Applications of BiotechnologyDr.Nawfal Hussein Aldujaili

Department of biology ,Faculty of Science University of Kufa, 16 Feb , 2015nawfal.aldujaili@uokufa.edu.iq

Biotechnology and Genetic engineering

• Biotechnology :bio—the use of biological processes; and technology-to solve problems or make useful products.

• The use of living organisms and their components in medicine, agriculture, food and other industrial processes etc.

• Traditional applications of biotechnology include bread making, the production of yogurt, cheese, and even vinegar was known for centuries.

• Genetic engineering: the modification of genetic material to achieve specific goals. The goals of genetic engineering include: Learning about cellular processes; inheritance, gene expression. Better understanding and treatment of diseases, especially genetic diseases. Efficient production of biological molecules and improved plants and animals for agriculture.

Biotechnology and Genetic engineering

• DNA probes• DNA sequencing• DNA fingerprinting• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)• Gene therapy

Applications of biotechnology

• Therapeutics – eg antibiotics, vaccines, gene therapy• Diagnostics – Clinical testing and diagnosis • Food – wide range of food products, fertilizers, beverages,

ingredients• Environment – waste treatment, bioremediation, energy

production• Agriculture, forest and horticulture – Novel crops or animal

varieties• Chemical intermediates – Reagents including enzymes,

DNA/RNA• Equipment – Hardware, bioreactors, software and

consumables supporting biotechnology

Biosensors and Biochips technology

• Biosensors: are analytical devices that combine a biologically sensitive element with a physical or chemical transducer to selectively and quantitatively detect the presence of specific compounds in a given external environment.

• Biosensor consists of 3 parts:• The sensitive biological element eg. tissue,

microorganisms, organelles, cell receptors, enzymes, antibodies, nucleic acids, etc)

• The transducer or the detector element • Associated electronics or signal processors

Components of a Biosensor

Detector

Applications of Biosensors

• Glucose monitoring in diabetes patients and other medical health related targets

• Detection of pathogens• Drug discovery and evaluation of biological

activity of new compounds.• Routine analytical measurement of folic acid,

biotin, vitamin B12 and pantothenic acid as an alternative to microbiological assay

• Detection of toxic metabolites such as mycotoxins.

Example of biosensors

Pregnancy test

Detects the hCG protein in urine.

Glucose monitoring device (for diabetes patients)

Monitors the glucose level in the blood.

Example of biosensorsExample of biosensors

Infectous disease biosensor from RBS

Biochips• microelectronic-inspired devices that are used for delivery,

processing, analysis, or detection of biological molecules and species’. These devices are used to detect cells, microorganisms, viruses, proteins, DNA and related nucleic acids, and small molecules of biochemical importance and interest.

• Microarrays technology• DNA Microarrays• Protein Microarrays• Tissue Microarrays• Whole Cell Microarrays• Small Molecule Microarrays

Nanobiotechnology• Nanotechnology involves the individual manipulation of

single molecules or even atoms. Building components atom-by-atom or molecule-by-molecule in order to create materials with novel or vastly improved properties.

• Nanoparticles are particles of submicron .They are usually spherical, but rods, plates.

Applications of Nanoparticles

• Detection of pathogenic microorganisms and/or specific proteins

• Purification and manipulation of biological components

• Delivery of pharmaceuticals and/or genes• Tumor destruction by chemical or thermal means• Fluorescent labeling and optical coding• Contrast enhancement in magnetic resonance

imaging (MRI)

Applications of Nanoparticles

• Nanoparticles may be used to kill cancer cells by localized heating or local generation of a toxic product

• Nanoparticles may be used to deliver DNA, RNA, or proteins

• Nanocrystals and nanowires may be assembled using unmodified bacteria or sophisticated phage display techniques.

• Detection of viruses by nanowires

Assisted Reproductive technologies

• The main objectives are to increase production, reproductive efficiency and rates of genetic improvement.

• Artificial insemination• In vitro fertilization• Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)• Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT)• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)

Developing vaccines

• Deleting genes that determine the virulence of the pathogen attenuated organisms that can be used as live vaccines.

• Identification protein subunits of pathogens that can stimulate immunity.

• DNA Vaccines. the introduction of genes (naked DNA), with the objective of triggering the immune system to produce antibodies for certain infectious diseases, cancer, or some autoimmune diseases.

Hybridoma Technology

• is the production of a hybrid cell a fusion product of an antibody secreting immune cell and an immortal or cancerous immune cell and its application in the continuous synthesis of the respective antibody(monoclonal antibodies)

• Applications • distinguish cancer cells from normal cells.• diagnose infectious diseases in humans, animals and plants • detect harmful miroorganisms in food.• locate environmental pollutants.• Therapeutic ( eg cancer , organ-transplant rejection and

autoimmune diseases

Stem-cell technology

• Stem cells are special types of cells that provide tissue renewal and may be used to grow tissue or organs for replacements. A stem cell is a primitive type of cell capable of developing into most of the 220 types of cells found in the human body.

• Totipotent cells• Multipotent stem cells• Pluripotent stem cellso Embryonic Stem (ES) Cellso Embryonic Germ (EG) Cellso Embryonic Carcinoma (EC) Cells.

Applications of Stem-cell technology

• Drug discovery and development• Growing stem cells in culture is to observe the earliest

signs of a disease• Implants and transplants, for treatments• Introduction the reprogramming proteins directly into the

body to stimulate stem cells in their natural niches.• Somatic cell therapy• Cell and Tissue Engineering

Fermentation Technology

• Fermentation refers to energy-generating processes where organic compounds act as both electron donor and acceptor.

• Fermentation also refers to the growth of large quantities of cells under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, within a vessel referred to as a fermenter or bioreactor

• In general, large-scale fermentation comprises of the following steps:

1. Organism selection substrate versatility, byproduct formation characteristics, robustness of the organism,

e.g., to process upsets,viability with regard to cell recycling , physiological characteristics , genetic accessibility.

2. Metabolic and cellular engineeringimprove existing properties of the organism, introduce novel functions, for example, by

simplifying product recovery, expanding substrate and product ,ranges, and enabling fermentation to occur under nonstandard conditions.

3. Fermentation process development:culture and media optimization (from complex to defined minimal media) optimization of

cultivation parameters that take into account product recovery and purification (minimize byproduct formation, minimize chemical inputs, and develop high-cell-density cultivation) incorporation of cell retention/recycling

4. Introduction of downstream unit operations within a fermentation process: examples are extractive fermentation, electrodialysis, and in-line membrane separation technologies.

Thanks for your attention