question_answer

Insulin extracted from the pancreas of slaughtered pigs and cattle was helpful in treating diabetes, then why there was a need to develop genetically engineered insulin?

Answer:

Genetically engineered insulin was developed due to following reasons

(i) Insulin being a hormone is produced in a very little amount in the body. Hence, a large number of animals need to be sacrificed for obtaining small quantities of insulin for the management of diabetes. This makes the cost of insulin very high.

(ii) Slaughtering of animals is not ethical.

(iii) There is a potential of immune response in humans against the administered insulin which is being derived from animals.

(iv) There is possibility of slaughtered animals being infested with some infectious microorganism which may contaminate the insulin.

(v) The insulin, obtained from the slaughtered cattle and pigs was slightly different from human insulin.

(vi) It may bring about some undesirable side effects such as allergy.