First transgenic cow capable of producing human insulin in its milk

Diabetes is one of the fastest growing health problems in the world. Currently, it is estimated that more than 500 million people suffer from diabetes, but forecasts suggest that number could reach closer to 800 million by 2045. Still, not everyone may have an affordable source of insulin. and safe, and that is why it is so important to discover new ways to meet this growing need, especially for countries and regions with inadequate health systems.

This is where our hero comes into the picture: An ordinary brown cow from Brazil that has become the first cow capable of producing human insulin in its milk, This is a scientific advance, led by a team of researchers from the Universities of Illinois (USA) and São Paulo (Brazil), published this week in the Journal of Biotechnology under the title “Production of human proinsulin in milk” by transgenic Was. Animal.”

Over the past decade, genetic techniques have advanced amazingly and allowed scientists to insert a certain segment of human DNA that codes for proinsulin (the precursor protein to the active form of insulin) into the cells of ten cow embryos. . They were later implanted into the uteruses of normal cows in Brazil… and thus a transgenic calf was born. “Until recently, we just plugged DNA in and expected it to express itself where we wanted,” explains Matt Wheeler, a professor at the University of Illinois and lead author of the study. “But Today we can be much more strategic and specific, “Using a specific section of mammary tissue means there is no human insulin circulating in the cow’s blood or other tissues and we also take advantage of the mammary gland’s ability to produce large amounts of protein.”

Continue reading story

Then he encountered the first big surprise of this project…

The researchers’ goal was to produce proinsulin and then purify it until it became insulin… but The cow basically processes it itself and produces insulin biologically at a ratio of about three to one Activated by proinsulin. “The mammary gland is something wonderful and magical,” Wheeler said when analyzing the results.

The second positive surprise was the amount received. To understand the significant progress this study may represent, we first need to know that each dose of insulin administered is equal to 0.0347 mg, this would be a “specific unit”. Genetically edited cow produced approx. one gram insulin per liter,And one gram is equal to approximately 28,818 units of insulin.Wheeler points out. ,This is only in one litre, imagine a Holstein cow that can give 50 liters of milk per day…do the math.,

Now the logical question would be whether this method can be implemented on a large scale and the answer is yes. Actually the authors believe that this will not be difficult at all. “With regard to the large-scale production of insulin in milk, I would needSpecialized, high health facilities for livestock, but it’s nothing our dairy industry can’t achieve. Additionally, perhaps along with these facilities, we will also need an efficient system to collect and purify insulin products as well as FDA approval before transgenic cows can supply insulin to the world’s diabetic patients.

The authors are very optimistic and believe that this advancement heralds “a new era in insulin production”, which will eliminate shortages and high costs of the drug for people with diabetes. “”I can see a future where A herd of 100 head, the equivalent of a small dairy in Illinois or Wisconsin, could produce all the insulin the country needed.“Wheeler explains. “And a big herd? You can supply the whole world in a year.

The team is now working to successfully replicate these results with more cows and over time, they also hope to create transgenic bulls to mate with females, creating transgenic offspring that can be used in a purpose-built Can be done to establish swarm. Wheeler is sure “even.” A small herd can increasingly outperform existing methods (transgenic yeast and bacteria) to produce insulin, and can do so without building high-tech facilities or infrastructure.

You may also be interested. on video

According to the Lancet, more than 1 billion people in the world are obese

Scientific references and further information:

Wheeler M., Monzani, Paulo S., et al. “Human proinsulin production in milk of transgenic cattle”. Journal of Biotechnology (2024) doi: 10.1002/biot.202300307.

Lauren Quinn “Milk to the rescue of diabetics? “Illinois Project Creates First Insulin-Producing Cow” University of Illinois