Therapeutic Proteins Used in Human Pancreatic Disease

Pancreatic disorders and related morbidity and mortality have increased across the world in the last decade. Pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, and pancreatic cancer are common diseases of the exocrine pancreas while diabetes mellitus (DM) is the leading disease of the endocrine pancreas. There are around 500 million people currently living with diabetes worldwide. Treatment options for pancreatic illnesses involving lifestyle modifications, antibiotics, analgesics, etc. have limitations in treating the disease. Clinicians need a better therapeutic approach and therapeutic proteins bridge this need. Therapeutic protein is either chemically engineered as a drug candidate or is a natural protein produced for therapy/supplementation. Several clinical trials are currently going on in many countries in the hope of discovering newer therapeutic proteins as novel medicines for pancreatic disorders. The roadmap to effective management of pancreatic disorders involves not only being aware of recent advances but also being invested in the development of novel drugs in the future. This chapter discusses everything from the discovery of the first therapeutic protein insulin to the current FDA-approved novel proteins used in pancreatic diseases.