Biotechnology, which evolved from biology, plays an important role in improving health and quality of life, with innovative technologies such as insulin production using E. coli contributing to the treatment of diabetes. In the future, it has the potential to realize humanity’s dreams in many areas, including immortality and curing incurable diseases.
Biology is the study of all living things in nature and the scientific analysis of their phenomena and their causes. Biology is a broad discipline that seeks to understand the structure, function, and ecological interactions of all living things, including animals, plants, and microorganisms, and aims to explore the fundamental principles of life. However, a major concern of biology is analyzing how these findings can be applied to humans. For example, studying the anti-cancer properties of certain plants, or utilizing the genetic characteristics of certain animals to develop treatments for human diseases. Improving human health and quality of life through these applications is one of the ultimate goals of biology.
Biotechnology is a discipline related to biology that has developed to this point. Biotechnology is the study of artificially manipulating the characteristics of living organisms to create practical outcomes, based on the fundamental knowledge of molecular biology and genetics. Although biotechnology is still in its infancy, it is gaining attention because it could be the key to fulfilling long-held dreams of mankind, including immortality, through various research and technological advances. For example, gene therapy techniques that can inhibit the aging process within cells or prevent diseases by correcting specific genes show promise.
In fact, biotechnology is already close enough to our everyday lives that we can easily recognize it. Traditional fermented foods such as sake and kimchi are made with yeast, and nowadays, biotechnology has expanded to include health supplements using lactic acid bacteria and the use of microbes in environmental cleanup. This shows that biotechnology is not just in the laboratory, but has a direct impact on our lives.
In this article, we will introduce the insulin production method using E. coli, which is said to be the beginning of the academic and industrial development of biotechnology. This technology, discovered in the early stages of biotechnology research, is considered an important example of the practicality of biotechnology. It has made a significant contribution to human health by allowing the mass production of insulin, which is essential for people with diabetes. When families get together during the holidays, you may see diabetics receiving insulin injections, which is more than just a health care issue. Without insulin injections, blood sugar levels spike, and for people with diabetes, insulin is considered vital. So why do people with diabetes need to inject insulin, and why is biotech insulin production so important?
The human body is a sophisticated interplay of hormones. Hormones are physiological regulators that promote or inhibit certain actions, and when there is a shortage of nutrients, they release promoting hormones, and when there is too much, they release inhibiting hormones to maintain homeostasis. Among them, insulin plays an important role in lowering sugar levels in the blood. When blood sugar levels are too low, a hormone called glucagon is secreted to raise blood sugar levels and balance them. However, when insulin secretion fails to lower blood sugar levels, diabetes develops. Diabetes is a disease for which there is no cure, and 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’s too complex and expensive to simply synthesize in a chemistry lab, making it impractical. In the past, insulin was extracted from the islets (pancreas) of pigs, but the amount of insulin that can be obtained from a single pig is very limited, making it expensive to produce, and there were also concerns about the immune response to using animal-derived insulin. The solution to these problems is the use of E. coli to produce insulin.
E. coli is one of the most studied microorganisms in biology, and its usefulness lies in the fact that it is not harmful to humans and can be reproduced quickly and easily in large numbers. E. coli reproduces by binary fission, which means that after doubling the DNA and nutrients in the cell, the cell splits in half and becomes two individuals. Because the DNA is completely identical, it can reliably produce the substance we want in large quantities.
Here’s how insulin is produced First, we insert the insulin gene into E. coli so that it can produce insulin on its own. E. coli has a circular, doughnut-shaped piece of genetic material called a plasmid, which is extracted using a special method to cut out the parts it doesn’t need and laminate the insulin gene. The modified plasmid is then inserted back into E. coli, giving it the structure to produce insulin.
Using E. coli to produce insulin has many advantages. First, it is much simpler and more cost-effective than extracting insulin from pigs, as it can be done in larger quantities. Second, it avoids the ethical issues that can arise when extracting insulin from pigs. Third, E. coli production can be mass-produced, which contributes to reducing the cost of insulin injections for diabetics. In this sense, insulin production using E. coli is a prime example of biotechnology’s practical contribution to human life.
Although biotechnology is still in its infancy, it is highly anticipated because of its limitless possibilities compared to mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, etc. In particular, the scale of factories required for biotechnology is not as large as in other industries, so it has the potential to generate high profits without a relatively large investment. In addition to this economic potential, biotechnology is expected to improve the quality of human life and open up new possibilities in various fields such as medicine, environment, and agriculture. It is hoped that biotechnology will make great strides in the future, contributing not only to the long-standing dream of immortality but also to the treatment of many diseases that are currently difficult to solve.
