Transcript NS 1300 Emergence of Modern Science Biotechnology

NS 1300 Emergence of Modern
Science
Biotechnology
Genetic Engineering
• Restriction Enzymes
• Plasmids
• Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMO)
Polymerase Chain Reaction
• PCR
– PCR Multiplication
– DNA Fingerprinting
Cloning
• Stem Cells
• Reproductive
Cloning
• Therapeutic
Cloning
Cancer
• Genetics
• Environment
• Stages
In stage I, cancer cells can be distinguished from normal cells. The cancer
cells are still localized (usually referred to as cancer in situ) and surgical
removal of the tumor usually results in a cure.
In stage II, tumor size is increased. The cancer cells may or may not have
spread to the lymph nodes, and begun encroaching on nearby tissue.
By stage III, the cancer cells have continued to grow and extend into the
area around the tumor.
In stage IV, tumors have spread to other parts of the body.
Gene Therapy
• Clinical Trials
Open trial
In an open trial, the researcher knows the full details of the treatment, and so does the patient. These trials are
open to challenge for bias, and they do nothing to reduce the placebo effect. However, sometimes they are
unavoidable, particularly in relation to surgical techniques, where it may not be possible or ethical to hide from the
patient which treatment he or she received. Usually this kind of study design is used in bioequivalence studies.
Blind trials
Single-blind trial
In a single-blind trial, the researcher knows the details of the treatment but the patient does not. Because the
patient does not know which treatment is being administered (the new treatment or another treatment) there might
be no placebo effect. In practice, since the researcher knows, it is possible for them to treat the patient differently
or to subconsciously hint to the patient important treatment-related details, thus influencing the outcome of the
study.
Double-blind trial
In a double-blind trial, one researcher allocates a series of numbers to 'new treatment' or 'old treatment'. The
second researcher is told the numbers, but not what they have been allocated to. Since the second researcher
does not know, they cannot possibly tell the patient, directly or otherwise, and cannot give in to patient pressure to
give them the new treatment. In this system, there is also often a more realistic distribution of sexes and ages of
patients. Therefore double-blind (or randomized) trials are preferred, as they tend to give the most accurate
results.
Triple-blind trial
Some randomized controlled trials are considered triple-blinded, although the meaning of this may vary according
to the exact study design. The most common meaning is that the subject, researcher and person administering
the treatment (often a pharmacist) are blinded to what is being given. Alternately, it may mean that the patient,
researcher and statistician are blinded. These additional precautions are often in place with the more commonly
accepted term "double blind trials", and thus the term "triple-blinded" is infrequently used. However, it connotes an
additional layer of security to prevent undue influence of study results by anyone directly involved with the study.
DNA Repair
• Oxidants
• Point mutations
• Patrolling enzymes
Drug Therapy
• Drug Design
• Biodiversity
– A large number of medicines have their origin in plants
or microorganisms. Quinine and penicillin arc two such
examples which arc used extensively against some of
the most dreadly diseases. With the advent of
biotechnology, in future genes from many species will
be utilized for a variety of purposes. But if the
biodiversity is lost, these future possibilities will
disappear.
Bioethics
Artificial insemination
Artificial life
Body modification
Chimeras
Cloning
Confidentiality (medical records)
Gene therapy
Genetically modified food
Genomics
Great Ape Project
Human cloning
Human genetic engineering
Immortality
Infertility (treatments)
Nanomedicine
Parthenogenesis
Patients' Bill of Rights
Population control
Procreative beneficence
Procreative liberty
Reproductive rights
Sperm and eggs
(donation)
Stem cell research
Transhumanism
Mitochondrial DNA
• Mitochondrial Clock
Quiz
• 1. T or F, PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction.
• 2. T or F, a plasmid is one of your 46 chromosomes.
• 3. T or F, the need to find natural cures is one reason to
protect biodiversity.
• 4. T or F, in stage I cancer, tumors have spread to other
parts of the body.
• 5. T or F, mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the
mother.