Biotechnology

• biotechnology


  uses biological processes to develop tchnologies and products that will help improve our lives
• modern biotechnology has products to:

  • help combat debilitating and rare disease
  • tailor treatments to individuals to minimise health risks and side effects
  • create more precise tools for disease detection
  • use cell replacement therapies
  • gene manipulation
• recombinant DNA


  uses the knowledge of DNA basics:

  • double helix
  • sugar phosphate backbone
  • nitrogenous bases
  • nucleotide
  • hydrogen bonds

  DNA is artificially modified and can be added or removed from a cell to produce a genetically modified organism
• transgenic DNA


  DNA from one species is introduced into a different species to produce a trait that normally isn't present
• Making recombinant DNA


  1. Human cells (insulin = beta cell) - the insulin gene on a chromosome is located at the recognition site, the insulin gene is cut/removed from the chromosome using a restriction enzyme

  2. Bacterial cell (used bc it can reproduce quicker)- a plasmid is removed from the BC using the restriction enzyme

  3. The cut insulin gene and plasmid are isolated

  4. DNA ligase joins the two sections of DNA together - inserts insulin into plasmid

  5. Insulin gene and plasmid are now called recombinant DNA

  6. rDNA is reinserted into the bacterial cell which is now called a vector

  7. The bacterial cell is cloned and will produce large amounts of insulin in a fermentation vat
• sticky end


  a staggered cut of DNA by a restriction enzyme leaving some unpaired nucleotides overhanging at the break in the strand
• blunt end


  a straight cut by a restriction enzyme leaving no unpaired nucleotides
• restriction enzyme


  an enzyme that cuts DNA at a certain base pairing used in recombinant DNA to separate certain genes
• hepatitis B vaccine uses recombinant DNA and inserts the plasmid into a yeast cell
• HPV vaccine uses recombinant DNA but suses yeast or insect cells to insert plasmid into
• treating type 1 diabetes using a cow or pig pancreas used to be used to inject back into patients but foten caused allergic reactions so was discontinued
• yeast is used in a similar way in making insulin however is biosynthetic recombinant 'human' insulin rather than animal insulin
• gene therapy aims to treat or cure genetic abnormalities by identifying faulty genes and inserting healthy functional genes into a vector (virus) which will replicate itself inside the host cell and will create many copies of the functional gene inside the body
• gene therapy is used for cystic fibrosis, type 1 diabetes, Huntington's disease, muscular dystrophy, and sickle cell anaemia
• cystic fibrosis


  affects the lungs

  increased thick mucous in lungs causing blockages

  autosomal recessive inheritance on chromosome 7
• Huntington's disease


  nerve cells are damaged causing loss of voluntary muscle movement

  autosomal dominant inheritance on chromosome 4
• gene therapy


  virus vector is used

  single gene disorders

  e.g. cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, sickle cell anaemia

  replace faulty genes with healthy ones inside the body
• rDNA


  bacterial vector is used

  e.f. type 1 diabetes, growth hormone

  uses technology to cut base sequences of a human known cell/gene outside the body
• cell replacement therapy


  use of stem cells

  e.g. parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease

  outside the body then inject back into the body