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Chapter 235 of 2363 min read

Applications in medicine: insulin, gene therapy, molecular diagnosis

Why this is asked: Eli Lilly's recombinant insulin (Humulin) is made by synthesising the A and B chains separately in two E. coli strains and joining them with disulfide bonds afterward, skipping the C-peptide-containing proinsulin stage the human pancreas normally goes through and excises. Gene therapy's textbook case, ADA deficiency, is not a permanent cure: the corrected lymphocytes are not immortal, so the patient needs periodic fresh infusions unless the correction is made at the embryo stage instead.

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