Interferon, once extremely expensive because it had to be extracted from human blood, is now obtained by
- A. expressing the human interferon gene in cultured microorganisms
- B. chemical synthesis from simple sugars
- C. purifying it from the milk of cows
- D. growing viruses in the laboratory and collecting their protein
Explanation
Cloning the gene into bacteria or yeast turned a protein that could only be obtained in microgram amounts into one that can be produced by the kilogram, which is what made treatment of hepatitis C and some cancers practical. This cost collapse is the general pattern of recombinant protein manufacture, as it was with insulin and growth hormone. Interferon is a human protein, not a viral one.
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