Defining Biotechnology

1. Defining Biotechnology Taken from Textbook: Biotechnology Science for the New Millennium, Ellyn Daugherty, 2007

2. Defining Biotechnology Biotechnology is the study and manipulation of living things or their component molecules, cells, tissues, or organs.

3. Techniques used in Biotechnology • Recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology: Cutting and recombining DNA molecules • Polymerase Chain Reaction: Copying short pieces of DNA • Cloning: Producing identical copies

4. Biotechnology also uses old practices like fermentation and selective breeding.

5. Products available because of Biotechnology • Biotechnology is a relatively new term- used since 1970s. • Human insulin for diabetes • Proteases for removing stains from clothing • Antibodies for recognizing and fighting certain diseases • Specialty apparel (stonewashed denim jeans)

6. Goal of Biotechnology • To manufacture a product that is useful to society. • Ex. A new variety of tomato • A goat that produces a human pharmaceutical • An organ, such as a human ear grown on a mouse’s back • A molecule, such as human growth hormone.

10. Fields of Biotechnology Researchers in biotechnology apply lab techniques from the fields of biology, chemistry, and physics. They use mathematics and computer skills to process and analyze data.

11. Biotechnology Workers and Biotechnology Workplace Biotechnology is practiced in several different settings as follows: -companies -universities -government agencies

12. Contd---------- Biotech Workers Scientific staff like scientists, research associates, and lab technicians who conduct basic research. Nonscientific staff like administrators, clerical workers, and sales and marketing reps that support research and product development to ensure the success of a product in the marketplace.

13. Biotechnology Companies • Most biotech companies fall into one of the following four categories based on the products they make and sell • Pharmaceutical products • Agricultural products • Industrial products • Research or production instruments, reagents, or data.

14. Some biotech companies sell their services rather than a specific product. E.g. Integrated Genomics, Inc. has customers who hire them to sequence DNA molecules.

15. Goal of Every Biotech Company • To produce and sell commercial “for-profit” products. • This allows companies to retain valuable employees and continue to invest in the research and development (R&D) of future products.

16. Biotechnology Workers and the Biotechnology Workplace (Continued) Taken from Textbook: Biotechnology Science for the New Millennium, Ellyn Daugherty, 2007

17. University and Government Research Labs • Not all biotechnologists work at “for-profit” biotech companies. • Some biotechnologists work in university labs or at government agencies conducting “pure science” research. • Many of the experimental techniques and scientific methodologies used in these facilities (university labs & government) are the same as those used at biotechnology companies. • The major difference between these workplaces is that companies must provide a product or a service that results in earnings; while a nonprofit research facility does not.

18. All Types of Biotech Workplaces use the “Scientific Method” The Scientific Method is a collective term for the techniques that scientific researchers use to provide data and gather evidence to answer scientific questions. The following is one approach: • Observe-Observing a scientific phenomenon increases curiosity. • Formulate a scientific question-The question must be testable*.

19. “Scientific Method” (Continued) • Develop a hypothesis-Predict the results of experimentation based on past research/experience. • Plan an experiment-Design a controlled experiment with measurable data. • Conduct experiments-Do multiple replications of the experiment. • Analyze data and report results-Analyze data in light of expected results. Report final results in notebooks and scientific journals.

20. http://www.lewis.edu/steve/science/images/SMflowchart.jpeg

21. Funding and Reporting Results • University and government researchers apply for grants form industry, foundations, or the government to pay for the research they do. • The data/results that come out of these funded research projects are shared through scientific journal magazines articles or at scientific meetings. • This type of open sharing of scientific information is made available for “the public good.”

22. Example of “Public Good” • Dr. Carol Chihara, Professor of Biology at the University of San Francisco; experimented for several years to understand how organisms develop from an embryo into an adult. They used fruit flies in their experiments because fly development has some parallels with human development. This research lead to new discoveries in adult male fertility. • By publicly describing their results, this invites other scientists from around the world to scrutinize their work and design further experiments to find out even more about development(other whatever topic the scientists is studying).

23. Topics being Studied around the world • Universities and government labs are currently working on: • HIV (human immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS) • Malaria, • Diabetes, • As well as improvement in crop yields.

24. Example • The Gladstone Institute at the University of California, San Francisco-is an academic research facility focused on studying viruses and viral therapies. • Virus: a particle containing a protein coat and genetic material (DNA or RNA) that is not living and requires a host to replicate. • Scientists conducting pure or applied science can use the results to further research or to provide information for the development of new products. • Applied Science: the practice of utilizing scientific knowledge for practical purposes, including the manufacture of a product.

25. NIH & CDC • Researchers at US government laboratories, such as the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with researchers at many universities, use biotechnology research techniques when looking for treatments for major diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

26. More Biotechnology Applications • Forensic Scientists-most work in police departments. They use biotechnology lab procedures, such as DNA fingerprinting (identification of a person’s unique DNA code), when they analyze evidence from a crime scene. • Example: The OJ Simpson trial, in which the famous exfootball player was accused of murdering his exwife and her companion, demonstrated how DNA from blood cells could be used (or, some say, misused) as evidence in a criminal case.

27. DNA Fingerprinting This is an example of the results of a DNA fingerprinting procedure (Gel Electrophoresis) Take a look at the banding patterns. Can you tell which suspect was at the crime scene?

28. More Biotechnology Applications (Continued) • Ecologists-may use similar DNA fingerprinting techniques to identify plant or animal breeding partners to control parentage for protected or endangered species. • Example: Whooping cranes are severely endangered birds. In 2000, the total North American population of whooping cranes was estimated at only 30! Due to intense breeding programs in Wisconsin and Canada, including DNA testing of all the remaining whooping cranes, the population had increased to almost 200 birds by 2005. results of DNA tests help scientists determine which birds should be allowed to breed to increase genetic diversity* in the population.

29. More Biotechnology Applications (Continued) • Increasing genetic diversity* through selective breeding is important because it increases the chances of the whole species survival. • Genetic Diversity*-Differences in the DNA code from organism to organism.

30. More Biotechnology Applications (Continued) • Wildlife biologists and custom agents identify illegally transported or poached animals through biotechnology techniques. • Examples: Rhinoceros horns, bear gall bladders, and exotic birds from South Pacific, all considered “black market” items, have been identified using DNA fingerprinting studies similar to those used in human DNA studies. • Evolutionary biologists use molecules of organisms to illustrate common ancestry among various organisms. • Example: After DNA and protein analysis , the red panda of China was shown to be more closely related to the raccoon than to the well known black-and-white panda “bear.”

31. 4 Major Domains of Biotechnology • 1) Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology • 2) Medical/Pharmaceutical • 3) Agricultural • 4) Diagnostic/Research Biotechnology

32. Medical/Pharmaceutical Major Domains of Biotechnology Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology Fermented foods and beverages Genetically engineered proteins for industry DNA identification/fingerprinting of endangered species Biocataysts Biopolymers Biosensors, bioterrorism, and biodefense bioremediation Medicines from plants, animals, fungi Medicines from genetically engineered cells Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies Vaccine and gene therapy Prosthetics, artificial or engineered organs and tissues Designer drugs and antibodes

33. Diagnostic/Research Biotechnology Major Domains of Biotechnology Agricultural Breeding of livestock and plant crops Aquaculture and marine biotechnology Horticultural products Asexual plant propagation and plant tissue culture Transgenic plants an animals Production of plant fibers Pharmaceuticals in genetically engineered plant crops DNA and protein synthesis DNA and protein sequencing, genomics, proteonomics Genetic testing and screening DNA identification and DNA fingerprinting, forensics Bioinformatics, microarrays Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ELISA, Western Blots, protein identification, purification nanotechnology

34. A Future in Biotech…? • The number of biotech companies is growing dramatically. • These companies need both scientific and nonscientific support positions, such as in marketing, legal, financial, human resources, public relations, computer technology, data analysis, and transportation. • The biotech filed continues to grow at an impressive rate with opportunities for all kinds of employees with all kinds of interests in the science and business of biotechnology.