Biotechnology, like other technologies, has the potential to provide huge benefits while simultaneously posing concerns. Climate change, an ageing population, food security, energy security, and infectious illnesses, to name a few, are all issues that biotechnology could help with.
Indeed, the creation of human insulin, the very first genetically designed therapeutic, signaled the start of an age of genetic applications in medicine that has been extremely successful.
DETECTION OF GENETIC DISEASES:
A correct diagnosis is essential for efficient treatment of any disease. Conventional medicine provides no assurance of correct detection, and diagnosis is always subject to a degree of uncertainty.
However, recent genetic engineering techniques allow for precise diagnosis by finding & analyzing single genes in a chain of thousands of genes using ‘gene probes.’ These are the DNA segments that match and, as a result, bind to the DNA segments of individual genes. The binding of these DNA segments can be identified simply by labeling them.
These probes are used to identify DNA sequences linked to hereditary disorders. Genes can now be found in small samples taken from patients or even embryos via amniocentesis for a variety of genetic disorders. These DNA probes can be used to detect disease organisms and are employed in testing where antibodies aren’t available.
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES AND DIAGNOSTICS:
Antibodies are proteins produced by the body in order to combat infection or sickness. White blood cells make antibodies in response to a disease-causing organism or infection that the body recognises as alien.
Antibodies prevent these foreign substances from causing harm to the body by attaching to them as they circulate in the circulation. These antibodies bind to the specific protein (antigen) that has triggered the generation of antibodies. They can be extracted from immunised animals’ blood or used for diagnostic & research positions in the future.
There are two types of antibodies. Polyclonal antibodies are not selective by nature and can recognize a large number of proteins at once. Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies that recognize only one type of protein.
Antibodies, particularly monoclonal antibodies, are now routinely utilized in diagnostic procedures. Pregnancy tests, cancer screening, and the detection of viral gastro-enteritis, hepatitis B, cystic fibrosis, and sexually transmitted illnesses like AIDS are just a few of the areas where they can be used more widely.
THERAPEUTIC DRUGS:
Modern vaccines have already aided in the eradication of diseases such as smallpox, as well as the reduction of susceptibility to polio, typhus, measles, tetanus, hepatitis, rotavirus, and other hazardous infections.
Standard immunization procedures, on the other hand, perform poorly when used to prevent a specific disease. Improved vaccinations can be developed using genetic material such as DNA and RNA.
The use of recombinant DNA technology allows for easier model creation and mass production, as well as improved storage stability. Furthermore, because these vaccines may be created to incorporate genes from multiple disease strains, they can confer protection against multiple strains at the same time.
In the 1950s and 1960s, it was proposed that genes may be exploited to develop vaccines. Initial research found that delivering genetic material into an animal’s cell resulted in the creation of encoded proteins as well as antibodies directed against those proteins.
BIOPHARMACEUTICALS:
Many pharmaceutical products are made up of substances produced from synthetic chemical processes, natural sources such as plants and microorganisms, or a combination of the two. These substances are utilized to control vital biological functions as well as to fight disease-causing microbes.
The human body’s own regulating molecules, which are ordinarily found in extremely minute concentrations, are increasingly being harnessed. Some of these chemicals have traditionally been obtained in small quantities from cadaver organs or blood banks. Genetic engineering is increasingly recognized as a viable method for producing some of these rare compounds in huge numbers.
GENE THERAPY:
This entails introducing the required human-derived gene construct into an appropriate host microbe that will manufacture therapeutic protein (biopharmaceutical) in amounts proportional to the operation’s scale. There is no possibility of contamination from cadaver extraction in such items (like the degenerative brain disease). Human hormone administration from early extraction has also been linked to Creutzfeldt-Jakob illness.
Germ cell gene treatment and somatic cell gene therapy are the two types of gene therapy. Changes to an individual’s genetic makeup are targeted in Germ Cell Therapy and can be passed down to descendants.
Functional genes are implanted into body cells that do not have them in Somatic Cell Gene Therapy. The therapy’s effects are not passed down to the next generation.
DNA FINGERPRINTING:
The invention of DNA fingerprinting as a technique for identifying offenders and verifying parentage has proven to be extremely useful. This technique’s main idea is based on the reality that no two people can have the same genetic makeup.
A restriction enzyme can be used to extract DNA fragments from a tissue or blood sample of the person in question. This segment can then be examined to determine the individual’s specific genetic makeup. Because this technique has such a high incidence of polymorphism, the chances of two people having the same DNA features are quite unlikely.
AGRICULTURE:
Genetically modified crops (sometimes known as “biotech crops”) are agricultural plants whose DNA has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. In most situations, the primary goal is to introduce a new characteristic that does not exist in the species naturally. By enhancing the nutrition and viability of urban agriculture, biotechnology companies can contribute to future food security. In addition, intellectual property rights protection supports private sector investment in agrobiotechnology.
In food crops, examples include resistance to certain pests, diseases, harsh environmental conditions, chemical treatment resistance, spoilage reduction, and increasing the crop’s nutrient profile. Pharmaceutical agents, biofuels, as well as other industrially useful items, as well as bioremediation, are examples of non-food crops.
INDUSTRIAL:
Industrial biotechnology (sometimes known as white biotechnology in Europe) is the use of biotechnology for industrial applications, such as fermentation. It refers to the utilization of cells, such as bacteria, or cell components, such as enzymes, to produce industrially valuable products in industries such as chemicals, food ingredients, detergents, pulp & paper, textiles, and biofuels.
In recent decades, tremendous progress has been made in the development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which have broadened the scope of industrial biotechnology’s uses and improved its economic feasibility.
Industrial biotechnology is actively developing towards minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning away from a petrochemical-based economy by employing renewable raw materials to manufacture a variety of chemicals and fuels.
CONCLUSION:
‘Biotechnology’ has been utilised by humans instinctively for thousands of years to produce meals, beverages, and pharmaceuticals based on experience rather than scientific knowledge. The golden age of this discipline, however, occurred only in the latter half of the twentieth century.
From the industrialization of food production to the discovery of antibiotics, the deciphering of the genetic code, plus rational approaches to understanding and defining the state we now name “healthy,” incredible progress has been made in every discipline.
The extraordinarily intricate interplay between genetic background, lifestyle, and environmental factors that influence our ever-increasing life span have become increasingly apparent, prompting new issues that are only partially resolved. In this paper, we attempt to describe biotechnology’s contribution to our understanding, control, & cure of IgE-mediated allergy disorders. We recognize that a discussion of such a broad topic may never encompass all aspects of development made in many sectors.