In the 1980's, biotechnology became the darling of the pharmaceutical industry. Both biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have the same goal of discovering, developing and selling products that will aid the health of humans and animals. However, biotechnology, a science based upon the newly acquired ability to manipulate the DNA molecule, offered new approaches to drug design and development.
DNA is the cornerstone of biotechnology and is used in many ways. First innovations that allowed human genes to be sequenced aided in the identification of the exact genetic errors that cause many genetic diseases. Also, when DNA is sequenced in this way it allows the genetic material to be read like a blueprint. This allows for the design and production of biologically active proteins that can be used to treat diseases and conditions.
For example, for many years individuals suffering from diabetes controlled their condition with injections of insulin derived from swine, since the pig protein was the most similar to that found in humans. Genetic engineering techniques developed by scientists in biotechnology companies an at research institutions resulting in being able to "clone" the insulin protein. That is, DNA was synthesized and put into a vector, usually viral, that had all the elements to direct protein synthesis intact. This construct could then be put into bacteria, which synthesized it at an enormous rate. The insulin end product was not just similar to the human protein, it was the human protein and patients tolerated it much better with fewer side effects. It also was less expensive to produce the cloned protein that it was to extract it from multitudes of animals.
After the success of insulin, Biotechnology Companies raced to identify and clone proteins that were biologically active in diseases. Growth factors, enzymes, hormones and other proteins were made that have proved to be dramatically effective in treating disease. A further application of DNA technology made by biotechnology companies was to produce a protein with minor adaptations that allowed it to stay active for a longer period of time. With this innovation, patients could be given fewer treatments, which are nearly always administered by injection, and their condition remained more stable, with less fluctuation.
Biotechnology, for all the good it has done has many critics. The hormones produced by genetic engineering made the widespread use of birth control pills possible. This brought "the pill" and its makers under fire from the religious right, which does not allow birth control. In general, religious groups have attacked biotechnologists as playing God and have extended their vehement opposition to biotechnology and to stem cell research, which could produce untold benefits in treating disease and injury.
by Sally.Anderson 1 year ago
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