Dr Mayssaa Essam What is Biotechnology Biotechnology the

Dr. Mayssaa Essam

What is Biotechnology? * Biotechnology —the use of biological processes; and technology—to solve problems or make useful products. *Biotechnology – using living organisms, or the products of living organisms, for human benefit to make a product or solve a problem. * Biotechnology- is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as: Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use. * Biotechnology- is often used to refer to genetic engineering technology of the 21 st century. Biotechnology in 21 st century -- Using modern technology such as genetics, molecular biology to understand biological phenomenon in a new level of precision (at the cellular and molecular level), and solve problems or create product around that understanding.

Applications Biotechnology has applications in four major industrial areas, including health care (medical), crop production and agriculture, non food uses of crops and other products, and environmental uses. For example, one application of biotechnology is the directed use of organisms for the manufacture of organic products (examples include beer and milk products). Another example is using naturally present bacteria by the mi-ning industry in bioleaching. Biotechnology is also used to recycle, tr-eat waste, clean up sites contaminated by industrial activities (biore- mediation), and also to produce biological weapons.

Application of Biotechnology

Branches of biotechnology • • • Blue biotechnology Green biotechnology Red biotechnology White biotechnology Blue biotechnology is a term that has been used to describe the marine and aquatic applications of biote-chnology, but its use is relatively rare.

Green biotechnology is biotechnology applied to agricultural processes. An example would be the selection and domestication of plants via micropropagation. Another example is the designing of transgenic plants to grow under specific environment conditions or in the presence (or absence) of certain agricultural chemicals. • Red biotechnology refers to the use of organisms for the improvement of medical processes. It includes the designing of organisms to manufacture pharmaceutical products like antibiotics and vaccines, the engineering of genetic cures through genomic manipulation, and its use in forensics through DNA profiling.

White biotechnology, also known as industrial biotechnology, is biotechnology applied to industrial processes. An example is the designing of organisms to produce a useful chemical. • HISTORY OF BIOTECHNOLOGY • Traditional Biotechnology (Old). • New Biotechnology (Modern).

Traditional Biotechnology: • The Traditional biotechnology refers to the conventional technology which have been used for many centuries. Beer, Wine, Cheese and many foods have been produced using traditional biotechnology. • The Traditional biotechnology is an art rather than a science. • Modern Biotechnology: Capability of science to change the genetic material for genetic new products for specific requirement through recombinant DNA technology. • GENETIC ENGINEERING • The formation of new combinations of heritable material by the insertion of nucleic acid molecules into any virus, bacterial plasmids or other vector system so as to allow their incorporation into a host organism in which they do not naturally occur but in which they are capable of continued propagation (Smith, 1996).

Genetic Engineering is the production of new genes and alteration of genomes by substituting or adding new genetic material. SCOPE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY 1. Gene Therapy: This is in a way, genetic engineering of humans, which would allow a person suffering from a disabling genetic disorder to lead a normal life.

2. Health care: (a) In 1982, human insulin (humulin) has been produced by microorganisms in fermenters. (b) Hepatitis B vaccines (Recombivax HB), genetically engineered vaccines produced biotechnologically. 3. Immunotechnologies: Monoclonal antibodies (MABs) for diagnosis and therapy. Antibodies, special sets of proteins present in humans that enable them to fight incursion of their bodies by harmful chemicals or microorganisms. 4. New DNA technologies: These include DNA fingerprinting, sequencing of genomes, development and use of new molecular markers for plant identification and characterization.

5. Stem cell techniques: Which would involve purification and isolation of stem cells? from various tissues and develop into the desired tissue which could then be used, for example, for transplantation. 6. Tissue culture: Tissue culture of both plant and animal cells. These are used for Micropropagation? of elite or exotic materials (such as orchids), production of useful compounds such as taxol (the widely used anti-cancer drug) and vanillin, and preparation in the laboratory of “natural” tissues such as arteries for arterial graft or skin for burn. victims.

Stem Cell Therapy

7. Organ transplantation: Xenotransplantation that is transplantation into humans of organs from other animals. It appears that pig may be the most suitable for this biochemically, anatomically and immunologically. 8. Human Genome Project (HGP): Human genome has been sequenced and chromosome map has been developed in various laboratories world-wide through coordinated efforts. • 9. Bioinformatics: Application of information sciences to increase the understanding of biology, biochemistry and biological data.

10. Bioremediation: Bioremediation is the use of microorganisms to detoxify pollutants, present in the environment usually as soil or water sediments.

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) • “Applied Molecular Genetics Inc” • Specializes in molecular and cellular biology • Produces and markets therapeutic products for the treatment of nephrology, cancer, inflammatory diseases, metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders. • Successful products on the market (Blockbusters) • Strategy: - often target medical problems that haven't received much attention from the pharmaceutical industry • EPOGEN: -Stimulate the production of red blood cells to treat anemia. • NEUPOGEN: - Selectively stimulate the production of neutrophils, one type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infections. • ENBREL: - Blocks the biologic activity of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) by competitively inhibiting TNF, a substance induced in response to inflammatory and immunological responses, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

* Microbial Biotechnology – manipulation of microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria – Create better enzymes. – More efficient decontamination processes for industrial waste product removal. – Used to clone and produce large amounts of important proteins used in human medicine. *Agricultural Biotechnology -United Nations Food and Agricultural Org. predicts by 2050, we will need to feed a world population of 9. 1 billion! This requires raising food production by approximately 70%! – Plants more environmentally friendly that yield more per acre (genetically engineered). – Resistance to diseases and insects. – Foods with higher protein or vitamin content.

– Drugs developed and grown as plant products. – These better plants ultimately reduce production costs to help feed the growing world population. – Work in groups to discuss how you can use this technology in a third world country to create a better corn crop (main crop in that country) that contains all of the 22? essential amino acids. • Animal Biotechnology – Animals as a source of medically valuable proteins • Antibodies – Transgenic animals: - way to achieve large scale production of therapeutic proteins from animals for use in humans – Female transgenic animals express therapeutic proteins in milk (contains genes from another source) – Example: human genes coding for clotting proteins? can be introduced into female goats for production of these proteins in their milk – Animals as important models in basic research: • Design and testing of drugs and genetic therapies. – Animal cloning: • Source of transplant organs.

• Forensic Biotechnology – DNA fingerprinting • Inclusion or exclusion of a person from suspicion. • Based on DNA results from this gel.

• Bioremediation • The use of biotechnology to process and degrade a variety of natural and manmade substances. • Stimulated growth of bacteria that degrade components in crude oil • 2010 Deep Water Horizon spill promoted research into natural oildegrading organisms and enzymes. • Adding nutrients to stimulate growth of bacteria to clean up oil spill. • Medical Biotechnology – Involved with the whole spectrum of human medicine • Preventive medicine • Diagnosis of health and illness • Treatment of human diseases – New information from Human Genome Project • Gene therapy – Stem cell technologies

• Stem cells – grown in lab and then treated with different chemicals to allow them to develop into specific kinds of tissues needed for transplant. • Current use: stem cells are used for diabetes; spinal cord injuries. • Genes are headline news items

How will medical biotechnology change our lives in the years ahead? – Human Genome Project • Research on the function of human genes and controlling factors that regulate genes. – Human proteome • Collection of proteins responsible for activity in a human cell. – Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) • Single nucleotide changes (mutations) in DNA sequences that vary from individual to individual. • These variations are the cause of some genetic diseases (sickle cell anemia). • SNPs will help identify genes involved in medical conditions including arthritis, stroke, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and behavioral and emotional illnesses.

• Example of SNPs and breast cancer • Identification of SNPs in BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes involved in promoting breast cancer led to development of better targeted treatments for people who have those specific gene mutations. • How we can benefit from the human genome project • .

How will medical biotechnology change our lives in the years ahead Nanotechnology • Applications that incorporate extremely small devices. • Small particles that can deliver drugs to cells. Gene therapy technology – Replacing or augmenting defective genes with normal copies of the gene. -Still have barriers to overcome before this technology becomes safe and effective.

• Differences between a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company – Pharmaceutical company is involved in drug development (chemically synthesizing or purifying compounds to make the drug). – Pharmaceutical company does not use living organisms to grow or produce a product. – Biotech company is involved in drug development using live organisms. – Biotech companies also create products that are not drugs.