Introduction to Biotechnology

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Questions and Answers

What is a main function of transgenic animals in biotechnology?

  • To create perfect cloning of animal species
  • To produce large quantities of therapeutic proteins (correct)
  • To engineer animals for enhanced physical appearance
  • To replace traditional farming methods completely

What does a gene knockout allow researchers to study?

  • The introduction of new genes into an organism
  • The cloning efficiency of genes in different species
  • The effect of losing a specific gene on an organism's functions (correct)
  • The ability of genes to mutate under stress

Which historical event stimulated research into natural oil-degrading organisms?

  • The Chernobyl disaster
  • The Fukushima nuclear disaster
  • The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (correct)
  • The industrial waste crisis of the 1970s

Aquatic biotechnology involves which of the following practices?

<p>Creating vaccines against fish viruses (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is not a type of biotechnology mentioned in the content?

<p>Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is bioprospecting in the context of aquatic biotechnology?

<p>Searching for valuable genes and proteins in marine organisms (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary benefit of creating transgenic salmon that overproduce Growth Hormone?

<p>Accelerated growth rates (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of forensic toxicologists?

<p>Examining body fluids and tissues for drugs and poisons (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How has the Human Genome Project contributed to medical biotechnology?

<p>Facilitating gene therapy and stem cell technologies (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential benefit of creating transgenic salmon that overproduce growth hormone?

<p>They can grow faster, increasing food supply for humans. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Forensic entomologists can use insects to accomplish which of the following?

<p>Estimate the time of death (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does microbial biotechnology primarily serve?

<p>Processing and degrading pollutants using microbes (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What current application does stem cell therapy have?

<p>Replacing damaged neurons (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about stem cell therapy is true?

<p>It has only been tested in animal models for most diseases. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes DNA fingerprinting?

<p>Used for inclusion or exclusion of a person from suspicion (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In forensic biotechnology, what significance do the bands on a gel represent?

<p>The match between suspect DNA and victim DNA (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is DNA profiling primarily used for?

<p>Identifying individuals from biological evidence (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What technique involves analyzing bloodstains to reconstruct crime scenes?

<p>Bloodstain pattern analysis (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following applications does forensic biotechnology NOT specifically address?

<p>Verifying the authorship of a literary work (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What can forensic fingerprint analysis determine?

<p>The identity of individuals based on fingerprint patterns (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does forensic toxicology play in criminal investigations?

<p>Studying the effects of drugs and poisons (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which group is responsible for the activity in a human cell as studied in medical biotechnology?

<p>Human proteome (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which scenario illustrates the use of forensic entomology?

<p>Estimating the time since death by analyzing insect life (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is NOT a use of DNA fingerprinting?

<p>Solving environmental crime using chemical residue (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Flashcards

What is biotechnology?

The use of living organisms or their products to create new products or processes that benefit humans.

What is microbial biotechnology?

A type of biotechnology that uses living organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, or algae, to make products or processes that benefit humans.

What is agricultural biotechnology?

A type of biotechnology that focuses on improving crops and farm animals to increase yields, improve nutrition, or enhance disease resistance.

What are transgenic animals?

A type of biotechnology that uses genetic engineering to create animals that produce therapeutic proteins in their milk, which can be used to treat diseases.

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What is bioremediation?

A type of biotechnology that uses living organisms or their products to clean up environmental pollution.

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What is aquaculture?

A type of biotechnology that focuses on the cultivation of aquatic organisms, such as finfish and shellfish, for food.

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What is bioprospecting?

A type of biotechnology that involves searching for new genes, proteins, and metabolic processes in marine organisms that could be used to develop new drugs or products.

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What is medical biotechnology?

A type of biotechnology that focuses on the use of biological principles and techniques in the healthcare industry, including the development of new drugs and therapies.

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Medical Biotechnology

A field of biotechnology that involves the use of biological processes and organisms to address human health issues, including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.

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Preventive Medicine

A type of medicine that focuses on preventing diseases before they develop. This can involve lifestyle changes, vaccinations, and other preventive measures.

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Human Genome Project

The process of identifying and analyzing the genetic makeup of an individual, which plays a role in understanding disease risk and developing personalized treatments.

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Gene Therapy

A technique that involves modifying a person's genes to treat a disease. This can involve replacing a faulty gene with a functional one or altering the expression of genes.

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Stem Cells

Cells with the potential to develop into any type of cell in the body. They hold promise for regenerative medicine and treating various diseases.

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Forensic Biotechnology

A branch of forensic science that involves the use of biotechnology to analyze biological evidence from crime scenes. DNA profiling and bloodstain pattern analysis are key techniques.

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DNA Profiling

A technique that involves creating a unique DNA profile for an individual based on the variations in their DNA sequence. It is widely used in forensic investigations.

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Forensic Toxicology

The study of the effects of drugs and poisons on the body. It plays a critical role in forensic investigations by determining the presence and effects of substances.

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Forensic Entomology

The study of insects and their application in criminal investigations.

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Fingerprint Analysis

A technique used to identify individuals based on their unique fingerprint patterns.

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DNA Fingerprinting in Crime Scene Investigation

Utilizes DNA profiles to determine if a suspect was present at a crime scene.

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DNA Fingerprinting for Paternity Testing

Uses DNA profiles to confirm paternity or establish familial relationships.

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DNA Fingerprinting for Endangered Species

Employing DNA profiling to distinguish endangered species from closely related ones.

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DNA Fingerprinting for Disease Tracking

Examines DNA to track, identify, and monitor disease spread.

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Study Notes

Introduction to Biotechnology

  • The lecture is part of a Spring 2024-2025 semester.
  • The lecturer is Dr. Mohamed Salah Basiouny.
  • The course is Introduction to Biotechnology.

Types of Biotechnology

  • Microbial Biotechnology
  • Agricultural Biotechnology
  • Animal Biotechnology
  • Forensic Biotechnology
  • Bioremediation
  • Aquatic Biotechnology
  • Medical Biotechnology
  • Regulatory Biotechnology

Animal Biotechnology

  • Transgenic animals produce therapeutic proteins for human use.
  • Female transgenic animals express these proteins in milk (genes from another source).
  • Example: Human insulin genes can be introduced into female goats.

Gene Knockout

  • Disrupts a gene in an animal to observe affected functions.
  • Determines the gene's role and function.
  • Rats and mice are similar to humans, allowing for better understanding of gene function in humans.

Bioremediation

  • Uses biotechnology to process and degrade natural and man-made substances contributing to pollution.
  • Examples include oil spills (1989 Exxon Valdez in Alaska; 2010 Deepwater Horizon).

Aquatic Biotechnology

  • Aquaculture: Raising finfish or shellfish for food; 50% of global fish consumption.
  • Genetic engineering: Salmon vaccines; Transgenic salmon with overproduced growth hormone.

Bioprospecting

  • Locates valuable resources for genes, proteins, and metabolic processes with applications for humans.
  • Marine plankton and snails are rich sources of antitumor and anticancer molecules.

Aquatic Biotechnology - Further Points

  • Why create transgenic salmon with overproduced growth hormone? (faster growth, reduced time to market)
  • How does this modified salmon help humans? (decreased time, reduced cost)

Medical Biotechnology

  • Involved in the broad spectrum of human medicine.
  • Includes preventive medicine, health diagnosis, and treatment of human diseases.
  • New information from the Human Genome Project: Gene therapy, Stem cell technologies.

Stem Cells

  • Grown in labs and treated with chemicals to develop into specialized tissues (needed for transplants).
  • Current use: Treating diabetes and spinal cord injuries.

Medical Biotechnology - Further Points

  • Replace neurons damaged by spinal cord injury, stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or other neurological problems.
  • Produce insulin for diabetes treatment, and repair heart muscle damage(using stem cells).
  • Most of these diseases are tested in animal models. They are not yet used in clinics.

Embryonic Stem Cells

  • Differentiation into many cell types, including liver, skin, red/white blood, neurons, and muscle cells.
  • Transplantation replaces damaged or defective tissues.

Medical Biotechnology - Genes as Headline News

  • New tests use mothers' blood for checking fetal defects.
  • Genetic switch to put hair on the chest, indicating biological changes in embryos (differentiation between boys and girls).
  • Finding genes related to obesity and skin cancer, as well as those underlying muscle disorders.

Human Genome Project - Proteome

  • Research focuses on the function of human genes and factors regulating gene activity in a human cell.

Forensic Biotechnology

  • Analyzing biological evidence from crime scenes to identify criminals.
  • DNA Profiling/Fingerprinting: Identifies individuals based on their unique DNA sequences (used for murders, rapes, and robberies).
  • Bloodstain pattern analysis: Reconstructs crime scenes through bloodstain patterns to determine event order and suspect location.
  • Forensic toxicology: Studies drug and poison effects on the body to investigate drug-related deaths and impairment at the time of the crime.
  • *Forensic Entomology: Studies insects and their use in forensic investigations to estimate time of death, location of crime scene, or whether a body has been moved.

Additional information

  • Fingerprint analysis: A method to identify individuals based on unique fingerprint patterns. A reliable and one of the oldest forensic techniques.
  • DNA Fingerprinting: Used in identifying a person from suspicion, paternity cases, identifying human remains, endangered species, determining disease spread.

Forensic Bio-technology - Further Information

  • Matching (Gel) results can verify suspect involvement in the crime, based on DNA match to victim blood.
  • Light bands on sample from jeans match with victim's blood, despite low visibility, showing evidence of match.
  • Comparison of DNA samples from crime scene to suspects (to determine the presence of a suspect) and also for paternal testing (from a mother and a child's profiles with possible fathers to determine the biological father)

Tools of Forensic Biotechnology

  • Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP)
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
  • Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD)
  • Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) analysis
  • Mitochondrial DNA analysis
  • Y chromosome markers analysis
  • Alu repeats analysis

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