Escherichia coliin the production of biopharmaceuticals

Abstract

Escherichia colihas shouldered a massive workload with the discovery of recombinant DNA technology. A new era began in the biopharmaceutical industry with the production of insulin, the first recombinant protein, inE. coliand its use in treating diabetes. After insulin, many biopharmaceuticals produced fromE. colihave been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency to treat various human diseases. AlthoughE. colihas some disadvantages, such as lack of post‐translational modifications and toxicity, it is an important host with advantages such as being a well‐known bacterium in recombinant protein production, cheap, simple production system, and high yield. This study examined biopharmaceuticals produced and approved inE. coliunder the headings of peptides, hormones, enzymes, fusion proteins, antibody fragments, vaccines, and other pharmaceuticals. The topics on which these biopharmaceuticals were approved for treating human diseases, when and by which company they were produced, and their use and development in the field are included.