Question: Hi Tom, are there any other ways to produce man made insulin without involving plasmids? Thanks

Tom Hewat answered on 30 Apr 2020:

Hi there! Up until about the 1980s the insulin used to treat someone with diabetes was purified from the pancreas of various animals, usually pigs or cows. Nowadays, as you say, generally we use insulin produced using plasmids; this produces something more or less the same as human insulin, with some changes to increase how useful it is in various ways. This is helpful because it means the body is less likely to have a negative reaction, as it might with insulin taken from another animal. I’m not aware of any other ways to produce insulin for injection that are currently being used. However, some new forms of treatment for insulin-dependent diabetes are being developed and tested. This includes transplanting insulin-producing islets into a person with diabetes, or a “bionic pancreas” that is put into the body and supplies the right amount of insulin at the right time. Additionally, a number of people with diabetes don’t require insulin treatment; instead, they can take a tablet that can help to control their blood sugar levels. Hope this helps, and happy to explain any of this if it doesn’t make sense 🙂