IIT Guwahati researchers patent insulin production system
Researchers from IIT Guwahati have developed and patented a novel insulin production system. The system can reduce costs and increase yields of insulin production.
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati have developed a new method to produce human insulin using a bacteria called Pseudomonas fluorescens. The method has been demonstrated to be safe and efficient. The breakthrough could pave the way for making insulin more affordable and accessible. The newly developed process has been granted two Indian patents. The findings of the research have been published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules as well as the Journal of Biotechnology. The team is led by Venkata Dasu Veeranki, and consists of Ansuman Sahoo, Prabir Kumar Das, MSRC Murthy and Sanjukta Patra.
Diabetes is among the most common health issues affecting over 537 million adults worldwide. According to the International Diabetics Federation, one in eight adults will have diabetes by 2050. Insulin is a life-saving hormone for diabetic patients, especially those suffering from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The current methods for producing insulin are costly and inefficient, despite strong global demand. These methods result in a low output, and an expensive purification process. The newly developed process has a wide range of potential applications beyond the production of insulin, and can be used to produce other therapeutic proteins as well as industrial enzymes.
Produced insulin is easy to use
The researchers developed a novel expression system for manufacturing insulin to address the quality gap and shortfall in production of insulin. The bioprocess technology was developed using a combination of genetic, metabolic and biochemical engineering approaches for the production of recombinant human insulin. The most common method for production of insulin is based on E. coli, that produce insulin in the form of insoluble lumps and require complex processing to make the insulin usable. The alternatives, including yeast and mammalian cells have limitations that make them less sustainable. The method developed by the researchers produces insulin in a soluble form, that is easy to use.