## GMO producers of pharmaceutical substances

In addition to GMOs, which we can use directly in the form of food, there are many genetically modified organisms producing substances needed in medicine, agriculture, or industry. In this case, the genetically modified organisms themselves do not encounter the consumer, but the substances produced by these organisms are important. These are often microorganisms (usually Escherichia coli bacteria) cultivated in large fermenters and producing antibiotics, human hormones, vitamins, and other important substances. This way we can obtain large quantities of humulin – human insulin used in the treatment of diabetes, erythropoietin – a hormone supporting blood formation used in the treatment of anaemia and blood cell differentiation disorders, or somatotropin – a human growth hormone used in the treatment of growth and development disorders. In case of infectious diseases, practically all types of antibiotics (e.g., penicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline) are synthesised using GMO producers, and various branches of industry (especially the food industry) use substances produced by GMOs to create the necessary materials and products (e.g., recombinant chymosin is used for treatment of milk during cheese production).