the patient’s cells, that are genetically modified.

Genetic modification

Genetic modification changes an organism’s genetic material by removing, changing or inserting individual genes. Genes contain instructions for making proteins. Changing the genes an organism has can therefore change the proteins it makes, alter its characteristics or enable it to produce a desired protein.

Genetic modification of bacteria

A human gene can be inserted into a bacterium. The bacterium can then use the gene’s instructions to produce the human protein. For example, bacteria can be genetically modified to produce human insulin.

Genetic modification of crop plants

Genes can be inserted into crop plants to give them useful characteristics. For example, a gene may make a crop resistant to a herbicide, so the crop can survive when that herbicide is applied. Another gene may give a crop resistance to insect pests, reducing the damage they cause.

Genes can also be inserted to improve a crop’s nutritional qualities, such as by increasing the amount of a useful nutrient it produces.

Benefits and risks of GM crops

Genetically modified (GM) crops have had their genes modified to give them desired characteristics. These characteristics can help farmers reduce crop losses or improve the quantity and quality of the food produced.

Benefits of GM crops

A GM crop may be made resistant to disease or insect attack. If fewer plants are damaged or lost, more of the crop can be harvested. A crop may also be made resistant to a herbicide, allowing the herbicide to be used against unwanted plants without damaging the crop.

Other modifications can produce larger or better-quality fruits. By reducing losses or improving production, GM crops generally give increased yields: more crop is harvested from the same area of land.

Risks and concerns about GM crops

Changes in how a GM crop is grown can affect organisms beyond the crop itself. For example, herbicide use may reduce wild flower populations in and around fields. Insects that depend on those plants for food or habitat may then also be affected.

Some people also question whether the effects of eating GM crops on human health have been fully explored. A concern about a possible effect, however, does not by itself establish that harm occurs.