* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download THE IMPORTANCE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
Human Genome Project wikipedia , lookup
Whole genome sequencing wikipedia , lookup
Comparative genomic hybridization wikipedia , lookup
Designer baby wikipedia , lookup
DNA sequencing wikipedia , lookup
Site-specific recombinase technology wikipedia , lookup
Therapeutic gene modulation wikipedia , lookup
Genetic engineering wikipedia , lookup
Restriction enzyme wikipedia , lookup
Metagenomics wikipedia , lookup
Real-time polymerase chain reaction wikipedia , lookup
DNA vaccination wikipedia , lookup
United Kingdom National DNA Database wikipedia , lookup
Vectors in gene therapy wikipedia , lookup
Nucleic acid analogue wikipedia , lookup
Genomic library wikipedia , lookup
Gel electrophoresis wikipedia , lookup
Non-coding DNA wikipedia , lookup
Bisulfite sequencing wikipedia , lookup
DNA supercoil wikipedia , lookup
Cre-Lox recombination wikipedia , lookup
Transformation (genetics) wikipedia , lookup
Artificial gene synthesis wikipedia , lookup
Molecular cloning wikipedia , lookup
Agarose gel electrophoresis wikipedia , lookup
Biotechnology wikipedia , lookup
THE IMPORTANCE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY Melaine Randle, B.Sc. (Hons), PhD. Candidate The Biotechnology Centre What Is Biotechnology? Manipulation of living organisms, systems to develop products. Term coined by Hungarian engineer Karl Ereky in 1919. Field integrates knowledge from biochemistry, chemistry, microbiology and chemical engineering. Includes genomics, recombinant gene technologies, applied immunology and development of pharmaceutical, diagnostic tests. History Used in agriculture, food production and medicine for thousands of years. Bred productive animals to make stronger and more productive offsprings. Fermentation: yeast cells to raise bread dough, ferment alcoholic beverages. Microbial cultures; bacterial cells used to make cheeses and yogurts. History Weizmann (1917), C. acetobutylicum explosives (WWI). corn starch acetone Clostridium acetobutylicum Antibiotics: Penicillium notatum (Alexander Flemming, 1928). Penicillin (Florey, Chain, Heatley). Medicinal use (1940). Penicillium notatum Applications Medical ◦ Drug production (eg. Insulin, antibiotics) ◦ Pharmacogenomics (genetic inheritance and response to drugs) ◦ Gene Therapy (replace defective genes) ◦ Genetic testing for diseases eg. Down’s Syndrome, Amniocentesis and Chorionic Villus sampling. Applications Chemical Industry ◦ Production of bulk chemicals eg. Ethanol, citric acid, acetone, butanol ◦ Synthesis of enzymes, amino acids, alkaloids Food Industry ◦ Production of baker’s yeast, cheese, yogurt, soy sauce, flavours, colouring agents ◦ Brewing and wine making Applications Agriculture ◦ Crop yield ◦ Reduce vulnerability of crops to environmetal stresses ◦ Increased nutritional qualities ◦ Improved taste, texture or appearance of food ◦ Reduced dependence on fertilizers, pesticides ◦ Production of novel substances in crops ◦ Animal Biotechnology Applications Environment ◦ Bioremediation of soil and water polluted with chemicals ◦ Treatment of sewage and other organic waste ◦ Recovery of heavy metals from industrial sources Biotechnology Techniques DNA Isolation DNA Amplification DNA Cloning Restriction Enzyme Digestion Gel Electrophoresis DNA Sequencing DNA Isolation DNA Amplification Polymerase Chain Reaction ◦ Kary Mullis (1986) ◦ Creates millions of copies of specific DNA sequence synthetically via thermal cycler ◦ Materials needed: DNA template dNTPs (dinucleotide triphosphates) Taq DNA Polymearse Primers Reaction buffer (+ sterile water) PCR Steps (a)Denaturation (b)Annealing (c)Extension DNA Cloning Restriction Enzyme Digestion • Restriction enzymes •Short nucleotide sequences (4-8 bp) •Recognize and cleave DNA at specific sites Gel Electrophoresis • Separation and size determination of DNA fragments • Gel (agarose / polyacrylamide) in buffer • Electrical voltage • DNA moves from – electrode to + electrode Gel Electrophoresis DNA on gel visualized under UV exposure after ethidium bromide staining (carcinogenic) DNA Fragments on Agarose Gel DNA Sequencing Dideoxy chain termination method (Sanger, 1975); Maxam and Gilbert Chemical Cleavage method Currently – automated sequencing ◦ Array of nucleoide bases in a sequence of DNA DNA Sequencing • Theory similar to Sanger Sequencing • 4 different dNTPs tagged with 4 different fluorescent dyes in single tube • All 4 tagged dNTPs electrophoresed on a gel in one lane • Fragments still separate by size but show as coloured bands • Colours have different wavelengths read by computer • Computer translates colours into order of nucleotides Automated Sequencing Chromatogram / spectrograph Controversial Biotech Advances Flavr savr tomato (Calgene) approved for commercial sale (1994) Flavr Savr Tomatoes Controversial Biotech Advances Cloning of Dolly, the sheep (1996) ◦ First mammal cloned from adult somatic cells Dolly Controversial Biotech Advances Embryonic Stem Cells Grown (James Thomson,1998) Human Stem Cell Culture Controversial Biotech Advances Human genome project (2000) ◦ Map 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA (2003) ◦ Potential benefits - better understanding of human evolution, how to better treat diseases Biotech Concerns Harm to Environment – effect of GMOs on ecosystem Bioterrorism- terrorists create new Superbugs, infectious viruses, or toxins, which are incurable Lab or production safety – concern for lab techs when working with organisms of unknown virulence. Ethical issues – is cloning sacrilegious? Biotech Earnings Several Biotech companies worldwide Earnings exceed USD billions annually. B$10 in 3rd quarter 2005 for just 25 biotech companies Monsanto earned B$8.3 in 2008 US AgBiotech earned M$107.5 (1993), earned B$10 (2000) AgBiotech earned B$100 (2010) Herbal Biotech B$8 Biotechnology in Jamaica Biotechnology Centre (University of the West Indies) Scientific Coconut Research Council Industry Board The Biotechnology Centre - UWI Established in 1989 Develop the research capabilities and training programmes in biotechnology (post-graduate students) BTC – Current Projects Plant tissue culture ◦ indigenous medicinal plant bank ◦ Production of disease-free yam (Dioscorea sp) plantlets ◦ Improvements in micro-propagation methods BTC- Projects Plant genetic transformation ◦ Resistance to Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) Production of papaya for human consumption, either fresh or processed Cornell University, USA & UWI, Jamaica Papaya BTC- Projects Plant Genetic Transformation ◦ Resistance to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV-Is) Production of tomatoes for human consumption, either fresh or processed UW-Madison, Hebrew Univ., UWI TYLCV BTC - Projects Plant molecular virology ◦ Molecular diagnostics based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique had been developed for detecting geminiviruses, lethal yellowing (LY) phytoplasma, and Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) Career Possibilities Biotechnology companies Major drug companies (biotechnology divisions). Chemical companies with large agricultural chemical businesses also have substantial biotechnology labs ◦ Researcher; Chemist; Research Assistant ◦ Lab Tech Education and Training Bachelor's degree ◦ most scientists say it is necessary to have a Ph.D. to be given the responsibility to do creative work Conclusion Biotechnology offers great promise in: ◦ Improving the diagnosis and treatment of hereditary diseases ◦ Formulation and manufacture of safer drugs ◦ Production of environmentally friendly herbicides and pesticides ◦ Improvement in microbial processes to clean up the environment Making these promises a reality require effort and revision of several assumptions Thank You