This document provides an overview of the application of biotechnology in different fields including food, medical, agriculture, and environmental biotechnology. Some key points:
- Food biotechnology is used to genetically modify plants and animals for improved production, shelf life, nutrient composition, and drug delivery. Examples given are tomatoes with longer shelf life and golden rice engineered to produce vitamin A.
- Medical biotechnology aims to prolong life through technologies like monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer, bioprocessing insulin from bacteria, stem cells for tissue regeneration, and tissue engineering of organs.
- Agriculture biotechnology is applied through plant tissue culture to develop transgenic crops with desired traits like pest and stress resistance.
- Environmental biotechnology addresses
2. Introduction
Biotechnology is an
interdisciplinary science including not
only biology, but also subjects like
mathematics, physics, chemistry and
engineering.
It is a blend of various technologies
applied together to living cells for
production of a particular product or for
improving upon it.
3. Introduction
Through genetic engineering scientists can
combine DNA from different sources and
this process is called “Recombinant DNA
technology”
The secrets of DNA structure and
functions have led to gene cloning and
genetic engineering, manipulating the
DNA of an organism
4. Monoclonal
Antibodies
Molecular
Biology
Cell
Culture
Genetic
Engineering
Anti-cancer drugs
Diagnostics
Culture of plants
from single cells
Transfer of new
genes into animal
organisms
Synthesis of
specific DNA
probes
Localisation of
genetic disorders
Tracers
Cloning
Gene therapy
Mass prodn. of
human proteins
Resource bank
for rare human
chemicals
Synthesis
of new
proteins
New
antibiotics
New types of
plants and
animals
New types
of food
DNA
technology
Crime solving
Banks of
DNA, RNA
and proteins
Complete
map of the
human
genome
5. Food Biotechnology
Food biotechnology is the
application of technology
to modify genes of
animals, plants, and
microorganisms to create
new species which have
desired production,
marketing, or nutrition
related properties.
6. Why genetically modify food?
Food biotechnology is and
will continue to be an
important area in science
as the world’s human
population continues to
increase and the world’s
agricultural lands continue
to decrease.
The following are reasons
why “we” genetically
modify food.
7. 1) Extended Shelf Life
The first steps in genetic
modification were for
food producers to ensure
larger profits by keeping
food fresher, longer.
This allowed for further
travel to and longer
availability at markets,
etc…
8. Example: Long Shelf Tomatoes
These genetically modified
tomatoes promise less waste and
higher profits.
Typically, tomatoes produce a
protein that softens them after
they have been picked.
Scientists can now introduce a
gene into a tomato plant that
blocks synthesis of the softening
protein.
Without this protein, the
genetically altered tomato softens
more slowly than a regular tomato,
enabling farmers to harvest it at its
most flavorful and nutritious vine-
ripe stage.
9. 2) Efficient Food Processing
By genetically
modifying food
producing organisms,
the wait time and
quantity of certain
food processing
necessities are
optimized.
Again this is a money
saver.
10. Example: Rennin Production
The protein rennin is used to
coagulate milk in the
production of cheese.
Rennin has traditionally been
made in the stomachs of calves
which is a costly process.
Now scientists can insert a
copy of the rennin gene into
bacteria and then use bacterial
cultures to mass produce
rennin.
This saves time, money, space
and animals.
Rennin in the top test tube… not
there in the bottom one.
11. 3) Better Nutrient Composition
Some plants, during
processing, lose some of
the vital nutrients they
once possessed.
Others are grown in
nutrient poor areas.
Both these problems can
be solved by introducing
genes into plants to
increase the amount or
potency of nutrients.
“Biofortification”
12. Example: Golden Rice
Scientists have engineered "golden rice", which has received genes
from a daffodil and a bacterium that enable it to make beta-
carotene.
This offers some promise in helping to correct a worldwide Vitamin
A deficiency.
13. 4) Efficient Drug Delivery
Inserting genes into
plants/animals to
produce essential
medicine or vaccines.
“Biopharming”
14. Medical biotechnology
The main reason for medical
biotechnology is to prolong life.
Other reasons are to ease suffering of
palliative care patients or to increase
accessibility for people with disabilities
15. 1) Monoclonal Antibodies (mAb)
They are so called
because they are
clones of an individual
parent cell.
Remember,
antibodies are specific
proteins that target
pathogens invading
our body.
16. 1) Monoclonal Antibodies (mAb)
This technology is used
primarily to fight off
cancer cells as these
monoclonal antibodies
can be “trained” to target
markers that show up on
cancer cells.
The mAbs will then
destroy the cancer cell
and go looking for more.
17. 2) Bioprocessing
Bioprocessing is the mass
production of human
proteins, vaccines, etc… by
genetically modifying
bacteria or viruses.
This allows for a large
quantity of the desired
product to be created in a
short amount of time and
for a relatively low cost.
18. 2) Bioprocessing
The main product
currently bioprocessed is
insulin, the human protein
responsible for lowering
blood sugar after eating.
The human gene for
insulin is placed into
bacteria, these are
cultured and allowed to
produce insulin which is
collected, purified and
sold to the millions of
diabetics worldwide.
19. 3) Stem Cells
A stem cell is a cell that
has the potential to
become any cell type in
the human body.
Everyone has stem cells,
but they are very hard to
access.
The easiest place to get
stem cells is from an
embryo.
20. 3) Stem Cells
Stem cells are
introduced into a
damaged area of the
body where, under the
right conditions, will
replace the damaged
area.
Often times stem cells
are grown in a lab first
to ensure the right
conditions and then
placed into a sick
person.
21. 3) Stem Cells
Stem cells are currently
being tested to treat
everything from Crohn’s
disease to baldness!
The main areas where
stem cells have proven
their worth is in bone
marrow transplants,
replacing damaged heart
tissue after a heart attack
and replacing damaged
nerve tissue which gives
hope to anyone who has
had a spinal cord injury.
22. 4) Tissue Engineering
A form of regenerative
medicine, tissue
engineering is the
creation of human
tissue outside the body
for later replacement.
Usually occurs on a
tissue scaffold, but can
be grown on/in other
organisms as shown on
the right.
23. 4) Tissue Engineering
Tissue engineers have
created artificial skin,
cartilage and bone
marrow.
Current projects being
undertaken include
creating an artificial liver,
pancreas and bladder.
Again, we are far from
replacing a whole organ,
but just looking for
“refurbishing” our slightly
used ones at the moment.
24. Agriculture biotechnology
Produce transgenic plant through plant
tissue culture to improve the crops with
the desired traits.
Resistance develop against abiotic and
biotic stress.
Transgenic plants use as bioreactors for
producing commercial products- protein,
vaccines & biodegradable plastics.
27. Why environmental biotechnology?
It is needed to:
eliminate the
hazardous wastes
produced by our other
technologies.
distinguish between
similar species and
ensure species are not
at risk of extinction.
create alternative
energy sources (i.e.
Biofuel).
29. 2) Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the use
of bacteria (or fungi) to
clean up hazardous
environmental wastes.
The bacteria essentially
turn the dangerous waste
products into less
hazardous, easy to
dispose of, waste.
Plants are also being
tested in some areas to
do this job (Sunflowers at
Chernobyl removed
Cesium and Strontium).
30. 3) Biosensors
A biosensor uses a
biological entity (i.e.
bacteria) to monitor
levels of certain
chemicals OR uses
chemicals to monitor
levels of certain
biological entities (i.e.
pathogens).
31. 3) Biosensors
Current uses of
biosensors include:
Detecting levels of
toxins in an ecosystem
Detecting airborne
pathogens (i.e.
anthrax)
Monitoring blood
glucose levels
32. 4) Biofuels
A biofuel is a plant derived
fuel that is deemed more
environmentally friendly that
current fuel sources as they
all release less carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere.
Ethanol from corn is placed
in many gasoline varieties in
North America.
Biodiesel is fuel made from
used cooking oil.
Biogas is made from gases
released by compost or a
landfill.