Achi news desk-
In a major breakthrough in diabetes treatment, researchers in Brazil have found a possible way to produce human insulin that could alleviate insulin shortages and make it affordable.
The researchers genetically modified a cow to produce human insulin in its milk in order to make insulin more accessible and affordable, the New York Post reported.
After identifying a revolutionary achievement in the medical field, the study’s lead author and professor of animal sciences at the University of Illinois said: “Mother Nature designed the mammary gland as a factory to make protein really, really efficiently.
“We can take advantage of that system to produce a protein that can help hundreds of millions of people around the world.”
The study, published in Journal of Biotechnologyused genetic engineering techniques to integrate a proinsulin-producing human DNA segment into cow embryos.
Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Universidade de São Paulo succeeded in developing a method that ensures that the human precursor to insulin is only active in the mammary tissues of the cows.
They discovered that the genetically modified cow produced milk containing proinsulin and insulin, a “magical” development.
In addition, her mammary glands processed the proinsulin into active insulin on its own, demonstrating the cow’s ability to produce and purify insulin.
“Our goal was to make proinsulin, purify it to insulin, and go from there. But basically the cow was processing it herself. It makes about three to one biologically active insulin to proinsulin,” Wheeler said.
Researchers aim to create a herd of transgenic cattle that can exceed current insulin production without the need for high-tech facilities.
According to Wheeler, the aim is to refine the milking process by re-cloning and optimizing the milk, aiming to produce one gram of insulin per liter of milk, which is a remarkable amount.
According to Medical News Todaywhile cow’s milk adds calcium to the diet, it may not be the best choice for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
However, milk from a genetically modified cow that produces insulin in its milk could solve the problem.
