Welcome to the World of Biotechnology An introduction into the business of biotechnology in Georgia for high school students.

Welcome to the World of Biotechnology

An introduction into the business of biotechnology in Georgia for high

school students

What is Biotechnology?Let’s break it down:

Bio - alive or livingTechnology - the application of science to

achieve industrial or commercial objectives

So basically, we’re talking about using living materials for a commercial or industrial purposeTaking living cells and putting them to work

for us!!!

A Definition That is a Little More Fun…

Origins of BiotechnologyAlthough it seems like a new thing,

biotechnology has actually been around a whileDomesticated plants and animals are the

result of selective breeding (have you ever seen a wild corn plant, not something you’d want to eat)

Using yeast to make bread riseUsing bacteria or yeast to ferment grapes

into wine

So Why Should I Care?

Biotechnology aspects all aspects of your everyday life, including: agriculture and food safety, healthcare, law enforcement and environmental issues

Although there are many great career paths involving biotechnology that you may consider, possibly even more importantly, you will soon be votersYou’ll make decisions on the ethics involving

legalizing certain types of researchYou might be on a jury where biotechnology plays a

key part in the evidence presented

The Biotechnology ToolboxToday, biotechnology is used in three

main ways:Directly using cells

Placing yeast into a bioreactor to ferment grapesUsing the proteins/enzymes made by cells

Isolating antibiotics from bacteria for use in human medicine

Using the genetic material inside of cellDNA fingerprinting

Just Some of the Latest Advances in the World of Biotechnology

CloningDNA fingerprintingGenetically modified bacteria to

synthesize productsGenetically modified foods

CloningCreating a genetically identical copy of something

(ex. a DNA strand, a cell, an organ or an entire organism)

Single cells and DNA are fairly easy to clone and so this has been done for a comparatively long amount of time

Cloning entire organisms becomes increasingly more difficult the more complex the organism is (ex. Humans are harder to clone than worms) and so it is very recent and for some species has not been perfected yet

How Cloning WorksDNA is extracted from an adult cellAn egg for this same species has it’s DNA removedThe empty egg is filled with the adult DNAThe egg is implanted into a surrogate motherThe baby born from this egg is genetically identical

to the adult from which it was clonedBut, it will not share any characteristics that aren’t

genetic It will not be the same age as the animal it was cloned

from (it’ll be a baby)

Why Clone?

To create identical cells for research purposes

To maintain a genetically desirable species of plant or animal

To create a missing organ or tissue for treatment of human diseases

To save endangered or extinct species

Some Products of Cloning

DNA Fingerprinting Identifying the pattern of certain sequences in parts of a

person’s DNA to determine if two samples come from the same person, related persons or two, non-related individuals

Only parts of the DNA sequence are used because the whole genome is too long to sequence repeatedly

Everyone has a unique sequence of DNA (even identical twins, although their genomes would be very close to identical)

In order to be an effective tool, we need to get DNA from many people to determine how often certain patterns show up in the population

How DNA Fingerprinting Works

The DNA is isolated from a cell sample and many copies are made with a process called PCR

The DNA is cut into pieces using restriction enzymes (they cut only at specific sequences)

The DNA is run on a gel electrophoresis to separate the pieces (separated based on size)

Probes are used to find certain DNA sequences (usually VNTR sequences)

Comparisons of these pieces of DNA are made to determine identity or relationships

What Does a DNA Fingerprint Look Like?

What can DNA Fingerprints be used for?

Paternity/maternity testsTo determine if a suspect was at a crime

sceneTo identify a murder victimTo identify a soldier killed in the line of

dutyTo determine identity

Genetically-Modified BacteriaInserting new genes into a bacteria to

trick it into making a product for usAlthough each bacteria usually doesn’t

make much product, millions of bacteria can be grown in bioreactors at the same time, and the product harvested from all of them at once

How are Genetically-Modified Bacteria Created?

A piece of DNA containing the gene for the desired product is cut with restriction enzymes

A plasmid (circular bacterial DNA) is cut with the same restriction enzyme

The piece and the plasmid are ligated (fused together)

The plasmid is transformed into the bacteriaThe plasmid either stays in whole or the gene

crosses over into the bacteria’s DNA

What Does the Process of Bacterial Transformation Look Like?

Some Products Now Synthesized by Bacteria

Biodiesel fuelChemicals to block an HIV infectionPhotographsHuman insulin for diabeticsPlastics

Genetically-Modified FoodsLivestock or produce that has received

new genes to make the product healthier, resistant to pest or more nutritious

The process is similar to that used to create genetically-modified bacteria, but the genes are being inserted into multi-celled organism instead

How GMO are made

The process varies slightly between each species, particularly between plants and animals, however some aspects are the same

Changes are made to the organism’s DNA by inserting a useful gene into the egg cell

This changed egg is then implanted into a mother and the baby born hopefully has the desired trait

Some Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)

Why make GMOs?

To give plants resistance to certain pests without the use of pesticides

To make plants drought resistantTo make cows that produce more milkTo make vegetables that can undergo long

transport without over-ripeningTo make chickens that contain extra vitamins

that may be missing from our diets

The Ethics of BiotechnologyDespite all the exciting things that biotechnology

can do or will do in the near future, there are things to consider:Would it be ethical to clone a human? Why or why not?Should your insurance company be allowed to have

access to your DNA profile if it detected some disease?How can the bacteria in bioreactors be disposed of once

they are no longer useful?What happens to the natural balance when GMO are sent

out to compete with natural plants in the environment?

Conclusion We are at the cusp of an exciting time in the

world of biologyWe are capable to manipulating living cells in ways

that would have been unimaginable even 20 years agoWith this new technology comes many new jobs and

benefits to mankindWith this new technology comes the need to think

through the ethical issues that arise and to wisely weigh the benefits against the drawbacks to make informed decisions as to what research should be encourage and what should not