Introduction to Biotechnology | Science & Technology for UPSC 2024 (Pre & Mains) PDF Download

 Page 1


 
Biotechnology 
What is Biotechnology? 
•
Biotechnology is the broad area of biology involving living systems and organisms to develop or make 
products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives 
thereof, to make or modify products or processes for speci?c use” (UN Convention on Biological 
Diversity) 
•
When Edward Jenner invented vaccines and when Alexander Fleming discovered antibiotics they are 
were harnessing the power of biotechnology. The term is largely believed to have been coined in 1919 by 
Hungarian engineer Károly Ereky. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, biotechnology has expanded 
to include new and diverse sciences such as genomics, recombinant gene techniques, applied 
immunology, and development of pharmaceutical  therapies and diagnostic tests 
•
It can be de?ned as the controlled and deliberate manipulation of biological systems (whether living cells 
or cell components) for the ef?cient manufacture or processing of useful products 
•Biotechnology is the research and development in the laboratory using bioinformatics for exploration, 
extraction, exploitation and production from any living organisms and any source of biomass by means of 
biochemical engineering where high value-added products could be planned, forecasted, formulated, 
developed, manufactured, and marketed for the purpose of sustainable operations and gaining durable 
patents rights. The utilization of biological processes, organisms or systems to produce products that are 
anticipated to improve human lives is termed biotechnology 
•
People used to practice traditional biotechnological processes for centuries to yield bread, alcohol, wine, 
beer, fermented milk products, and medicines. The arenas of today’s biotechnology comprise genomics, 
recombinant DNA technology, proteomics and bioinformatics 
•
In modern biotechnology, researchers modify DNA and proteins to shape the capabilities of living cells, 
plants and animals into something useful for humans. Biotechnologists do this by sequencing, or reading, 
the DNA found in nature and then manipulating it in a test tube - or, more recently, inside of living cells 
•In fact, the most exciting technology advances of recent times are occurring at the microscopic level 
within the membranes of cells 
•
In the coming decades, scientists will use the tools of biotechnology to manipulate cells with increasing 
control, from precision editing of DNA to synthesising entire genomes from their basic chemical building 
blocks 
DNA 
•Discovered in 1953, DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all 
other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell 
nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the 
mitochondria  
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
!
Page 2


 
Biotechnology 
What is Biotechnology? 
•
Biotechnology is the broad area of biology involving living systems and organisms to develop or make 
products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives 
thereof, to make or modify products or processes for speci?c use” (UN Convention on Biological 
Diversity) 
•
When Edward Jenner invented vaccines and when Alexander Fleming discovered antibiotics they are 
were harnessing the power of biotechnology. The term is largely believed to have been coined in 1919 by 
Hungarian engineer Károly Ereky. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, biotechnology has expanded 
to include new and diverse sciences such as genomics, recombinant gene techniques, applied 
immunology, and development of pharmaceutical  therapies and diagnostic tests 
•
It can be de?ned as the controlled and deliberate manipulation of biological systems (whether living cells 
or cell components) for the ef?cient manufacture or processing of useful products 
•Biotechnology is the research and development in the laboratory using bioinformatics for exploration, 
extraction, exploitation and production from any living organisms and any source of biomass by means of 
biochemical engineering where high value-added products could be planned, forecasted, formulated, 
developed, manufactured, and marketed for the purpose of sustainable operations and gaining durable 
patents rights. The utilization of biological processes, organisms or systems to produce products that are 
anticipated to improve human lives is termed biotechnology 
•
People used to practice traditional biotechnological processes for centuries to yield bread, alcohol, wine, 
beer, fermented milk products, and medicines. The arenas of today’s biotechnology comprise genomics, 
recombinant DNA technology, proteomics and bioinformatics 
•
In modern biotechnology, researchers modify DNA and proteins to shape the capabilities of living cells, 
plants and animals into something useful for humans. Biotechnologists do this by sequencing, or reading, 
the DNA found in nature and then manipulating it in a test tube - or, more recently, inside of living cells 
•In fact, the most exciting technology advances of recent times are occurring at the microscopic level 
within the membranes of cells 
•
In the coming decades, scientists will use the tools of biotechnology to manipulate cells with increasing 
control, from precision editing of DNA to synthesising entire genomes from their basic chemical building 
blocks 
DNA 
•Discovered in 1953, DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all 
other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell 
nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the 
mitochondria  
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
•The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), 
cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of 
those bases are the same in all people. The order, or sequence, of these bases determines the 
information available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the 
alphabet appear in a certain order to 
form words and sentences 
•
DNA bases pair up with each other, 
A with T and C with G, to form units 
called base pairs. Each base is also 
attached to a sugar molecule and a 
phosphate molecule. Together, a 
base, sugar, and phosphate are 
called a nucleotide. Nucleotides are 
arranged in two long strands that 
form a spiral called a double helix 
•An important property of DNA is 
that it can replicate, or make copies 
of itself. Each strand of DNA in the 
double helix can serve as a pattern 
for duplicating the sequence of 
bases. This is critical when cells 
divide because each new cell needs 
to have an exact copy of the DNA 
present in the old cell 
rDNA 
•
It is an arti?cially made DNA strand that is formed by the combination of two or more gene sequences. 
This new combination may or may not occur naturally, but is engineered speci?cally for a purpose to be 
used in one of the many applications of recombinant DNA 
•
Like naturally occurring DNA, recombinant DNA has the ability to produce recombinant proteins. 
•rDNA allowed scientists to copy the genes involved in the creation of the important hormone insulin, 
which regulates how much sugar the body has in its bloodstream, into bacteria and yeast 
•Before rDNA, people with diabetes had to get insulin from pigs or other animals, but synthetic insulin is 
more pure 
T ools of Biotechnology 
1. DNA Sequencing 
•DNA is made up of four building blocks, or bases, and DNA sequencing is the process of determining the 
order of those bases in a strand of DNA. Since the publication of the complete human genome in 2003, 
the cost of DNA sequencing has dropped dramatically, making it a simple and widespread research tool 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
!
Page 3


 
Biotechnology 
What is Biotechnology? 
•
Biotechnology is the broad area of biology involving living systems and organisms to develop or make 
products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives 
thereof, to make or modify products or processes for speci?c use” (UN Convention on Biological 
Diversity) 
•
When Edward Jenner invented vaccines and when Alexander Fleming discovered antibiotics they are 
were harnessing the power of biotechnology. The term is largely believed to have been coined in 1919 by 
Hungarian engineer Károly Ereky. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, biotechnology has expanded 
to include new and diverse sciences such as genomics, recombinant gene techniques, applied 
immunology, and development of pharmaceutical  therapies and diagnostic tests 
•
It can be de?ned as the controlled and deliberate manipulation of biological systems (whether living cells 
or cell components) for the ef?cient manufacture or processing of useful products 
•Biotechnology is the research and development in the laboratory using bioinformatics for exploration, 
extraction, exploitation and production from any living organisms and any source of biomass by means of 
biochemical engineering where high value-added products could be planned, forecasted, formulated, 
developed, manufactured, and marketed for the purpose of sustainable operations and gaining durable 
patents rights. The utilization of biological processes, organisms or systems to produce products that are 
anticipated to improve human lives is termed biotechnology 
•
People used to practice traditional biotechnological processes for centuries to yield bread, alcohol, wine, 
beer, fermented milk products, and medicines. The arenas of today’s biotechnology comprise genomics, 
recombinant DNA technology, proteomics and bioinformatics 
•
In modern biotechnology, researchers modify DNA and proteins to shape the capabilities of living cells, 
plants and animals into something useful for humans. Biotechnologists do this by sequencing, or reading, 
the DNA found in nature and then manipulating it in a test tube - or, more recently, inside of living cells 
•In fact, the most exciting technology advances of recent times are occurring at the microscopic level 
within the membranes of cells 
•
In the coming decades, scientists will use the tools of biotechnology to manipulate cells with increasing 
control, from precision editing of DNA to synthesising entire genomes from their basic chemical building 
blocks 
DNA 
•Discovered in 1953, DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all 
other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell 
nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the 
mitochondria  
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
•The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), 
cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of 
those bases are the same in all people. The order, or sequence, of these bases determines the 
information available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the 
alphabet appear in a certain order to 
form words and sentences 
•
DNA bases pair up with each other, 
A with T and C with G, to form units 
called base pairs. Each base is also 
attached to a sugar molecule and a 
phosphate molecule. Together, a 
base, sugar, and phosphate are 
called a nucleotide. Nucleotides are 
arranged in two long strands that 
form a spiral called a double helix 
•An important property of DNA is 
that it can replicate, or make copies 
of itself. Each strand of DNA in the 
double helix can serve as a pattern 
for duplicating the sequence of 
bases. This is critical when cells 
divide because each new cell needs 
to have an exact copy of the DNA 
present in the old cell 
rDNA 
•
It is an arti?cially made DNA strand that is formed by the combination of two or more gene sequences. 
This new combination may or may not occur naturally, but is engineered speci?cally for a purpose to be 
used in one of the many applications of recombinant DNA 
•
Like naturally occurring DNA, recombinant DNA has the ability to produce recombinant proteins. 
•rDNA allowed scientists to copy the genes involved in the creation of the important hormone insulin, 
which regulates how much sugar the body has in its bloodstream, into bacteria and yeast 
•Before rDNA, people with diabetes had to get insulin from pigs or other animals, but synthetic insulin is 
more pure 
T ools of Biotechnology 
1. DNA Sequencing 
•DNA is made up of four building blocks, or bases, and DNA sequencing is the process of determining the 
order of those bases in a strand of DNA. Since the publication of the complete human genome in 2003, 
the cost of DNA sequencing has dropped dramatically, making it a simple and widespread research tool 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
•Bene?ts 
?It can help detect any fatal mutation which can be genetically transferred. The doctors can even test 
the eggs which are not mutated. While most people’s genetic blueprints don’t contain deadly 
mysteries, our health is increasingly supported by the medical breakthroughs that DNA sequencing 
has enabled 
?For eg. researchers were able to track the 2014 Ebola epidemic using DNA sequencing. And 
pharmaceutical companies are designing new anti-cancer drugs targeted to people with a speci?c 
DNA mutation. Entire new ?elds, such as personalised medicines, owe their existence to DNA 
sequencing technology 
•
Risks: DNA is  foundational for all of modern biotechnology and its misuse can have dire consequences. 
While DNA sequencing alone cannot make bioweapons, it’s hard to imagine waging biological warfare 
without being able to analyze the genes of infectious or deadly cells or viruses 
?Although one’s own DNA information has traditionally been considered personal and private, 
continuing information about your ancestors, family and medical conditions, governments and 
corporations increasingly include a person’s DNA signature in the information they collect 
?Some warn that such databases could be used to track people or discriminate on the basis of private 
medical records – a dystopian vision of the future 
?DNA testing opens the door to sticky ethical questions, such as whether to carry to term a 
pregnancy after the foetus is found to have a genetic mutation  
2. Recombinant DNA  
•
Modern ?eld of biotechnology was born when scientists ?rst manipulated - or ‘recombined’ - DNA in a 
test tube, and today almost all aspects of society are impacted by so-called ‘rDNA’ . Recombinant DNA 
tools allow researchers to choose a protein they think may be important for health or industry, and then 
remove that protein from its original context. Once removed, the protein can be studied in a species 
that’s simple to manipulate, such as E. coli bacteria. This lets researchers reproduce it in vast quantities, 
engineer it for improved properties, and/or transplant it into a new species. Modern biomedical 
research, many best-selling drugs, most of the clothes you wear, and many of the food you eat rely on 
rDNA biotechnology 
•Bene?ts 
?Modern medical advances are unimaginable without the ability to study cells and proteins with 
rDNA in a test tube 
?An increasing number of vaccines and drugs are the direct products of rDNA. For example, nearly all 
insulin used in treating diabetes today is produced recombinantly  
•Risks 
?rDNA derived from drug-resistant bacteria could escape from the lab, threatening the public with 
infectious superbugs 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
!
Page 4


 
Biotechnology 
What is Biotechnology? 
•
Biotechnology is the broad area of biology involving living systems and organisms to develop or make 
products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives 
thereof, to make or modify products or processes for speci?c use” (UN Convention on Biological 
Diversity) 
•
When Edward Jenner invented vaccines and when Alexander Fleming discovered antibiotics they are 
were harnessing the power of biotechnology. The term is largely believed to have been coined in 1919 by 
Hungarian engineer Károly Ereky. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, biotechnology has expanded 
to include new and diverse sciences such as genomics, recombinant gene techniques, applied 
immunology, and development of pharmaceutical  therapies and diagnostic tests 
•
It can be de?ned as the controlled and deliberate manipulation of biological systems (whether living cells 
or cell components) for the ef?cient manufacture or processing of useful products 
•Biotechnology is the research and development in the laboratory using bioinformatics for exploration, 
extraction, exploitation and production from any living organisms and any source of biomass by means of 
biochemical engineering where high value-added products could be planned, forecasted, formulated, 
developed, manufactured, and marketed for the purpose of sustainable operations and gaining durable 
patents rights. The utilization of biological processes, organisms or systems to produce products that are 
anticipated to improve human lives is termed biotechnology 
•
People used to practice traditional biotechnological processes for centuries to yield bread, alcohol, wine, 
beer, fermented milk products, and medicines. The arenas of today’s biotechnology comprise genomics, 
recombinant DNA technology, proteomics and bioinformatics 
•
In modern biotechnology, researchers modify DNA and proteins to shape the capabilities of living cells, 
plants and animals into something useful for humans. Biotechnologists do this by sequencing, or reading, 
the DNA found in nature and then manipulating it in a test tube - or, more recently, inside of living cells 
•In fact, the most exciting technology advances of recent times are occurring at the microscopic level 
within the membranes of cells 
•
In the coming decades, scientists will use the tools of biotechnology to manipulate cells with increasing 
control, from precision editing of DNA to synthesising entire genomes from their basic chemical building 
blocks 
DNA 
•Discovered in 1953, DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all 
other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell 
nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the 
mitochondria  
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
•The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), 
cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of 
those bases are the same in all people. The order, or sequence, of these bases determines the 
information available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the 
alphabet appear in a certain order to 
form words and sentences 
•
DNA bases pair up with each other, 
A with T and C with G, to form units 
called base pairs. Each base is also 
attached to a sugar molecule and a 
phosphate molecule. Together, a 
base, sugar, and phosphate are 
called a nucleotide. Nucleotides are 
arranged in two long strands that 
form a spiral called a double helix 
•An important property of DNA is 
that it can replicate, or make copies 
of itself. Each strand of DNA in the 
double helix can serve as a pattern 
for duplicating the sequence of 
bases. This is critical when cells 
divide because each new cell needs 
to have an exact copy of the DNA 
present in the old cell 
rDNA 
•
It is an arti?cially made DNA strand that is formed by the combination of two or more gene sequences. 
This new combination may or may not occur naturally, but is engineered speci?cally for a purpose to be 
used in one of the many applications of recombinant DNA 
•
Like naturally occurring DNA, recombinant DNA has the ability to produce recombinant proteins. 
•rDNA allowed scientists to copy the genes involved in the creation of the important hormone insulin, 
which regulates how much sugar the body has in its bloodstream, into bacteria and yeast 
•Before rDNA, people with diabetes had to get insulin from pigs or other animals, but synthetic insulin is 
more pure 
T ools of Biotechnology 
1. DNA Sequencing 
•DNA is made up of four building blocks, or bases, and DNA sequencing is the process of determining the 
order of those bases in a strand of DNA. Since the publication of the complete human genome in 2003, 
the cost of DNA sequencing has dropped dramatically, making it a simple and widespread research tool 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
•Bene?ts 
?It can help detect any fatal mutation which can be genetically transferred. The doctors can even test 
the eggs which are not mutated. While most people’s genetic blueprints don’t contain deadly 
mysteries, our health is increasingly supported by the medical breakthroughs that DNA sequencing 
has enabled 
?For eg. researchers were able to track the 2014 Ebola epidemic using DNA sequencing. And 
pharmaceutical companies are designing new anti-cancer drugs targeted to people with a speci?c 
DNA mutation. Entire new ?elds, such as personalised medicines, owe their existence to DNA 
sequencing technology 
•
Risks: DNA is  foundational for all of modern biotechnology and its misuse can have dire consequences. 
While DNA sequencing alone cannot make bioweapons, it’s hard to imagine waging biological warfare 
without being able to analyze the genes of infectious or deadly cells or viruses 
?Although one’s own DNA information has traditionally been considered personal and private, 
continuing information about your ancestors, family and medical conditions, governments and 
corporations increasingly include a person’s DNA signature in the information they collect 
?Some warn that such databases could be used to track people or discriminate on the basis of private 
medical records – a dystopian vision of the future 
?DNA testing opens the door to sticky ethical questions, such as whether to carry to term a 
pregnancy after the foetus is found to have a genetic mutation  
2. Recombinant DNA  
•
Modern ?eld of biotechnology was born when scientists ?rst manipulated - or ‘recombined’ - DNA in a 
test tube, and today almost all aspects of society are impacted by so-called ‘rDNA’ . Recombinant DNA 
tools allow researchers to choose a protein they think may be important for health or industry, and then 
remove that protein from its original context. Once removed, the protein can be studied in a species 
that’s simple to manipulate, such as E. coli bacteria. This lets researchers reproduce it in vast quantities, 
engineer it for improved properties, and/or transplant it into a new species. Modern biomedical 
research, many best-selling drugs, most of the clothes you wear, and many of the food you eat rely on 
rDNA biotechnology 
•Bene?ts 
?Modern medical advances are unimaginable without the ability to study cells and proteins with 
rDNA in a test tube 
?An increasing number of vaccines and drugs are the direct products of rDNA. For example, nearly all 
insulin used in treating diabetes today is produced recombinantly  
•Risks 
?rDNA derived from drug-resistant bacteria could escape from the lab, threatening the public with 
infectious superbugs 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
?Recombinant viruses, useful for introducing genes into cells in a petri dish, might instead infect the 
human researchers 
?There are concerns that rogue scientists or bioterrorists could produce weapons with rDNA 
3. DNA Synthesis 
•
Synthesizing DNA has the advantage of offering total researcher control over the ?nal product. With 
many of the mysteries of DNA still unsolved, some scientists believe the only way to truly understand 
the genome is to make one from its basic building blocks 
•
Bene?ts 
?Plummeting costs and technical advances have made the goal of total genome synthesis seem much 
more immediate. Scientists hope these advances, and the insights they enable, will ultimately make 
it easier to make custom cells to serve as medicines or even bomb-snif?ng plants. Fantastical 
applications of DNA synthesis include human cells that are immune to all viruses or DNA-based 
data storage 
?It has been proposed that DNA synthesis can be used to ‘de-extinct’ the passenger pigeon, wooly 
mammoth or even Neanderthals  
?DNA is an ef?cient option for storing data, as researchers recently demonstrated when they stored 
a movie ?le in the genome of a cell 
•
Risks 
?Ethical concerns: When the GP-Write project was announced, some criticised the organisers  for 
the troubling possibilities that synthesizing genomes could evoke, likening it to playing God. Would 
it be ethical, for instance, to synthesize Einstein’s genome and transplant it into cells? The 
technology to do so does not yet exist, and GP-Write leaders have backed away from making human 
genomes in living cells, but some are still demanding that the ethical debate happen well in advance 
of the technology’s arrival. Additionally, cheap DNA synthesis could one day democratize the ability 
to make bioweapons or other nuisances, as one virologist demonstrated when he made the 
horsepox virus (related to the virus that causes smallpox) with DNA he ordered over the Internet. (It 
should be noted, however, that the other ingredients needed to make the horsepox virus are 
specialized equipment and deep technical expertise) 
4. Genome Editing 
•Many diseases have a basis in our DNA, and until recently, doctors had very few tools to address the root 
causes. That appears to have changed with the recent discovery of a DNA editing system called CRISPR/
Cas9. (A note on terminology – CRISPR is a bacterial immune system, while Cas9 is one protein 
component of that system, but both terms are often used to refer to the protein.) It operates in cells like 
a DNA scissor, opening slots in the genome where scientists can insert their own sequence. While the 
capability of cutting DNA wasn’t unprecedented, Cas9 dusts the competition with its effectiveness and 
ease of use. Even though it’s a biotech newcomer, much of the scienti?c community has already caught 
‘CRISPR-fever, ’ and biotech companies are racing to turn genome editing tools into the next blockbuster 
pharmaceutical. 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
!
Page 5


 
Biotechnology 
What is Biotechnology? 
•
Biotechnology is the broad area of biology involving living systems and organisms to develop or make 
products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives 
thereof, to make or modify products or processes for speci?c use” (UN Convention on Biological 
Diversity) 
•
When Edward Jenner invented vaccines and when Alexander Fleming discovered antibiotics they are 
were harnessing the power of biotechnology. The term is largely believed to have been coined in 1919 by 
Hungarian engineer Károly Ereky. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, biotechnology has expanded 
to include new and diverse sciences such as genomics, recombinant gene techniques, applied 
immunology, and development of pharmaceutical  therapies and diagnostic tests 
•
It can be de?ned as the controlled and deliberate manipulation of biological systems (whether living cells 
or cell components) for the ef?cient manufacture or processing of useful products 
•Biotechnology is the research and development in the laboratory using bioinformatics for exploration, 
extraction, exploitation and production from any living organisms and any source of biomass by means of 
biochemical engineering where high value-added products could be planned, forecasted, formulated, 
developed, manufactured, and marketed for the purpose of sustainable operations and gaining durable 
patents rights. The utilization of biological processes, organisms or systems to produce products that are 
anticipated to improve human lives is termed biotechnology 
•
People used to practice traditional biotechnological processes for centuries to yield bread, alcohol, wine, 
beer, fermented milk products, and medicines. The arenas of today’s biotechnology comprise genomics, 
recombinant DNA technology, proteomics and bioinformatics 
•
In modern biotechnology, researchers modify DNA and proteins to shape the capabilities of living cells, 
plants and animals into something useful for humans. Biotechnologists do this by sequencing, or reading, 
the DNA found in nature and then manipulating it in a test tube - or, more recently, inside of living cells 
•In fact, the most exciting technology advances of recent times are occurring at the microscopic level 
within the membranes of cells 
•
In the coming decades, scientists will use the tools of biotechnology to manipulate cells with increasing 
control, from precision editing of DNA to synthesising entire genomes from their basic chemical building 
blocks 
DNA 
•Discovered in 1953, DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all 
other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell 
nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the 
mitochondria  
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
•The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), 
cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of 
those bases are the same in all people. The order, or sequence, of these bases determines the 
information available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the 
alphabet appear in a certain order to 
form words and sentences 
•
DNA bases pair up with each other, 
A with T and C with G, to form units 
called base pairs. Each base is also 
attached to a sugar molecule and a 
phosphate molecule. Together, a 
base, sugar, and phosphate are 
called a nucleotide. Nucleotides are 
arranged in two long strands that 
form a spiral called a double helix 
•An important property of DNA is 
that it can replicate, or make copies 
of itself. Each strand of DNA in the 
double helix can serve as a pattern 
for duplicating the sequence of 
bases. This is critical when cells 
divide because each new cell needs 
to have an exact copy of the DNA 
present in the old cell 
rDNA 
•
It is an arti?cially made DNA strand that is formed by the combination of two or more gene sequences. 
This new combination may or may not occur naturally, but is engineered speci?cally for a purpose to be 
used in one of the many applications of recombinant DNA 
•
Like naturally occurring DNA, recombinant DNA has the ability to produce recombinant proteins. 
•rDNA allowed scientists to copy the genes involved in the creation of the important hormone insulin, 
which regulates how much sugar the body has in its bloodstream, into bacteria and yeast 
•Before rDNA, people with diabetes had to get insulin from pigs or other animals, but synthetic insulin is 
more pure 
T ools of Biotechnology 
1. DNA Sequencing 
•DNA is made up of four building blocks, or bases, and DNA sequencing is the process of determining the 
order of those bases in a strand of DNA. Since the publication of the complete human genome in 2003, 
the cost of DNA sequencing has dropped dramatically, making it a simple and widespread research tool 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
•Bene?ts 
?It can help detect any fatal mutation which can be genetically transferred. The doctors can even test 
the eggs which are not mutated. While most people’s genetic blueprints don’t contain deadly 
mysteries, our health is increasingly supported by the medical breakthroughs that DNA sequencing 
has enabled 
?For eg. researchers were able to track the 2014 Ebola epidemic using DNA sequencing. And 
pharmaceutical companies are designing new anti-cancer drugs targeted to people with a speci?c 
DNA mutation. Entire new ?elds, such as personalised medicines, owe their existence to DNA 
sequencing technology 
•
Risks: DNA is  foundational for all of modern biotechnology and its misuse can have dire consequences. 
While DNA sequencing alone cannot make bioweapons, it’s hard to imagine waging biological warfare 
without being able to analyze the genes of infectious or deadly cells or viruses 
?Although one’s own DNA information has traditionally been considered personal and private, 
continuing information about your ancestors, family and medical conditions, governments and 
corporations increasingly include a person’s DNA signature in the information they collect 
?Some warn that such databases could be used to track people or discriminate on the basis of private 
medical records – a dystopian vision of the future 
?DNA testing opens the door to sticky ethical questions, such as whether to carry to term a 
pregnancy after the foetus is found to have a genetic mutation  
2. Recombinant DNA  
•
Modern ?eld of biotechnology was born when scientists ?rst manipulated - or ‘recombined’ - DNA in a 
test tube, and today almost all aspects of society are impacted by so-called ‘rDNA’ . Recombinant DNA 
tools allow researchers to choose a protein they think may be important for health or industry, and then 
remove that protein from its original context. Once removed, the protein can be studied in a species 
that’s simple to manipulate, such as E. coli bacteria. This lets researchers reproduce it in vast quantities, 
engineer it for improved properties, and/or transplant it into a new species. Modern biomedical 
research, many best-selling drugs, most of the clothes you wear, and many of the food you eat rely on 
rDNA biotechnology 
•Bene?ts 
?Modern medical advances are unimaginable without the ability to study cells and proteins with 
rDNA in a test tube 
?An increasing number of vaccines and drugs are the direct products of rDNA. For example, nearly all 
insulin used in treating diabetes today is produced recombinantly  
•Risks 
?rDNA derived from drug-resistant bacteria could escape from the lab, threatening the public with 
infectious superbugs 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
?Recombinant viruses, useful for introducing genes into cells in a petri dish, might instead infect the 
human researchers 
?There are concerns that rogue scientists or bioterrorists could produce weapons with rDNA 
3. DNA Synthesis 
•
Synthesizing DNA has the advantage of offering total researcher control over the ?nal product. With 
many of the mysteries of DNA still unsolved, some scientists believe the only way to truly understand 
the genome is to make one from its basic building blocks 
•
Bene?ts 
?Plummeting costs and technical advances have made the goal of total genome synthesis seem much 
more immediate. Scientists hope these advances, and the insights they enable, will ultimately make 
it easier to make custom cells to serve as medicines or even bomb-snif?ng plants. Fantastical 
applications of DNA synthesis include human cells that are immune to all viruses or DNA-based 
data storage 
?It has been proposed that DNA synthesis can be used to ‘de-extinct’ the passenger pigeon, wooly 
mammoth or even Neanderthals  
?DNA is an ef?cient option for storing data, as researchers recently demonstrated when they stored 
a movie ?le in the genome of a cell 
•
Risks 
?Ethical concerns: When the GP-Write project was announced, some criticised the organisers  for 
the troubling possibilities that synthesizing genomes could evoke, likening it to playing God. Would 
it be ethical, for instance, to synthesize Einstein’s genome and transplant it into cells? The 
technology to do so does not yet exist, and GP-Write leaders have backed away from making human 
genomes in living cells, but some are still demanding that the ethical debate happen well in advance 
of the technology’s arrival. Additionally, cheap DNA synthesis could one day democratize the ability 
to make bioweapons or other nuisances, as one virologist demonstrated when he made the 
horsepox virus (related to the virus that causes smallpox) with DNA he ordered over the Internet. (It 
should be noted, however, that the other ingredients needed to make the horsepox virus are 
specialized equipment and deep technical expertise) 
4. Genome Editing 
•Many diseases have a basis in our DNA, and until recently, doctors had very few tools to address the root 
causes. That appears to have changed with the recent discovery of a DNA editing system called CRISPR/
Cas9. (A note on terminology – CRISPR is a bacterial immune system, while Cas9 is one protein 
component of that system, but both terms are often used to refer to the protein.) It operates in cells like 
a DNA scissor, opening slots in the genome where scientists can insert their own sequence. While the 
capability of cutting DNA wasn’t unprecedented, Cas9 dusts the competition with its effectiveness and 
ease of use. Even though it’s a biotech newcomer, much of the scienti?c community has already caught 
‘CRISPR-fever, ’ and biotech companies are racing to turn genome editing tools into the next blockbuster 
pharmaceutical. 
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•Bene?ts 
?Genome editing may be the key to solving currently intractable genetic diseases such as cystic 
?brosis, which is caused by a single genetic defect. If Cas9 can somehow be inserted into a patient’s 
cells, it could ?x the mutations that cause such diseases, offering a permanent cure. Even diseases 
caused by many mutations, like cancer, or caused by a virus, like HIV/AIDS, could be treated using 
genome editing. Just recently, an FDA panel recommended a gene therapy for cancer, which showed 
dramatic responses for patients who had exhausted every other treatment. Genome editing tools 
are also used to make lab models of diseases, cells that store memories, and tools that can detect 
epidemic viruses like Zika or Ebola. And as described above, if a gene drive, which uses Cas9, is 
deployed effectively, we could eliminate diseases such as malaria, which kills nearly half a million 
people each year 
•
Risks 
?Cas9 has generated nearly as much controversy as it has excitement, because genome editing 
carries both safety issues and ethical risks. Cutting and repairing a cell’s DNA is not risk-free, and 
errors in the process could make a disease worse, not better. Genome editing in reproductive cells, 
such as sperm or eggs, could result in heritable genetic changes, meaning dangerous mutations 
could be passed down to future generations. And some warn of unethical uses of genome editing, 
fearing a rise of ‘designer babies’ if parents are allowed to choose their children’s traits, even though 
there are currently no straightforward links between one’s genes and their intelligence, appearance, 
etc. Similarly, a gene drive, despite possibly minimizing the spread of certain diseases, has the 
potential to create great harm since it is intended to kill or modify an entire species. A successful 
gene drive could have unintended ecological impacts, be used with malicious intent, or mutate in 
unexpected ways. Finally, while the capability doesn’t currently exist, it’s not out of the realm of 
possibility that a rogue agent could develop genetically selective bioweapons to target individuals 
or populations with certain genetic traits 
National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-2020 
•The Strategy aims to establish India as a world-class bio-manufacturing hub.   It intends to launch a major 
mission, backed with signi?cant investments, for the creation of new biotech products, create a strong 
infrastructure for R&D and commercialization, and empower India’s human resources scienti?cally and 
technologically 
•
The programme which was launched by the Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science 
and T echnology is aimed at ensuring strategic and focused investment in building human capital by 
setting up a Life Science and Biotechnology Education Council which will spearhead the initiative  
•
Envisaged mission is 
?Provide impetus to utilising the knowledge and tools to the advantage of Humanity 
?Launch a major well directed mission backed with signi?cant investment for generation of new 
Biotech Products
?Empower scienti?cally and technologically India’s incomparable Human Resource
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