Transcript Biotechnology

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Biotechnology The use of gene
science to create new
products from plants
and animals
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Selective Breeding
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Also known as
artificial selection
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Breed individuals with
the desired trait
together and the
offspring should have
the desired trait
Often followed with
inbreeding – breeding
two of the offspring
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Biotechnology Provides:
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Improved food products
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Longer shelf life, growing
in more arid/colder
environments, containing
more vitamins
Medical advances
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Creation and
implementation of many
medicines
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Medical Advances: Diabetes and insulin
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With no effective treatment aside from a semistarvation diet, a diabetic's outlook appeared
grim. Before 1922, diabetic children rarely lived a
year after diagnosis, 5% of adults died within two
years, and less than 20% lived more than ten.
Untreated diabetics faced blindness, loss of
limbs, kidney failure, stroke, heart attack and .
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1869: It was discovered that those who died from
diabetes all had a similar issue in their pancreas with the
cells that created insulin
1920: insulin was extracted for the first time and used as
an experiment on diabetic dogs
1922: The first human to received insulin. Leonard
Thompson, a 14-year old boy dying of diabetes in
Toronto. Thompson recovered and was discharged from
the hospital 4 months later. With nothing to lose, many
dying diabetics volunteered to be treated with insulin and
had similar positive results
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Medical Advances: Diabetes and insulin
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Death was averted but people with diabetes still suffered
from allergic reactions and sores on the skin where they
injected it. The insulin used was “impure” and generally
a mixture from cows and pigs.
Biosynthetic Insulin, introduced in 1983, was the first
biotech product released and eliminated the need for
animal pancreases. Synthesized insulin eliminates
potential allergic reactions. Most insulins today are
chemically identical to natural human insulin.
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Recombinant DNA and Transgenic organisms
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Recombinant DNA – dna that is formed
using parts from different organisms
Transgenic organism – an organism
that contains recombinant DNA
Easiest organisms to use
recombinant DNA on are
bacteria because they take in
loose DNA in a process call
transformation. They also
have “extra” DNA in their cells
in the form of Plasmids.
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Insulin: How did we do it?
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Insulin: How did we do it?
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Insulin: How did we do it?
One cell with the
recombinant plasmid
*Growing bacteria is asexual reproduction –
similar to mitosis but since they don’t have a
nucleus (prokaryotes!) it is called binary
fission
A fermentor used to grow
recombinant bacteria.
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Biotechnology Breakthroughs
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Rice
 Enriched with beta-carotene and
iron to benefit third world
countries plagued by malnutrition
Bananas
 Containing edible hepatitis
vaccine making it capable to
distribute in widespread easy
manner
Bacteria
 Used to break down oil after oil
spills
Viruses
 Used to target diseases and
fight cancer
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The great debate …
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Benefits
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Reduced pesticide/herbicide use
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Lower energy requirements
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Treat diseases
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Solves food production problems
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Greater crop yields
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Healthier products
Downside:
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Future increase in greater use of pesticides/herbicides
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Create “super bugs” and “super weeds”
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Possible health ramifications
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Playing “God”
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Should they label products?
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Can you “own” a gene?
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