biotechnology 2.pdf

Biotechnology and its Applications  Biotechnology deals with genetically modifying living organisms (microbes, plants and animals) to produce several useful products.  Applications of biotechnology – o Therapeutics o Diagnostics o Genetically modified c...

Biotechnology and its Applications  Biotechnology deals with genetically modifying living organisms (microbes, plants and animals) to produce several useful products.  Applications of biotechnology – o Therapeutics o Diagnostics o Genetically modified crops o Food processing o Bioremediation o Waste treatment o Energy production  Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are produced by the manipulation of the genetic material of organisms.  Genetically modified crops have several advantages. Genetic modification increases a crop’s tolerance to abiotic factors; it increases the efficiency of mineral uptake by the roots of a crop, etc. It also decreases the post-harvest losses in crops.  The bacterium, Bacillus thuriengiensis is used for producing Bt-toxin.  It acts as a bio-pesticide in plants.  The Bt-toxin gene is insect-group specific and is coded by the ‘cry’ gene. o Proteins coded by cryIAc and cryIIAb make the plant resistant for cotton bollworms. o Proteins coded by cryIAb make the plant resistant to corn borer.  RNA-interference (RNAi): It is a gene-silencing mechanism that prevents translation of mRNA. It is a method of cellular defence. It involves –  Applications of recombinant DNA technology in Medicine – o Production of genetically engineered insulin o Gene therapy: It is the method of insertion of genes into an individual cell to cure genetic disorders.  Gene therapy was first used in 1990 to cure adenosine deaminase deficiency. o Early diagnosis and understanding of diseases: The techniques involved are –  PCR (polymerase chain reaction): It amplifies a specific gene into multiple copies. It is used for detecting mutation in a gene.  ELISA (enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay): It involves the use of antigen antibody to identify infectious diseases. It is widely used for detecting AIDS.  Transgenic animals: They carry foreign genes that are purposely introduced into their genome; for example, mice, sheep, cows, fish, rabbit.  Transgenic animals are used for – o Studying the regulation of genes o Understanding the development of diseases o Producing useful biological products o Testing the safety of vaccines o Testing the toxicity of drugs  The manipulation of microbes/plants/animals has raised certain ethical issues.  GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee) in India takes decisions regarding the validity of GM researches and the safety regarding genetically modified organisms.  Biopiracy: It is the theft or robbery of biological resources without the knowledge of the concerned authority.  Patent: It is an exclusive right which is granted for an invention, which could be a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem.  Patents are awarded on the basis of novelty, non-obviousness, and utility.