the latest news from biotechnology..?
2007-04-13 12:13:14 · 5 answers · asked by Airith19xxx 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
A recent announcement is that researchers in Germany have succeeded in making sperm cells from bone marrow.
Meanwhile stem cell researchers in the UK have grown a heart valve from stem cells.
On the commercial side of things, the mechanism for modifying plant genes was for a long time been protected by a patent, but a development a couple of years ago has provided alternatives which mean that the R&D is effectively 'open source'.
2007-04-14 12:25:14 · answer #1 · answered by co2_emissions 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is so much going on related to Biotechnology. One such example is the fluorescent green pigs seen on the news a few months back. I'm not sure if these pigs were green for the same reason, but I know of some pigs that glow green from a Green Fluorescent Protein attached to a diabetes gene in a study of human diabetes. These proteins show if a gene is present or not in the pigs.
Do a search; there is all kinds of research being done on locations of genes that may cause diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, and even obesity.
Biotech is a such broad field that there is rarely, if ever, not something new going on. Feel free to contact me if you need more help.
2007-04-13 20:50:30 · answer #2 · answered by toothpickgurl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One example is the use of our bodies own molecules instead of foreign ones as drugs. Once a protein is obtained research can be done to understand its function in our bodies. Cytokines are factors that signal blood cells to act. They regulate response to injury, fight infection, and mediate the autoimmune systems different parts.
If someone with cancer receives a bone marrow transplant all their own bone marrow is destroyed by irradiation first. They receive the new marrow and now must wait for it to grow enough to produce blood cells. If this person can be given the cytokine that tells bone marrow stem cells to produce white cells their chances of survival increase.
GM-CSF granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor is one such drug produced by biotechnology.
Look at Enbrel also
2007-04-13 20:16:59 · answer #3 · answered by gardengallivant 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any new transgenic bacteria inside yogurt, bacteria inserted in plants, in general anything involving bacteria, that's what's biotechnology is about.
2007-04-13 19:56:42 · answer #4 · answered by Lara Croft 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
mechanical prosthetics, infusion pump for pain, cardiac pacemaker
2007-04-13 19:17:37 · answer #5 · answered by robert s 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋