29.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes. In most cases, the patient either can’ t use insulin properly or produce it at all. One of the most common ways to treat diabetes is giving the patient more insulin, a pancreatic hormone that regulates blood sugar levels and enables glucose storage or usage in the body. Previously, extracts of animal insulin was used, but this wasn’ t as pure and effective as human insulin was. Genetic research during the 1900s led to the 1978 discovery using the bacteria Escherichia Coli to produce human insulin. To achieve this feat today, scientists synthesize the human insulin gene which contains the instructions for bacterial insulin production.

to insert the gene into a bacterial plasmid to enable insulin production, an example of DNA transformation. The insertion of outside DNA into a cell is called DNA transformation, and scientists applied DNA transformation into a field of science called recombinant DNA.

Some other applications of DNA transformation besides bacteria that produce human insulin and recombinant DNA technology include bioremediation and biosynthesis. Bioremediation uses microorganisms to clean up polluted environments, and DNA transformation can help“ program” those organisms. Biosynthesis, in this context, refers to the making of amino acids, and DNA transformation provides the instructions. Bacteria’ s easy management and affordable nature makes the method of biosynthesis

Then, scientists proceed

Application of DNA transformation in the bacterial production of human insulin

advantageous to other options.