University:
Acadia University
Course:
BIOL 2663 | Marine Biology
Academic year:

2024
Views:

89

Pages:

4
Author:

Nabila n.

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND IT'S APPLICATIONS. First, we have the core principles of biotech. Think of it like cooking – you need the best ingredients, the right temperature, and then you need to know how to separate and purify your final dish. In biotech, those 'ingredients' are often microbes, and we call them 'catalysts'. We're constantly searching for the best catalyst to do a specific job, whether it's producing a medicine or breaking down pollutants. Then, just like baking a cake, we need to create the optimal conditions for our catalyst to thrive. And finally, the 'downstream processing' is how we extract and purify the valuable product we're trying to make." Now, let's look at where biotechnology really shines – its applications! Agriculture is a huge beneficiary. We're working on making crops that can withstand harsh conditions – think drought-resistant plants that can survive in arid climates. And who's heard of Bt cotton?" "Bt cotton is a great example of how we can use biotech to create pest-resistant crops. It's like giving the plant a natural shield against certain insects. The magic ingredient comes from a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short. It produces a protein that's toxic to specific pests. When the insect eats the cotton, this protein gets activated in its gut and, well, let's just say it's not a happy ending for the insect. But insects are clever, right? They can evolve resistance. That's where RNA interference, or RNAi, comes in. It's a way to silence specific genes in the pest, kind of like flipping a switch to turn off a particular function. We can use this to make plants resistant to things like nematodes, which are tiny worms that can damage roots. Biotech isn't just about plants, though. Medicine is another area where we're seeing incredible progress. Think insulin for diabetes – Humulin – that's often produced using genetically modified bacteria. And gene therapy? That's where we try to correct faulty genes that cause diseases. A prime example is ADA deficiency, a serious immune disorder. We can take immune cells from the patient, introduce a healthy copy of the gene, and then return the modified cells to the patient. It's like giving their immune system a tune-up. And how do we diagnose diseases? Well, techniques like ELISA, which stands for Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay, are crucial. ELISA relies on the interaction between antibodies and antigens to detect the presence of a disease. It's a powerful tool for early diagnosis. Finally, let's talk about transgenic animals. These are animals that have had foreign genes inserted into their DNA. They're used for all sorts of research, from studying normal development to creating models for human diseases. And yes, a lot of these transgenic animals are mice – they're small, relatively easy to work with, and they reproduce quickly, making them ideal for research. We can even use them to produce valuable biological products, like pharmaceuticals. So, as you can see, biotechnology is a vast and rapidly evolving field with applications across many sectors. From improving our food supply to developing life-saving medicines, biotech is playing a crucial role in shaping our future.