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Unlock This CourseBiotechnology in medicine is changing how we treat diseases and save lives. It uses living organisms like bacteria, viruses and cells to create new medicines and treatments. Instead of just treating symptoms, biotechnology can target the root causes of diseases at the genetic level.
Medical biotechnology has given us life-saving treatments for diabetes, cancer and genetic disorders. It's also helping us develop personalised medicines that work better for individual patients.
Key Definitions:
Traditional medicines often treat symptoms rather than causes. Biotechnology can create treatments that work at the molecular level, targeting specific genes or proteins that cause disease. This means more effective treatments with fewer side effects.
One of the greatest success stories in medical biotechnology is the production of human insulin. Before biotechnology, diabetics had to use insulin from pigs and cows, which sometimes caused allergic reactions.
Scientists use genetic engineering to make bacteria produce human insulin. Here's how it works:
Scientists identify and extract the human gene that codes for insulin production from human DNA.
The insulin gene is inserted into bacterial plasmids (small circular DNA molecules) using restriction enzymes and ligase.
The modified bacteria multiply rapidly in fermentation tanks, producing large quantities of human insulin.
The bacteria act like tiny factories, churning out identical copies of human insulin. This insulin is then purified and packaged for diabetic patients worldwide.
In 1982, Genentech became the first company to produce human insulin using genetically modified bacteria. This breakthrough meant diabetics could access unlimited supplies of insulin that was identical to what their bodies should naturally produce. Today, virtually all insulin used by diabetics is produced this way, helping millions of people manage their condition safely.
Monoclonal antibodies are one of the most powerful tools in modern medicine. They're like guided missiles that can target specific cells or molecules in the body, making them perfect for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Creating monoclonal antibodies involves a clever technique that combines the best features of two different types of cells:
Scientists inject mice with a specific antigen (like a cancer protein). The mouse's immune system produces antibodies against this antigen. These antibody-producing cells are then fused with immortal cancer cells called myelomas. The resulting hybrid cells (hybridomas) can produce antibodies forever and can be grown in large quantities.
Monoclonal antibodies have transformed cancer treatment and diagnosis:
Gene therapy is perhaps the most exciting frontier in medical biotechnology. It involves introducing healthy genes into patients to treat or prevent disease. Instead of giving patients drugs, we're giving them the genetic instructions to make their own cures.
Adding a healthy copy of a gene to cells that have a faulty version. This is used for genetic disorders like severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).
Using tools like CRISPR to precisely edit faulty genes. This can potentially cure genetic diseases at their source.
Turning off genes that cause problems, such as oncogenes that drive cancer growth.
Getting genes into the right cells is one of the biggest challenges in gene therapy:
In 2019, Victoria Gray became one of the first people to be potentially cured of sickle cell disease using gene therapy. Scientists removed her bone marrow cells, used CRISPR to edit the faulty gene causing her condition and then returned the corrected cells to her body. Two years later, she remains free of the painful crises that once hospitalised her regularly. This breakthrough offers hope to millions suffering from genetic blood disorders.
Medical biotechnology offers incredible opportunities but also faces significant challenges:
As medical biotechnology advances, society must grapple with important ethical questions:
The field is advancing rapidly with exciting developments on the horizon:
New biotechnology tools are being developed that could revolutionise medicine even further:
Experts predict that within the next decade, we'll see gene therapies for common diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Personalised medicine will become routine, with treatments designed specifically for each patient's genetic makeup. The cost of genetic sequencing continues to fall, making precision medicine accessible to more people worldwide.