Adnan Alkudsi
Abdullah Abdulrazak
Aiden Ganapathy
El Camino High School
Development of Biologic Drugs
Biotech Innovators and Social Issues
Mapp Biopharmaceutical is a Modern day Biotech Innovator. This is a Drug Manufacturing company in San Diego, CA that teamed up with Defyrus, another Drug Manufacturer to produce the drug Zmapp to fight Ebola. There isn't a single scientist that tended to contribute more to the discovery; it was a team effort that required assistance from other companies. The development of ZMappTM is a group effort – a great example of scientists working together to get the best results (map bio). Ever since these 2 companies teamed up, and their drug proved to be effective against the Ebola virus in the American volunteers, the US government has looked to fund this project and hopefully put it to use even though it has not attended a clinical trial. It is currently not available to be purchased or prescribed by doctors due to its very limited quantity, however, many people see ZMapp as the door to treat Ebola therefore there’s a great demand for it. This creates an economic impact due to the great demanding significantly encouraging the studies to continue and find alternative ways to produce the drug.
Volunteers from the US and Europe worked together to help infected patients in Africa overcome the deadly virus.
The Modern day Insulin pump is another major step toward controlling the blood sugar level of diabetics. It measures the amount of blood sugar level the patient has and determines the amount of insulin that should be used at the time. The pump is set up by being attached through the needle and patched on the skin; tape can be used to place it steadily. The advantage to using this invention is that it continuously sends the right amount of insulin so that you can avoid times when the patient passes out. This advancement in technology wouldn't have been available without Doctor Fredrick Banting, an unsuccessful surgeon who gained fame after studying the relationship between the pancreas and diabetes and found the anti diabetic substance known as insulin. However, Dr. Arnold Kadish who created the first version of it as a backpack in 1963. In 2003, it was first used on patients in the United Kingdom. This amazing invention is used a lot by diabetics to ease their lifestyle and give them more freedom. It is a major advancement to constant injections of inaccurate amounts of insulin daily. The modern day consumer can greatly benefit from this discovery and should definitely take advantage of it.
This diagram summarizes the idea of the insulin pump. It shows where the patch should be attached as well as what happens when the hormone enters the blood stream.
AMEGA Biotech is a Drug Manufacturing company that has production sites all over the globe including Argentina. One drug that they exceled in making is Somatropin. Somatropin is a drug that is intended to help aid the growth and development of children and young men. It greatly influences the functions of a Cell. Besides promoting growth, Somatropin influences protein synthesis, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and cell differentiation (Amega Biotech). This drug is a polypeptide made up of 191 amino acids. This is an ideal treatment for growth deficiency and short stature. Side effects of this drug are very minimal, however some include the swelling of the injection site and a slight increased chance of developing diabetes. This drug would be very beneficial to people with Growth deficiency but could be dangerous to the health of a diabetic.
Somatropin is injected into the blood stream, much like how insulin is sent into the blood stream through the pump.