Introduction to Biotechnology

Contents What Is Biotechnology and What Does It Mean to You? Types of Biotechnology

What Is Biotechnology and What Does It Mean to You?

What Is Biotechnology and What Does It Mean to You? Biotechnology – using living organisms, or the products of living organisms, for human benefit to make a product or solve a problem Historical Examples Fermentation Selective breeding Use of antibiotics

Example of Biotechnology – Selective Breeding What feature of Casper makes it a "model organism" to study migration of cancer cells compared to wildtype fish? (a) (b) Normal zebrafish "Casper" zebrafish – made by selective breeding Answer: Via selective breeding, by mating a zebrafish mutant that lacked reflective pigment with a zebrafish that lacked black pigment, Casper is transparent. This feature allows scientists to inject fluorescent cancer cells into Casper's abdominal cavity and then track the migration of those cells to specific locations in his body.

Based on this tree, can you become successful in the biotech industry only studying biology? Answer: No, you need to take many science courses including biology, computer science, chemistry, math (especially statistics). If you are not broadly trained, you will not be able to obtain a job in this growing field!

What Is Biotechnology and What Does It Mean to You? Examples of applications development of disease-resistant plants food crops that produce greater yields "golden rice" engineered to be more nutritious genetically engineered bacteria that can degrade environmental pollutants Modern Examples Gene cloning Genetic engineering Recombinant DNA technology Started Modern Biotech as an industry Human Genome Project Work in groups to come up with more examples of applications

Types of Biotechnology

Types of Biotechnology Microbial Biotechnology Agricultural Biotechnology Animal Biotechnology Forensic Biotechnology Bioremediation Aquatic Biotechnology Medical Biotechnology Regulatory Biotechnology

Microbial Biotechnology 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%! Work in groups to brainstorm a few solutions to better feed the world by 2050. Answer: This will vary, depending on what students come up with. Probably, most will discuss use of recombinant technology to genetically modify foods. For example, scientists can create better crops that are perhaps more drought resistant. They can create ways to better preserve fruits and vegetables so they don't quickly rot and get wasted. Perhaps create crops that are foul tasting to pests including bugs and animals so that the crops survive. Perhaps create ways to have crops grow even in the most extreme conditions. Students will probably discuss better ways to feed people without relying on being carnivores. A lot of the discussion will be ways to obtain proteins from other novel food sources.

Agricultural Biotechnology 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 How can you use this technology in a third world country to create a better corn crop? Will improved crops that are created to satisfy world hunger reduce available land for biofuel crops? Answer: This is an ethical question and should lead to some powerful discussions during class. Make sure to discuss what is meant by biofuel crops.

Animal Biotechnology Animals as a source of medically valuable proteins Antibodies Transgenic animals Animals as important models in basic research Gene "knockout" experiments Design and testing of drugs and genetic therapies Animal cloning Source of transplant organs

Transgenic Animal transgenic animal: 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

Gene Knockout Disrupt a gene in the animal and then look at what functions are affected in the animal as a result of the loss of the gene This allows researchers to determine the role and function of the gene Since humans are similar to rats and mice, gene knockout studies in rats and mice can lead to better understanding of gene function in humans. Work in groups and give an example of a gene you would like to knockout in mice. Answer: Will vary depending on the group's idea. Perhaps, you want to study the role of insulin in preventing diabetes. By knocking out the gene coding for insulin, you can observe the animal's response (development of diabetes). Then scientists can inject recombinant insulin to the animal and again, study their responses to the treatment.

Forensic Biotechnology DNA fingerprinting Inclusion or exclusion of a person from suspicion Paternity cases Identification of human remains Endangered species Tracking and confirmation of the spread of disease Based on DNA results from this gel, did the defendant commit this crime? Explain based on the gel results. Answer: Based on the gel results, there is evidence that the defendant committed the crime. The position of the bands as well as number of bands on the gel match with the victim's blood. It is important to note, that though the bands are very light for the sample from the jeans, they also match the victim's blood.

Bioremediation The use of biotechnology to process and degrade a variety of natural and manmade substances Particularly those that contribute to environmental pollution Example – stimulated growth of bacteria that degrade components in crude oil 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska 2010 Deep Water Horizon spill promoted research into natural oil-degrading organisms and enzymes

Aquatic Biotechnology Aquaculture – raising fish or shellfish in controlled conditions for use as food sources 50% of all fish consumed by humans worldwide Genetic engineering Disease-resistant strains of oysters Vaccines against viruses that infect salmon and other fish Transgenic salmon that overproduce growth hormone Why create transgenic salmon overproducing growth hormone? How does this modified salmon help humans? Bioprospecting: rich and valuable sources of new genes, proteins and metabolic processes with important applications for human benefits Marine plankton and snails found to be rich sources of antitumor and anticancer molecules Answer 1. By creating transgenic salmon that overproduce Growth Hormone, it allows the salmon to have fast growth rates over a short period of time.

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 Work in groups to come up with a list of other diseases you have read about in the newspaper or heard on the news that scientists are testing with stem cells. Answer: the answers will vary! Remember, most of these diseases are only be tested with stem cell therapy in animal models. They are not being used in the clinic yet!!! Some possible answers: Parkinson's Alzheimer's Leukemia Other types of cancer Eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration

Regulatory Biotechnology Quality Assurance (QA) All activities involved in regulating the final quality of a product Quality Control (QC) Part of QA process that involves lab testing and monitoring of processes and applications to ensure consistent product standards Together QA and QC ensure that biotechnology products meet strict standards for purity and performance Why as a consumer should you care about a product undergoing intense regulations? Answer: You want to use a product that will be used only to do its specified job. If it is contaminated with some other source, it might not do its job! For example, when you buy a car at the dealer, you are ensured that the car will work because of high regulations within that industry. Now that biotech is a mainstay, it also needs tight regulations too!