Biotechnology is a very wide field and its applications have been in fields such as medicine and agriculture. Biopharmaceuticals is one of the fields in which biotechnology is used. Through the application of biotechnology techniques, the drugs pharmaceutics were made. In the synthesis of such drugs, chemicals are not used instead microorganisms have facilitated the production of such drugs. The main source of biopharmaceuticals in this case is the large molecules of proteins (Madan, 2005). They are directed to the target areas where they end up attacking the mechanisms of these diseases thus counteracting their effects on the body. In such a way, the disease ends up getting destroyed. Currently, scientists are making efforts aimed at the development of biopharmaceutical drugs which will help in the treatments of diseases such as heart diseases, cancer and hepatitis. There are a number o
...f ways in which biopharmaceutical drugs are made (McCarty, 2012). Bioreactor is one of the common methods through which biopharmaceutical drugs are made. This is a container where microorganisms are grown under a certain temperature and other important conditions are kept under control. The developed microorganisms are then used in the making of these drugs. Despite the fact that genetically modified animals and plants can alternatively be used in the making of biopharmaceuticals, there are certain legal and ethical issues associated with the use of such plants and animals.
An oral vaccine is another major application in which biotechnology is used. For quite long, this has been used as a way of preventing the spread of diseases in certain regions especially the underdeveloped countries. Genetically engineered crops especially vegetables or fruits, made to transport antigenic proteins
from pathogens especially the infectious ones. These vaccines then help in triggering immune responses after they are ingested (Madan, 2005). A good example of this is the vaccine used in the immunization against cancer. Anti-lymphoma vaccine is made through the use of tobacco plants having RNA derived from malignant B- cells which have been cloned. The vaccine that results is in turn used in the vaccination of the target patient order to make their immune system boosted against cancer.
Plant and animal breeding is a major application in which biotechnology is used in the field of agriculture. Enhancing animal and plant traits through traditional methods such as cross breeding, grafting and cross pollination is effective. However, a lot of time is consumed before the desired results are achieved when these methods are put into practice (Sekhon, 2011). Through advancements in biotechnology, specific changes can be made within a short span of time. This is achieved on a molecular level through deletion or over expression of genes. Introduction of foreign genes is another alternative through which the results desired can be achieved in a faster way. The latter is made possible through using mechanisms of gene expression control. Some examples of this include specific transcription factors and gene promoters. Methods such as marker- assisted selection help improve “directed” animal breeding efficiency without the controversy associated with GMOs.
Lastly, biotechnology is used in pest resistant crops. For quite long, Bacillus thuringiensis, a microbe which has a protection toxic to the European corn borer, was employed in the dusting of crops. In order to do away with this method of dusting, scientists at first made transgenic corn expressing Bt protein
(McCarty, 2012). This protein is not harmful to the humans and hence transgenic crops help farmers in the avoidance of expensive infestations.
References
- Madan, M. L. (2005). Animal biotechnology: applications and economic implications in developing countries. Revue Scientifique Et Technique-Office International Des Epizooties, 24(1), 127.
- McCarty, P. L. (2012). Environmental biotechnology: principles and applications. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
- Sekhon, B. S. (2011). An overview of capillary electrophoresis: pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biotechnology applications. Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, 2(2), 2.
