Biotechnology is a group of technologies that work together with living cells and their molecules to prolong life (Keener and Hoban et al., 2014). Today biotechnology can be used in a variety of ways such as in an industrial setting where they use it to create enzymes to synthesize chemicals, in an environmental setting where they use it for waste and pollution prevention and lastly it can be used in medical applications such as in pharmaceuticals, genetic engineering, DNA fingerprinting and in lastly it can be used in stem cell therapy (Keener and Hoban et al., 2014). Everyone in today’s society depends and uses biotechnology in one form or another, biotechnology is essential for our health and wellbeing. Vaccines are also manufactured by using biotechnology in which consist of three main ways, it aids scientists to separate pure antigen using specific monoclonal antibody, aids in synthesis of an antigen with the help of a cloned gene and lastly it also aids in the synthesis of peptides to be used as vaccines (Alam 2014). A vaccine can protect you from specific diseases that can make you very sick or even kill you. Vaccines boost your immune system by helping the body to create antibodies for a specific disease so that next time when a real infection comes along your body is prepared for the infection which in turn aids in antibody resistance. Biotechnology has provided tools for understanding virulence which is the capacity of a microorganism to cause disease (virulence meaning: Collins English Dictionary 2014) and how microbial immunogens function and secondly it offers new ways for creating vaccines (Fields and Chanock, 1989). Vaccines were first invented by Edward Jenner in 1796 to protect against smallpox, which involve... ... middle of paper ... .... • Josefsberg, J. O. and Buckl. 2012. Vaccine process technology. Biotechnology and bioengineering, 109 (6), pp. 1443--1460. • Keener, K., Hoban, T. and Balasubramanian, R. 2014. Biotechnology and its applications. [online] Available at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/foodsci/ext/pubs/bioapp.html [Accessed: 11 Apr 2014]. • Nicklin, D. S. 2001. Medical Issues: The Future Impact of Biotechnology on Human Factors. [e-book] United Kingdom: pp. 1-2. Available through: science and technology organisation collaboration support centre http://ftp.rta.nato.int/public/PubFullText/RTO/MP/RTO-MP-077/MP-077-19.pdf [Accessed: 11 Apr 2014]. • Offit, P. A. 2014. History of Vaccine Schedule | The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. [online] Available at: http://www.chop.edu/service/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-schedule/history-of-vaccine-schedule.html [Accessed: 11 Apr 2014].
Many people feel that biology has become more advanced than physics. Biology has in fact become the new focus of the future as we tend to use it a lot in our daily lives. The study of Biotechnology is known as the branch of molecular biology that studies the use of microorganisms to perform specific industrial processes. This study shows that our lives can be transformed.
There are many but I’m going to explain to you the different types that have been created especially for the specific virus or bacteria they are meant to prevent. There are live, attenuated vaccines this type of vaccine contains a version of the living virus that is weakened so that it cannot cause the disease in people with healthy immune systems. (Measles Mumps, Rubella MMR, Varicella are examples.) Inactivated Vaccines is the next type these are made of inactivated or dead viruses with these though multiple doses are often required to build up immunity. (Polio Vaccine is an example.) Toxoid Vaccines are made of weakened toxins that would be released by the causative bacteria. (DTap, Diptheria, Tetanus are all Toxoids.) Subunit Vaccines only include part of the virus or bacteria not the whole germ. (Pertussis Vaccine is an example.) Conjugate Vaccines are made to fight against bacteria that have antigens with an outer coating which disguises itself making it hard to be fought off by a person with a weakened immune system. (Hib Vaccine is an
...Although these were initially set to prevent infectious diseases it has been found that there is also prevention of autoimmune diseases, birth control and also cancer therapy. While vaccines provide a proficient means of preventing diseases and improving public health it doesn’t mean all are essential to a healthy life, some do more damage if a sufficient immune system is not present. How the vaccine is formulated and distributed is important to study and follow up on to be certain it is in the best interest of your body to receive the vaccine. Vaccinations will remain present, but it is our choice as individuals to know what they are composed of and how they are administered. Immunizations should be valued and taken seriously, this advancement in technology came at a high speed, which means flaws, and errors will exist, whether we notice them now or in the future.
First, I would like to introduce the different types of vaccines and how they are being manufactured. According to Lynn Cates, who is Medical Doctor, vaccines are made from either weakened, killed, or particles of the bacteria or viruses. There is also another type of vaccine that is made from the toxins or poisons made by the germ (Cates). People who receive the vaccines containing weakened bacteria or viruses will only develop a mild case of the original disease with little or no symptoms. The vaccines made with killed bacteria or viruses will not develop the disease or the symptoms of it. The last category of vaccine is toxoid. “Toxoid vaccines contain toxins (or poisons) produced by the germ that have been made harmless.” (Cates) Example of this type of vaccine is Tetanus. All of these vaccines work by making the body produce immunity towards the b...
...us or bacterium used as the carrier. Recombinant vector vaccines are still being experimented on today, just like the DNA vaccinations. The only difference between recombinant vector vaccines and DNA vaccines is the fact recombinant vector vaccines use an attenuated virus or bacterium to introduce microbial DNA to the body’s cells. Scientists created this vaccine by observing nature, and how nature passes viruses along. Scientists noticed that viruses in nature latch on to the cells they want to inject, this caused scientists to figure out how to take parts of an attenuated virus and add genetic matter from other microbes into them. I know this sounds confusing, but it’s quite simple. Just think of it as poisoning the virus. Recombinant vector vaccines are very close to mimicking a natural infection, which causes the immune system to energize and start up sooner.
Vaccines are an integral part of modern preventive medicine. Without vaccines, not only would most malignant epidemics still be around, and the world would also be in a much more polluted era. The streets would be littered with diseased, there would have to be mass graves for the dead, and the healthy would have to be quarantined inside a sterile environment.
Today eighty percent of infants are being vaccinated for diphtheria; pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles, tetanus and tuberculosis (Landrige 2000). This percentage is up from about five percent in the mid-1970s; however, the death toll from these infections is roughly three million annually. Millions still die from infectious diseases for which immunizations are non-existent, unreliable, or too costly. Vaccines all function with the same idea in mind, priming the immune system to swiftly destroy specific disease-causing agents, or pathogens, before the agents can multiply enough to cause symptoms (Landrige 2000). Classically, this priming has been achieved by presenting the immune system with whole viruses or bacteria that have been killed or made too weak to proliferate much (Landrige 2000).
Rudolph, Frederick B., et al. (1996). Biotechnology: Science, Engineering, and Ethical Challenges for the 21st Century. Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry P.
After there was an outbreak of smallpox in 1000CE, the smallpox immunization was created to limit the fatalities. Eventually, the inoculation traveled to Africa, Europe, and the Americas. However, in 1796, Edward Jenner used cowpox components to create an even stronger immunity. Over the next two centuries, that method undertook several medical changes. Furthermore, in the 1930s, vaccines against many diseases such as tuberculosis and typhoid developed. More recently however, vaccine research and development led to a vaccine for polio ("All Timelines Overview," n.d.). When creating a vaccine, the goal is to weaken the virus in order for the person suffering to develop immunity to it. When the vaccine is inserted into the body, it is programed to create Memory-B Cells, which protect against additional infection (Offit, 2013). The chemicals often found in a vaccine include a suspending fluid such as sterile water, a preservative, and an enhancer that helps advance the vaccine's efficiency. A vaccine also contains a weakened part of the infection cell. When the person receives the vaccine, the body reacts by creating antibodies. In other words, the injections expose people to germs, so that their body can learn to be immune to the disease (Great Ormond Street Hospital, 2013).
Vaccines are a type of substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and help
The study of replication, transcription and translation of genetic material is known as molecular biology. Molecular biology is a bottom-up approach to understanding human life. Though the exploration of molecular biology began in the 1930s, it really took off in the 1960s after the uncovering of the structure of DNA. (Coriell Institute for Medical Research, n.d.) Today, molecular biology is shaping our understanding of diseases. Through this reflection journal, I seek to explore preventative and curative phenomena in medical biotechnology, and determine their impact on the political, social and economic spheres.
It address the questions that are at the center of the medical field, such as what it means to be human, the role of technology in health care, and the boundaries of treatments involving advances in technology. Although human enhancement appears to have several positive affects, the negative affects are also great in number. Neither can be overlooked since this technology has the power to not only improve humanity, but also bring it to an all time low. By considering the factors that play into the outcomes of biotechnology, it is possible to answer the pressing questions at hand and to determine the circumstances in which biotechnology could result in beneficial
For the biotechnology industry, the future is now. Biotech companies are producing new and improved drugs, mapping the genome, and creating artificial organs and body parts. The advent of these new products will increase the quality of life for those who have access to them. Advancements in the biotechnology field have received a lot attention by the press and publications. They have given the impression that it is almost imperative to learn about this fairly new field of study.
the vaccine must stimulate a protective immune response in the animal. They are also, made to
Today, there are over two hundred and fifty healthcare products for people with countless diseases, who only a few hundred years ago, would have died from the same condition. The race towards renewable energy has benefitted from biotechnology, as over fifty bio refineries are in the process of testing refining technologies to produce renewable fuels and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Millions off farmers are using modern biotechnology to increase the number of crops they gain, as well as protect their...