IIT Guwahati secures patent for innovative insulin production system

New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati researchers have developed a new method to produce human insulin using a safe and efficient bacterial system called Pseudomonas fluorescens.

The team is led by Dr. Veeranki Venkata Dasu, Professor and former Head, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Former Dean Students Affairs, and Former Director, RGUKT, Nuzvid. This breakthrough could play a significant role in making insulin more affordable and accessible. Further, the team consists of Ansuman Sahoo, Prabir Kumar Das, Dr. MSRC Murthy, and Prof. Sanjukta Patra.

The developed technology has been granted two Indian patents (Patent No. 568947, Application No. 202431045821. Date of Grant: 22-07-2025; Patent No. 536416, Application No. 202331058235. Date of Grant: 01.05.24). The findings of this research have been published in the prestigious journals including International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, and Journal of Biotechnology.

In recent times, Diabetes has become one of the most common health issues, affecting over 537 million adults worldwide. As per the International Diabetes Federation, by the year 2050, one in eight adults will have diabetes. For patients, particularly those with type 1 and many with type 2 diabetes, insulin is a life-saving hormone. Despite Insulin’s widespread demand globally, the current methods of producing insulin are costly and often inefficient, resulting in low output and a cost-intensive purification process.

Speaking about the research, Prof. Veeranki Venkata Dasu, lead author of the research, said, “Creating a novel expression system for manufacturing insulin is one of the solutions. A bioprocess technology is developed using Genetic, Metabolic and Biochemical Engineering approaches for recombinant human insulin production using Pseudomonas fluorescens, a BSL-1 microorganism. The developed expression system is not only capable of insulin production but also opens an avenue to produce other therapeutic proteins as well as industrial enzymes.”

Highlighting the significance of the research, Mr. Ansuman Sahoo. Ph. D. and PMRF research scholar, IIT Guwahati, said, “The most common method of producing insulin is by using a bacterium called Escherichia coli, or E. coli. Though effective, these bacteria produce insulin in the form of insoluble lumps and require complex processing to make the insulin usable. Other systems, such as yeast and mammalian cells, have also been used to produce insulin, but come with certain limitations, making them less sustainable. Food-grade compounds can be used in place of toxic inducers in the established expression system.”

To overcome these challenges, the IIT Guwahati research team explored the use of Pseudomonas fluorescens, a bacterium known for producing proteins in a soluble form, making the production process simpler and more affordable.

The study marks the first successful demonstration of human insulin production using Pseudomonas fluorescens. With this approach, the researchers were able to produce insulin in a soluble form, reducing the need for complicated purification steps and minimising production costs.

The safety of the bacterium, combined with its ability to produce large amounts of soluble protein without harmful by-products, makes this method particularly attractive for large-scale insulin production.

With the demand for insulin projected to grow sharply, especially with the rise of non-invasive delivery methods like oral insulin, there is a pressing need for affordable production methods. By eliminating the common limitations associated with current expression systems, this new approach explores the potential to make insulin more widely available at a lower cost.

The developed technology represents a significant step forward in the pursuit of affordable healthcare solutions and could play a vital role in ensuring life-saving treatments reach those who need them most.