Scientists genetically modify cow to solve insulin shortages for diabetes patients

Scientists have achieved a big milestone in the quest to address insulin shortages for diabetes patients. By genetically modifying a brown bovine cow in Brazil, researchers were able to extract human insulin and its precursor, proinsulin, directly from the cow's milk, as per a groundbreaking study published in Biotechnology Journal, reports said.

The process involved somatic cell nuclear transfer to create specialised embryos, which were then implanted into cows.

Although only one transgenic cow was successfully produced, the results were promising. Analysis of the milk revealed the presence of both proinsulin and insulin, indicating the viability of this method for insulin production.

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However, the study faced some limitations. Dr. Splenser, an endocrinologist with Memorial Hermann in Houston, reportedly highlighted concerns regarding the need for hormonal stimulation to induce lactation in transgenic cows.

“The researchers had to hormonally stimulate the cows to lactate, which led to small amounts of insulin-containing milk being produced. Although the authors did identify signs of proinsulin and insulin in the cow’s milk using western blotting and mass spectroscopy, they did not prove if the insulin produced in the cows was actually physiologically active in-vitro or in-vivo,” Dr. Splenser said.

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While this breakthrough offers hope for addressing insulin shortages, ethical considerations surrounding the use of genetically modified animals must be carefully evaluated, reports said.

BiotechnologyProfessor at Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Wheeler, pointed out at the need for further research to asses the process.

“One day we may be able to use milk as a source of critical medical proteins for human patients and maybe even develop a way to get insulin to diabetic patients without injections. However, that is a number of years away. This is a proof of concept study that was published. We need to produce more animals and determine the amount of insulin they can produce and the effectiveness of that insulin for treating diabetes," Dr Wheeler added.

(With inputs from agencies)