Medical Biotechnology

Introduction Medical biotechnology is the fusion of genetics, cell biology and many other sciences in order to further advances in medicine.

Why is medical biotechnology important? The main reason for medical biotechnology is to prolong life. Other reasons are to ease suffering of palliative care patients or to increase accessibility for people with disabilities.

Current Areas of Research

1) Monoclonal Antibodies (mAb) They are so called because they are clones of an individual parent cell. Remember, antibodies are specific proteins that target pathogens invading our body.

1) Monoclonal Antibodies (mAb) This technology is used primarily to fight off cancer cells as these monoclonal antibodies can be “trained” to target markers that show up on cancer cells. The mAbs will then destroy the cancer cell and go looking for more.

2) Bioprocessing Bioprocessing is the mass production of human proteins, vaccines, etc… by genetically modifying bacteria or viruses. This allows for a large quantity of the desired product to be created in a short amount of time and for a relatively low cost.

2) Bioprocessing Example: insulin, the human protein responsible for lowering blood sugar after eating. Process: The human gene for insulin is placed into bacteria, and cultured to produce insulin which is then collected, purified and sold.

3) Stem Cells A stem cell is a cell that has the potential to become any cell type in the human body. Everyone has stem cells, but they are very hard to access. The easiest place to get stem cells is from an embryo.

3) Stem Cells Stem cells are introduced into a damaged area of the body where, under the right conditions, will replace the damaged area. Stem cells can be grown in a lab first to ensure the right conditions and then placed into the patient

3) Stem Cells Can be used to treat several things such as: - Crohn’s disease - Baldness - Replacing damaged heart tissue after heart attack - Replacing damaged nerve tissue for spinal cord injuries - Fatal cancers (bone marrow transplants)

4) Tissue Engineering A form of regenerative medicine, tissue engineering is the creation of human tissue outside the body for later replacement. Usually occurs on a tissue scaffold, but can be grown on/in other organism. Engineered urethra Engineered trachea Engineered skin tissue

4) Tissue Engineering Tissue engineers have created artificial skin, cartilage and bone marrow. Current projects being undertaken include creating an artificial liver, pancreas and bladder. On April 9,2013 a 2 year in Illinois had a successful transplant of an artificial trachea engineered from the stem cell in her bone marrow!

Cloning

Introduction Cloning produces cells that are genetically similar to each other (have the same DNA). This prevents an organ (or cells) made through cloning from being rejected. Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical human being, human cell or human tissue.

Types of Cloning There are two types of cloning: Therapeutic cloning is the use of (stem) cells for medicinal or research purposes. Reproductive cloning would be using (stem) cells to create cloned humans.

Therapeutic Cloning Nucleus of an egg cell is replaced with the nucleus of a body cell. Egg cell is stimulated with electricity. Embryo grows. Embryo stem cells are collected and used to treat the donor.

Controversies with therapeutic Cloning Therapeutic cloning creates embryos and then destroys them for stem cells, which is morally wrong to some.

Reproductive Cloning Begins using the same technology at therapeutic cloning except: Embryo is put into a uterus and allowed to grow and be born. The baby is an exact genetic copy of the donor!

Controversies with Reproductive Cloning Reproductive cloning is deemed morally wrong because it could lead to creating human life for the purpose of organ donation for the genetic donor.

Pro-Reproductive Cloning arguments Could create a fertility treatment that allows parents who are both infertile to have children with at least some of their DNA in their offspring. Some scientists, including Dr. Richard Seed, suggest that human cloning might prevent the human aging process. Could repair the cell depletion related to aging by growing replacement tissues from stem cells harvested from a cloned embryo.

Anti-Reproductive Cloning arguments The process will likely lead to severely disabled children. Bioethicist Thomas Murray of the Hastings Centre argues that "it is absolutely inevitable that groups are going to try to clone a human being. But they are going to create a lot of dead and dying babies along the way.” It is likely that there would be a great number of failures in the creation of a living human clone, such as clones without viable immune systems or other gross genetic failures.