Introduction to

Biotechnology
 What is Biotechnology?
 Biotechnology applies the knowledge of
biology to enhance and improve the
environment, health, and food supply.

 Using biotechnology, scientists work to

develop environment-friendly alternatives to
fossil fuels and plastics; new medicines,
vaccines and disease diagnostic tools; and
higher yielding and more nutrient-rich crop
plants.
Definition:
 “The use of living
organisms, cells
and biological
molecules, to
solve problems or
make useful
products”
Biological molecules?
 Are large macromolecules

 The macromolecules most

often utilized in Biotech are:

 DNA and RNA

 Proteins
Some Technologies used in
Biotechnology:

 1. Bioprocessing technology
 2. Monoclonal antibody technology
 3. Cell culture technology
 4. Tissue engineering technology
 5. Genetic engineering technology
 6. Bioinformatics technology
 7. DNA chip technology
 1. Bioprocessing
 The use of bacteria, yeast, mammalian cells
and/or enzymes to manufacture products

 Large scale fermentation and cell cultures,

carried out in huge bioreactors, manufacture
useful products

 Products: Insulin, vaccines, vitamins,

antibiotics, amino acids, etc.
2. Monoclonal
antibodies ( MCAb)
 Your immune system makes proteins called
ANTIBODIES

 Antibodies are produced by cells called B-

lymphocytes

 B lymphocytes are produced when your

immune system detects a foreign substance
that has invaded your body
Monoclonal Antibody
Production
 Definition: Producing antibodies for
medicine by cloning a single cell
 Therapeutic Uses of
MCAb
 MCAb are used for Home Pregnancy tests
 Used to diagnose infectious disease such as
strep throat and gonorrhea
 Used to detect cancer (they bind to tumor
cells)
 Used to detect diseases in plants and
animals, food contaminants and
environmental pollutants
 3. CELL CULTURE
TECHNOLOGIES
 Growing cells in containers or large
bioreactors

 Plant cell cultures are used to

grow genetically engineered
plants that contain useful traits,
such as resistance to insect pests
Animal cell culture
 Used for breeding
livestock:

 Bovine zygotes from

genetically superior
bull and cows can be
produced in large
numbers to be
implanted into
surrogate cows
Human Embryonic

Stem Cell (ESC)

 ESC are undifferentiated cells that
have the potential to develop into
any cell in the human body

 One source of ESC is the human

blastocyst – inner mass of cell
gives rise to the ESC lines

 Other sources of ESC are being

discovered and developed
 4. Tissue engineering
technology
 A combination of cell biology and materials
science
 Creates semi synthetic tissues in the
laboratory
 Uses natural collagen and synthetic polymers
to produce artificial skin
 The goal is to be able to create complex
organs as replacement for diseased or
injured organs
 5. Genetic engineering
technology
 Makes use of Recombinant DNA technology

 “The recombining of genetic material from

two different sources”

 It is the next step, after selective breeding,

in changing the genetic makeup of
organisms
Products of genetic
engineering
Transgenic bacteria – Bacteria
that produces human insulin

Transgenic plants – Plants that

glow in the dark (firefly gene)

Plants that are resistant to

disease, to frost – (GM)
 Transgenic animals

 Mice with human genes

 Animal with extra copies of

growth hormone genes, that
grow faster and produce leaner
meat

 Chicken resistant to bacteria

that causes food poisoning
Cloning

 “The use of a single cell from an adult

to grow an entirely new individual that
is genetically identical to the organism
from which the cell was taken”
Why clone?

 Scientist hope that cloning will help

them save endangered species

 The technology is controversial for

many reasons – including the fact that
cloned animals may suffer from
genetic defects and health problems
 What about Human
Cloning?
 At this point, it is not known whether
human cloning from specialized cells with
adult genetic material is even possible

 The only potentially acceptable use of

human cloning deals with simply cloning
human cells for cell therapy or tissue
engineering
 6. Bioinformatics
technology
 Use and organization of information about
biology

 Interface of computer science, mathematics

and molecular biology

 Objective is to use database management to

map and compare genomes, determine
protein structure, design drugs, identify
genes, etc.
 7. DNA Chip
Technology
 A combination of the semiconductor
industry and molecular biology
 Consists Tagged DNA on a Microchip that
can be read using lasers, computers and
microscopes
 Allows tens of thousands of gene to be
analyzed on a single microchip. Used to
detect mutations and diagnose genetic
diseases.
 APPLICATIONS OF
BIOTECHNOLOGY
 Inthe coming years, most of the
commercial application of
biotechnology will be in three
markets:

MEDICAL
AGRICULTURAL
ENVIRONMENTAL
 MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
*To detect and diagnose many diseases
and medical conditions more quickly
and with greater accuracy

*Designer drugs

*Gene therapy to correct genetic disease

*Cell therapy to produce replacement

tissues and organs
 MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
 Cancer Therapy to suppress
tumor genes and prevent or
cure cancer

 Design and production of

vaccines

 Vaccine delivery systems

(goats that produce milk
with a malaria antigen in it)
 MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
 FORENSICS

 DNA fingerprinting
allows for the
identification of
individuals by
analyzing section of
DNA that vary widely
from one individual to
another
 Agricultural
Biotechnology
 Designer Plants – Genetically modified
organisms (GMO) with inserted genes.

 Genetically Modified plants can be

resistant to disease, frost, insects

 GM can be a factory for

pharmaceuticals: tobacco
plant that produces Hemoglobin

 Plants that yield a healthier

and higher than normal crop
to improve our food supply
 Animal Agriculture
 Livestock that is
engineered to resist
disease – No more Mad
Cow Disease!
 Cattle that produces
human pharmaceutical
products
 Cattle with increased
muscle mass and less fat
for healthier food supply
 Environmental
Biotechnology
 Cleaning up pollution
through Bioremediation:
“The use of microbes to
digest and convert
unwanted waste
material into harmless
substances”

 Cleaning oil spills using

living organism
 BIOETHICS

 Advances in biotechnology will

give rise to problems, issues and concerns
humans have never before faced:

*Safety of Genetically Engineered Food

*Genetic testing and screening vs. privacy
issues
*Ethical questions concerning cloning and
stem cells
*Role of the Government in regulating
research
“Each individual has a
responsibility to see that
biotechnology is developed
and used wisely.
We must do whatever we
can to avoid mistakes and
ensure that biotechnology
benefits not only us but also
the other organisms that
share this planet with us”
 Work cited
 Kreuzer,
Helen and Massey,Adrianne.
2001. Recombinant DNA and
Biotechnology A Guide for Students.
Second edition. ASM Press,
Washington DC.

Chapters 1&2, pages 3-50