Question

What is the advantage in clinical use of humulin (human insulin: produced through rDNA technique) over use of conventional ox or pig insulin?

• A. It does not cause immunological problems
• B. It is cheaper for the ?patient.
• C. It is produced by E.coli in our own intestine.
• D. There is no advantage

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

It does not cause immunological problems

Answer 2

Earlier, insulin for curing diabetes was used to be extracted from pancreas of slaughtered pigs and cattle. This conventional insulin was slightly different from human insulin and its over use resulted in some undesirable side effects, e.g. certain immunological problems such as allergy. However, humulin produced through rDNA technique is similar to that of human insulin and does not cause any immunological problems. It is thus advantageous over conventional type of insulin.