Amgen manufactures therapeutics based on molecules that already exist in the human body. Biotechnology is the process by which these natural components of the body are produced in sufficient quantities to use therapeutically.
Pharmaceuticals produced in this way are virtually identical to naturally occurring materials. These products are usually proteins, and have a very specific physiological role. As a result, they may have fewer undesirable side effects associated with them. By contrast, traditional drugs are produced through synthetic organic chemistry, and are often less specific in their activity. Numerous side effects can result, limiting the usefulness of these drugs.
In creating our protein products, Amgen scientists often use the techniques of genetic engineering. Starting with bacteria, yeast, or cultured animal cells, they introduce the information needed to produce a human protein with therapeutic potential. Once engineered, these cells can be grown in large quantities, often using the time-honoured technique of fermentation.
During fermentation, single celled organisms such as yeasts and bacteria grow on sugars and starches. Their growth produces alcohol, carbon dioxide and other by-products. (The bubbles in alcohol in beer are a result of this process, as are the holes in bread and some cheeses.) While fermenting, engineered cells produce large quantities of another important product: the desired human protein. Depending how the cell was engineered, this protein is found either inside the cells or in the surrounding medium.
This addition of genetic material to cells gives the engineered proteins their name, recombinant proteins. It is these proteins that comprise the bulk of Amgen's work in biotechnology.
