MadSci Network: Genetics
Query:

Re: what are the uses of recombinant DNA technology in pharmaceuticals

Date: Fri Dec 18 00:32:55 1998
Posted By: Jeff Kahl, Grad student, Dental Student, University of Colorado School of Dentistry
Area of science: Genetics
ID: 913345101.Ge
Message:

This is a very good question which has many answers. The application of recombinant DNA technology in Pharmaceuticals grows every day. This technology is used in a varieity of ways:

The research side involves primarily purifying specific genes or receptors involved in disease. The use of this technology to produce pharmacological products is probably the most common application. Several years ago a company in Boulder, Colorado used this technology to make human insulin using E.coli. Before that insulin for diabetic individuals was obtained from cattle and pigs. Since then E.coli has been used to produce a number of human hormones as well as drugs that mimic hormones.

In short, recombinant technology can harness bacteria to make certain drugs or hormones. The most interesting application that I found is a company in Canada called Nexia that is using recombinant technology to produce pharmaceutical proteins in the milk of transgenic animals. You can find more information on their work at http://www.nexiabiotech.com/overview.html.

The use of recombinant DNA technology in the treatment of genetic disease is not yet common and has shown little success at this point in time. The process would mainly involve adding copies of a normal gene into the DNA of an individual who has a defective gene. For instance, if you couldn't make insulin, if I could theoretically add multiple copies of normal insulin genes to your DNA, then you could make lots of insulin. However, the process is far more complicated than this basic description. Further research still needs to be done.


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