2. Introduction
Cloning is no longer a thing of the past
Biotechnology transforms us and our perspective
of the world
Biotechnology can inspire great controversy
Bioethics: ethics of biological and medical
research(researching for answers to questions
asked)
3. Biotechnology in the past
Focused on fundamental issues: food &
beverages
Yeast: used by Egyptians to “leaven” bread &
used by Sumerians and Babylonians for beer
Domestication: the start of biotechnology in a
way. Animals were selectively breed, steadily
shaped to fit people’s needs(like today’s
technology)
4. Biotechnology in the past
In ancient China, moldy soybean curds(anti-
botic) were used to treat boils
Lancing(slice open) the boil was more popular in
ancient Rome and in the West
In Year 0, Chinese farmers discovered
insecticide
5. Biotechnology and
diseases
Smallpox: one of deadliest disease which killed millions
and had few effective treatments
Variolation: deliberately exposing someone uninfected to a
weakened smallpox virus to create immunity(dated back to
11th century)
Vaccine was created when Edward Jenner injected fluid
from a cowpox pustule into his gardener’s eight-year old
son(vaccination)
Vaccinations are not 100% effective as diseases can
mutate to resist vaccination(nonstable pathogens)
HIV: nonstable pathogens with very few vaccinations and
treatment
6. Biotechnology, Ketchup
and Botox + Penicillin
Pasteurisation: heating of food long enough to kill
most bacteria and then cooling for preserving its
flavour
Started by Louis Pasteur, who wanted to prevent
the souring of wine and beer
Botox: Poison paralysing toxin from bacteria to
treat wrinkles, sweaty armpits etc
Penicillin: discovered accidentally when
Alexander Felming left bacteria growing in petri
dishes
7. Biotechnology and DNA
Structure: strands of DNA forms double helix,
connected by nucleic acids/bases/necleotides
Base pair: adenine+thymine, guanine+cytosine
Genes are combinations of
3 nucleotides, chromosomes are
longer chains
Proteins as building materials
Produced in ribosomes
8. Transcription & Translation
Forming a protein
1. Gene transcribed
2. Translated into amino acids
Exons(coding genes) form only 2% of genes
Junk DNA
Alleles: dominant and recessive traits
Homozygous(homo – same) heterozygous
Punnett Square
9. Genes: Mutation
Mutation: unplanned changes in genes
Mutagenic factors: radiation, chemicals in environment
Recombinant DNA technology: transferring genetic
material through transformation(eg, gene gun)
Result: transgenic organisms
Mutation: use of restriction endonucleases(enzymes) and
phage
Restriction endonucleases: selecting and cutting of specific
points, ligase to combine the two ends back
together(scissors+glue)
Phages: construct viruses to carry DNA from one cell to
another(transduction), may cause insertional mutation
10. Insulin, MALE
INFERIORITYYYYYYYY
:D level
Hormone that regulates sugar
Animal(pancreatic glands of pigs and cows),
human(bacteria) and plant(safflower) insulin
X(smaller, carries few genes) and Y chromosome
Other X chromosome can backup should the first
X chromosome be defective, Y chromosome
cannot backup
11. Modifications of body
Organ transplant: 1st successful from Ronald Herrick to
Richard Herrick(twins)
Immune system treat them as foreign bodies and rejects,
thus the need for immunosuppressant drugs
Disadvantage: daily consummation of drugs, limit body’s
ability to fight actual infections
Xenotransplantation: using organs from other species
Artificial organs: ventricular assist device, Jarvik-7 in 1982,
but it causes blood clots
Newer artificial hearts adjust to user’s needs
Cosmetic surgery: inject artificial “fillers” in cheeks and lips
to make up for lost collagen
12. Anti-Depressants,
Narcolepsy & ADHD
Mood depends on levels of neurotransmitters
Low levels of serotonin linked with depression
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, eg Prozac, help to keep
more serotonin in the brain
Oxytocin: hormone linked with feelings of affection and
loyalty(when women give birth)
Narcolepsy: unable to keep one from falling asleep during the day,
even when well-rested
ADHD: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Modafinil: stimulant(not as effective as Ritalin and Adderall)
Ritalin and Adderall: central nervous system stimulants(similar to
drugs)
Boosts amount of neorutransmitters norepinephrine & dopamine
13. Stem cells
Undifferentiated, able to become any type of cell(valuable
resource)
Ability to renew themselves indefinitely
Can be directed to grow into organs for transplants
Disadvantage: prone to mutations
Pluripotent stem cells: most useful, able to become any
tissue in the body
Multipotent stem cells: inactive until repairing/replacing
damaged cells, undifferentiated but only within a related
group
Unipotent stem cells: differentiated, can only be one cell
14. Reproduction
Fertility drugs boost production of ova
In vitro fertilisation: extracted eggs are fertilised
outside female body with sperm before
implanting developing embryos into uterus
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis(PGD) to
assess risk of genetic diseases and traits
15. Prosthetics & Cancer
Reattached limbs rarely regain all functions
Researchers developing ways to tie prosthetics to
body’s nerves, control artificial limb through thoughts
Scientists researching blastema from salamanders, a
clump of cells which contain a protein, EV15, which
stops cells from reproducing until they can
differentiate
Most cancer treatments take out both good and bad
cells(eg, hurting hair follicles)
Cancer cells present themselves as parts of the body,
antigens(foreign substances) are accepted as self-
antigens
16. Vaccines and antivirals
Asian pop. Lack enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase which
helps body to break down alcohol(causes drinker to suffer
hangover while drinking)
Antibodies from vaccines bind to drug molecules, making
them too large to cross blood-brain barrier, thus user
cannot be high
Antiviral drugs interfere with viruses’ development,
targetting virus-associated proteins(VAPs)
Either mimic proteins and bind to receptors, or vice-versa
Or interfere with viral synthesis by developing
analogues(compounds with similar molecular structures)
that look like pieces of viral genetic material
Or synthesize interferons, the body’s natural defense
against viruses(travelling from infected cells and producing
proteins to inhibit growth of virus)
17. Oops, I forgot, mighty
mice, genes
aCaMKII, memory-erasing protein
Myostatin: inhibits muscle growth by binding to
special receptors on muscle cells
Follistatin: binds to myostatin and stops it from
acting
More follistatin=more muscles
Gene therapy for single mutated gene diseases
18. Cloning
Twins show effects of epigenetic changes(physical differences
in expression of genes), eg environment of mother’s womb
Telomeres sit at end of DNA strands to hold it together
Cells divide=telomeres shrink
As humans age, telomeres shrink and
damage genetic material
• Cancerous cells produce telomerase
Which lengthens telomeres and prevent cells
From dying
19. Some terms
Huamn Growth Hormone(HGH): hormone that
regulates growht
Amphetamines: drugs that speed up body’s and
brain’s response time
Oxycontin: powerful painkillers
Drugs have severe side effects: steroids weaken
heart, amphetamines raise blood pressure
Nutraceuticals: food products which claim to improve
health
20. GMOs
Genetically modified organisms(GMOs) were first used to
improve growing of crops, eg soybeans
Soybeans vulnerable to weeds, traditional herbicides not very
effective
In 1970, glyphosate(used in herbicide RoundUp) was
discovered
It competes with and inhibits a key enzyme in growing plants,
prevents binding to normal amino acid pathway and thus no
proteins=plants die
Limited to specific applications
Genes modified to make certain crops glyphosate resistant by
exposing huge amounts of e.coli bacteria to RoundUp in
bioreactor(make e.coli bateria resistant to glyphosate)
Transgene inserted into crops for resistence
21. Pesticide, Flavr Savr and
SALMON<3
Bt-toxin inserted into potato, corn and cotton
plants(transgenic)
Flavr Savr tomatos: genetically enhanced skin
that soften slowly=long shelf life, but not firmer
AquaAdvantage Salmon: modified with gene that
makes it grow 2x faster than normal salmon
May lead to loss of generic diversity
22. Biofortified foods
Biofortification: engineering simple and inexpensive foods
to be more nutritious
Eg, rice, peanut paste
Golden rice: rice that produces edible beta-
carotene(vitamin A) 20x more(gene found in maize)
Reduce generic diversity
Plumpy’nut: sweet peanut paste with protein, vitamins and
minerals(500 calories)
No water, no preparation, shelf life=2 years
Made with vegetable oil which shielded nutrients from
oxygen and humidity and flavour
Expensive( 1month=60USD)
23. Biotechnology
Compare DNA of suspects using variable
number tandem repeat(VNTR): short pieces of
noncoding DNA that repeat in a given genome,
unique for every individual
DNA fingerprinting: high success rate and low
false-positive rate
CSI NY <3
24. Biological Welfare(ohmy:o)
Mailed letters infected with bacteria anthrax to government
officials(2001)
Little vaccine at that time, anthrax=rare
Only a small number of pathogens can wipe out an entire population
Factor of deadliness: incubation period
Anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox, tularemia, viral hemorrhagic
fevers, eg Ebola
Small pox=highly infectious, can cause global pandemic with
international air travel
Biological welfare targets: humans and food(food shortages can
destabilise a society, making it vulnerable for defeat)
Eg, Agent Orange, deadly herbicide during Vietname War which
destroyed enemy crops and forest cover, killed 0.5 million, caused birth
defects
25. MINIATURE
FRONTIER(nano)
Nanoscale: working with matter so tiny that they cannot be
seen with an ordinary microscope
Hair: 100 000 nanometers thick
Nanobots: diameter of 100 nanometers
Nanowires and carbon nanotubes: used in SUPER SUPER
tiny circuits for building of tiny robots, sensors, etc
Nanobots expected to perform miracles, supposedly killing
cancerous cells, unclog arteries,perform surgery, treat
diabetes
Eg, Nanobots with real DNA, folded into an open
barrel shape(modeled after white blood cells)
26. Beating Nanowire and
uhhum, nanobriefs
Heart attack=heart tissue dies , transplanted or
newly grown tissue would not know how to beat in
rhythm
Solution 1. inject stem cells into damaged regions,
coax them to grow heart tissues that responds like
orginal
Solution 2. nanopatches with gold nanowires that are
placed over damaged portions of heart.
Nanowires(alginate) conduct electricity. New tissue
grown around the nanopatches can respond to
electrical signals
Nanobriefs: underwear with sensors to analyse for
body changes and abnormalites
27. Nanobiotics
Nanobots: made of diamond or DNA, can be very precise
to search and destroy/repair selected cells
Nanoparticles: tiny biodegradable particles that locate
target bacteria and attract antibiotics
Drill entrances through bacterial cell membranes, attracting
and assisting antibotics(defense against antibotics depend
on developing hard-to-penetrate cell membranes)
Carbon nanotube circuit: sth like
synapse in human brain(junction between
neurons)
o Nano-electrodes coated with membrane that
acts like receptor protein(glutamate) to help
control brain activity
