Insulin is created by the B-islet cells in the pancreas. originally it was harvested from the pancreases of animals. Science has developed enought that now it can be made without animals. Bacteria have been genetically modified so they make insulin. The cells are destroyed, and the insulin harvested and purified without any animals being hurt.
To add a little to Miranda’s answer, insulin is a protein. When the b-islets make insulin, a copy of the insulin gene is transcribed from DNA into an RNA copy. The RNA copy is then used as a code for the cells to make the insulin protein. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and once the chain of amino acids has been strung together to make insulin it is folded into shape and with a few final modifications is ready to be used.
Insulin is created by the B-islet cells in the pancreas. originally it was harvested from the pancreases of animals. Science has developed enought that now it can be made without animals. Bacteria have been genetically modified so they make insulin. The cells are destroyed, and the insulin harvested and purified without any animals being hurt.
0
To add a little to Miranda’s answer, insulin is a protein. When the b-islets make insulin, a copy of the insulin gene is transcribed from DNA into an RNA copy. The RNA copy is then used as a code for the cells to make the insulin protein. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and once the chain of amino acids has been strung together to make insulin it is folded into shape and with a few final modifications is ready to be used.
0