Biotechnology : A Global Perspective I

Chapter 1: Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering: An introduction

Biotechnology is leading to many important breakthroughs in various applications, for example medicines, health, food, energy & the environment. It generally concerns the applications of cellular and molecular biology to make or modify products or processes. Basically it includes functions at the molecular level. It involves DNA techniques and the analysis of genetic materials.

Biotechnology is the application of biological systems in technology that can only be achieved through an integration of the biological, physical and engineering sciences. Today biotechnology knows no boundaries.

Recent developments in molecular biology have given biotechnology new meaning, new prominence, and new potential. Modern biotechnology has captured the attention of the public. Modern biotechnology can have a dramatic effect on the world economy and society

One example of modern biotechnology is genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the process of transferring individual genes between organisms or modifying the genes in an organism to remove or add a desired trait or characteristic.

It is the technique of removing, modifying or adding genes to a DNA molecule in order to change the information it contains. By changing this information, genetic engineering changes the type or amount of proteins an organism is capable of producing.

Genetic engineering is used in the production of drugs, human gene therapy, and the development of improved plants. Through genetic engineering, genetically modified crops or organisms are formed. These GM crops or GMOs are used to produce biotech-derived foods.

Basic Principle of Modern Biotechnology

The DNA double helix

Organisms are made up of cells that are programmed by the same basic genetic material (DNA- deoxyribonucleic acid. Each unit of DNA is made up of a combination of 4 nucleotides -- adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), and cytosine (D), and a sugar & a phosphate. The nucleotides pair up into strands that twist together into a spiral structure call a "double helix." This double helix is DNA.

Segments of the DNA tell individual cells how to produce specific proteins. These segments are genes. It is the presence or absence of the specific protein that gives an organism a trait or characteristic. Total set of genes for an organism is organized into chromosomes within the cell nucleus.

When cells reproduce, the DNA strands of the double helix separate. Because nucleotide A always pairs with T and G always pairs with C, each DNA strand serves as a precise blueprint for a specific protein. Except for mutations or mistakes in the replication process, a single cell is equipped with the information to replicate into millions of identical cells.

Recombinant DNA technology: All organisms are made up of same type of genetic material (A, T, G, and C), so scientists use enzymes to cut and remove DNA segments from one organism and recombine it with DNA in another organism. This is called recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology, and it is one of the basic tools of modern biotechnology.

rDNA technology is the laboratory manipulation of DNA in which DNA, or fragments of DNA from different sources, are cut and recombined using enzymes. This recombinant DNA is then inserted into a living organism. rDNA technology is usually used synonymously with genetic engineering. rDNA technology allows researchers to move genetic information between unrelated organisms to produce desired products or characteristics or to eliminate undesirable characteristics.

Chapter 2: Applications of Biotechnology

To be published shortly.

About the author :

Md. Anwar Morsalin ; MSc (Biochemistry); Dhaka University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. MBA (Marketing); Asian University of Bangladesh

For any query or comment please email: morsalin2070@gmail.com