Pharmacogenomics and Gene Therapy

Medical Biotechnology

• DNA and protein microarrays are used for detecting genetic diseases.
• Pharmacogenomics customizes medicine based on a patient's genetic profile.
• Gene therapy involves delivering therapeutic genes to correct disease conditions.
• Adenovirus and retrovirus are commonly used for gene therapy applications.
• Other applications of medical biotechnology include:
  • Artificial blood
  • Vaccines and therapeutic antibodies
  • Regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and stem cells
  • Cell and tissue transplantation

Plant Biotechnology

• The development of new crops has been accelerated through direct gene transfer.
• Plant transgenesis involves transferring genes to plants directly to produce:
  • Foods and feed crops
  • Plant-produced vaccines and bioplastics
  • Phytoremediation plants
• Methods of plant transgenesis include:
  • Protoplast fusion
  • Leaf fragment technique
  • Gene guns
  • Chloroplast engineering
  • Antisense technology
  • Agrobacterium tumefaciens is used to infect plants
• Applications of plant biotechnology include:
  • Vaccines for plants
  • Genetic pesticides (Bacillus thuringiensis genes)
  • Herbicide resistance
  • Enhanced nutrition (e.g., Golden rice)

Animal Biotechnology

• Animal biotechnology involves genetically engineering animals to improve their suitability for agriculture, industrial, or pharmaceutical applications.
• Applications of animal biotechnology include:
  • Cloning (e.g., Dolly)
  • Faster growth rates or leaner growth patterns
  • Healthier products (e.g., lower-cholesterol eggs)
  • Increased nutritional content (e.g., lactoferrin in milk)
  • Human polyclonal antibodies can be produced in cattle plasma
  • Biosensors and immunoassays

Biopesticides

• Biopesticides are specific to their target, do not leave toxic residues, reduce the risk of resistance development, and produce a lesser overall impact on the environment.
• Types of biopesticides include:
  • Microbial pesticides
  • Biochemical pesticides
  • Plant-incorporated protectants

Environmental Biotechnology

• Biofertilizers contain living microorganisms that colonize the rhizosphere of the plant and promote growth by increasing the supply or availability of primary nutrients.
• Applications of environmental biotechnology include:
  • Pollution prevention through source reduction, waste minimization, recycling, and reuse.
  • Biofuels (bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas)
  • Bioplastics/biopolymers (PLA, PHB)
  • Enzymes
  • Biosurfactants

Industrial Biotechnology

• Industrial biotechnology uses biotechnology for the sustainable processing and production of chemicals, materials, and fuels.
• Biotechnological processing uses enzymes and microorganisms/cells to make products in a wide range of industrial sectors, including:
  • Chemicals
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Food and feed
  • Detergents
  • Paper and pulp
  • Textiles
  • Energy
  • Materials
  • Polymers