BIOTECHNOLOGY: Then and Now An Introduction to MBB

BIOTECHNOLOGY: Then and NowAn Introduction to MBB

Chromewell MojicaNational Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

University of the Philippines, Diliman Quezon City

At the end of the session, the students should:

1. Be able to define biotechnology and familiarize themselves with biotech terms

2. Be able to trace the history of biotechnology and the people involved in the development of this field

3. Be able to know the different branches/aspects of biotechnology

Session Objectives

• Defining biotechnology

• Historical timeline

• Examples and Applications

OverviewOverview

Bio Technology

- biology

- the science of life

- the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes

What is Biotechnology

- the use of microorganisms, plants, and animals, their parts, or their products, to make materials such as food, medicine, and chemicals that are useful to man

www.mpbiotech.nic.in

Convention on Biological Diversity, 2013

Biotechnology

- a technological application that uses biological systems, to make or modify products or processes for specific use

http://dels-old.nas.edu/metagenomics/applications.shtml

Biotechnology

Convention on Biological Diversity, 2013

“Any technique that uses living organisms orsubstances from those organisms, to make ormodify a Product, improve plants or animals, orto develop microorganisms for specific uses.”

– The Office of Technology Assessment ofthe US Congress

“Any technological application that usesbiological systems, living organisms, orderivatives thereof, to make or modify productsor processes for specific use”

- UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Biotechnology

Is biotechnology new?

• Give examples of products of biotechnology

• Are these products new?

• How are these products produced?

History of Biotechnology

http://danwoog.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/westporters-1.jpg

Prehistoric farmers

History of Biotechnology

Biotechnology is not something new!• We have been using biotech products for a long time,

(ancient/traditional biotechnology)

• domestication of plants and animals (Pre-1800)

Rice, barley and wheat

wild animals were tamed (sources of milk or meat or help with ploughing or guarding the farm

dog, sheep and goat first domesticated animals

History of Biotechnology

Three Eras of Biotechnology:1.Ancient Biotechnology

2.Traditional Biotechnology3.Modern Biotechnology

Biotechnology Eras

History of Biotechnology

10,000 BC

Domestication of Crops

8,000-9,000 BC

Domestication of Animals

6,000 BC

Brewing of Beer

4,000 BC

Leavening of Bread

1880’s

Production of Vaccines

1940

Production of

Antibiotics

1980’s

Use of GMOs

History of Biotechnology

Classical Breeding Use of microorganisms to

improve processes:•Yeast in Beer and Wine•Yeast for Leavening Bread

Concept of Fermentation Development of Vaccines and

antibiotics using microorganism

Traditional Biotechnology

The Origins of Agriculture: New Data, New Ideas: An Introduction to Supplement 4,

Major centers of domestication and dates for earliest plants and animals

Traditional Biotechnology

Traditional Biotechnology

Artificial selection or Selective breeding

Traditional plant and animal breeding procedures to obtain improved varieties of crops and breeds of animals

Traditional Biotechnology

Today

7000 yrs

ago

Ancient Teosinte(left) Corn's ancestor did not have large ears. Instead, hard, nut-like kernels were distributed in small, feathery cobs over many tertiary branches.

Modern Corn (Maize) (right) Corn today comes in many varieties, all of which have ears that contain many soft kernels.

Photos courtesy of John Doebley

Traditional Biotechnology

Dog breeding

Traditional Biotechnology

https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/

Dog breeding

Traditional Biotechnology

http://www.expression.washington.edu/files/TalkTacomaLibrary2.pdf

Traditional Biotechnology

http://imgarcade.com/1/selective-breeding-examples-in-plants/

Traditional Biotechnology

The orange, purple and green cauliflowers that scientists claim could be healthier for youBy DAVID DERBYSHIRE19 February 2008

The "rainbow cauliflowers" are said to taste the same as the normal varieties, but add a splash of colour to the dinner table. Some scientists have even claimed that they are healthier for you. Andrew Coker, a spokesman for the plant company Syngenta - which is developing the plants in Europe - stressed that the colourfulcauliflowers were not the result of genetic engineering, but came after decades of traditional selective breeding.

Traditional Biotechnology

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Traditional Biotechnology

Biotechnology is not something new!

• Include all fermented food products

• Yeast is a microorganism that was first used to make beer and wine as long ago as 6000BC

• Cheese made using bacteria have been produced for hundreds of years

History of Biotechnology

Zymotechnology

• Zyme (Greek) – leaven

• Connotes all types of industrial fermentation

www.ne.se

Traditional Biotechnology

Fermentation- a metabolic process in which an organism converts a carbohydrate, such as starch or a sugar, into an alcohol or an acid.

Traditional Biotechnology

For example:

Yeast perform fermentation to obtain energy by converting sugar into alcohol.

Bacteria perform fermentation, converting carbohydrates into lactic acid.

Fermentation

Fermentation

Examples of food products

Fermentation

produced through a series of steps:

1. Extract coconut water2. Ferment coconut water with bacterial culture (Acetobacter xylinum)3. Separate the produced mat of nata de coco4. Clean, wash, cut, package

Examples of food products

Fermentation

Explosives

During WW1, acetone, a key raw material in explosives was made in large quantities by fermenting maize with Clostridium acetobutylicum

• People were unaware that useful materials were products of microbial processes

• Processes were accidentally optimized; trial and error

• Early advances in science paved way to early biotech products like conventional vaccines and antibiotics

History of Biotechnology

Biotechnology is not something new!

Penicillin

Alexander Fleming

St. Mary’s Hospital, London

Nobelprize.org

• Slow-paced

• Crossing limited to closely related varieties

• Unpredictable combination of traits

Problems with Traditional Biotech

After years of research and recent advances in science...

• Scientists know more about biological processes and microorganisms behind them

• New techniques to improve quality and quantity of products

• Process became faster,

more reliable, and less laborious

M Fransman et al. eds. The Biotechnology Revolution

• Rooted in university research

• Interdisciplinary

• Uses recombinant DNA technology

• Tools and processes expensive

• Drenched in computational analysis

• Rapidly advancing: technology and industry

• Stirs debate and controversy

Modern Biotechnology

• Manipulation of genes – genetic engineering or recombinant DNA technology

• involves taking a gene/s from a location in an organism and transferring to another organism

Modern Biotechnology

Gene CloningMolecular CloningGenetic EngineeringGenetic ManipulationRecombinant DNA Technology

REVOLUTIONIZED BIOTECHNOLOGY

Modern Biotechnology

www.chemistrylearning.com

Genetic engineering

http://imgarcade.com/1/selective-breeding-examples-in-plants/

Genetic engineering

biology.tutorvista.com

Central Dogma of Mol. Bio.

Central Dogma of Mol. Bio.

• Cell and molecular biology

• Microbiology

• Genetics

• Anatomy and physiology

• Biochemistry

• Engineering

• Computer science

http://www.icmb.utexas.edu/facilities/mouse/images/inj_90.jpg

http://game-um.ru/images2/13106134044.jpg

Applications of Biotech

Health

• many antibiotics are not produced by naturally occurring microorganisms in the form that is most useful to man

• need to wait for rare natural mutations (natural changes in the DNA) before an antibiotic with the useful form is produced

Applications of Biotech

Health

• use chemical synthesis techniques that are expensive and labor intensive

• with modern biotechnology, modified microorganisms that produce large quantities of antibiotics with the desired chemical structure can be developed

Applications of Biotech

Health

1. Human insulin - used to treat human diabetes (The correct form of insulin found inhumans can now be produced by genetically modified bacteria.)

2. Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) -used to dissolve blood clots and so reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke

Applications of Biotech

SpeedPrecisionUnlimited donor-recipient of genesNovel productsMass production

Advances of Modern Biotech

• Economic benefits

• Improved health

• Environmental conservation

• Understanding origin of life

Goals of Biotechnology

• The ability to modify the genomes of organisms is a recent phenomenon.

• All modified organisms are dangerous/bad/scary....

• “natural” is always better...

Myths about Biotech

http://www.expression.washington.edu/files/TalkTacomaLibrary2.pdf

http://www.expression.washington.edu/files/TalkTacomaLibrary2.pdf

http://www.expression.washington.edu/files/TalkTacomaLibrary2.pdf

Real or fake?

Real or fake? Life at/greater than boiling temperature

Geogemma barossii

Pyrococcus furiosus

Real or fake? Outer ear on mouse

Real

Real or fake? 6 legged chicken

Fake

Real or fake? Golden rice

Real

Real or fake? DNA origami

Real•DNA origami is the nanoscale folding of DNA to create arbitrary two- and three-dimensional

shapes at the nanoscale

Real or fake? Glowing plant

RealPhotograph courtesy Iowa State University

Real or fake? Fluorescent cat

Photograph by Choi Byung-kil/Yonhap via AP

Real

Real or fake? Stem cells you can drink

Fake