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Which medicines can be made by genetically engineered microbes or mammalian cells?
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genetic engineering
The generation of vaccines relies heavily on techniques in genetic engineering.
Genetic engineering allows scientists to use microbes, such as bacteria and yeast, as well as mammalian cells, as biological factories to produce a wide range of therapeutic proteins and medications. By inserting specific human genes into these host cells, they can synthesize substances that were previously difficult or impossible to obtain in large, safe quantities.123
Medicines and substances produced through these methods include:
- Insulin: The first genetically engineered pharmaceutical, approved in 1982, used to treat diabetes.43
- Growth hormone: Used to treat growth disorders.423
- Monoclonal antibodies: Engineered to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (e.g., adalimumab) and to prevent viral infections like respiratory syncytial virus.5
- Blood-clotting factors: Essential for treating bleeding disorders.13
- Interferons: Used in the treatment of viral infections and certain cancers.23
- Blood cell stimulants: Proteins that stimulate the production of red and white blood cells.3
- Clot-dissolving agents: Medications used to break down blood clots.3
- Vaccine components: Genetically engineered antigens used for immunization.26