Futures in Biotechnology

Kirk Brown

Tracy High School

Science Fiction to Science Fact

Congenital Generalized Hypertrichosis (CGH) Xq24-q27.1

Technology is Rapidly Changing

What was once science fiction is now science fact.

What is “Biotechnology”?

New technology related to living things

Producing a product from one organism in another.

Students Extracting DNA

Human Genome Project Progress Toward

HGP Sequencing Goals:

Working draft sequence

Goal: 100% by summer 2000

Finished, high quality sequence: Goal: 100% by 200318.2% (586,045,000 bases) (04/15/00)

Chromosomal Technology

Karyotype Simple stain Done by Hand Pictures cut out

and pasted on a piece of paper.

Chromosomal Technology

Chromosomal Painting

Can show changes in chromosome structure.

Chromosomal Technology

Spectral Karyotyping

Each Chromosome can have it’s own color.

In the near future each gene can have it’s own color.

New Genetic Testing Technology

Affymetrix “DNA Chip” Hundreds of Tests

at a time. The results are

scanned by a laser and fed into a computer.

The Future Needs a Skilled Workforce.

Computers to Help in Analyzing Large Sets of Data.

A workforce that can understand what is being tested.

Computers as tools

All the information that is being gathered must be cataloged and entered before it can accessed by researchers.

Automated Analysis

Once a DNA sample is prepared it can be compared to all other samples in the database.

Computer Analysis

Confirming the Romanov Family’s mtDNA sequence.

New Discoveries Bring More Choices

As progress is made in biotechnology, people have more information regarding themselves.

Are they ready for the choices?

Imaging Technology

PET Scan Computers and

machines are directly linked.

MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging also relies on computers.

Analysis and Production of Standards.

New Procedures Lead to New Technology

New Sequencing Technology has driven the need for a skilled workforce.

Everyone Should Understand the Issues Generated by Biotechnology

Impacts to Education

All areas of the curriculum are impacted.

Students become teachers in some cases.

THS Student Laboratory Work:

Inserting a gene from one organism into another.

DNA fingerprinting to identify different bacterial plasmids.

Fish Fingerprinting to determine relationships.

Enzyme studies to determine cost effective methods of making sugar.

Analyzing areas of our own chromosomes by PCR.

Etc…

Discoveries Happen in the weirdest places!

Deep in the ocean is were organisms don’t rely on light or other organic sources.

Questions?