The procedure used to make insulin in bacteria can also
be used to synthesize other biological materials. Think of a chemical or material inside the human body that could be synthesized within bacteria. What would be the potential benefits of this process? What would be the potential drawbacks?
Recombinant DNA is a technology scientists developed that made it possible to insert a human gene into the genetic material of a common bacterium. This “recombinant” micro-organism could now produce the protein encoded by the human gene. Scientists build the human insulin gene in the laboratory.
