Biotechnology in Medicine

Introduction

Biotechnology in medicine goes a long way back in history when biotechnology was discovered and used for the first time for medicinal purposes. Biotechnology has been a great help in medicine and has provided numerous medicines that have entirely changed how we live and deal with different medical problems.

The use of biotechnology in medicine is dealt with in a specific branch known as red biotechnology. This branch deals with making the work of doctors and pharmacists easy to eradicate or help in the cure of disease and increase the overall quality of life.

Medical biotechnology or Biotech medical is a branch that uses living cells and other related cellular materials to research. It develops different products that could be used in diagnostic or pharmaceutical processes. The main aim of these products would be to cure or prevent a disease from happening.

Application of Biotechnology in Medicine

In medicine, biotechnology has been used extensively in cancer research and has brought numerous results that are appreciable.

• CRISPR- The technology CRISPR has been a tremendous boost in genetic engineering. In this technology, we utilize a protein known as Cas9. This protein helps in stretching the DNA, which helps in editing the gene by acting as molecular scissors. Scientists have cut and modified different genes with technology to correct numerous diseases and deal with life-threatening genetic disorders. According to some new studies, there has been an evident use of this technology in cancer and tumor research. It has helped with accurate DNA detection, and numerous pharmaceutical companies are also using the technology to modify and make better drugs
• Recombinant DNA technology- another use advancement seen in biotechnology related to medicine is recombinant DNA technology. In this technology, the DNA of a specific need or demand is recombined with a plasmid. Plasmids are circular chromosomal DNA that is not the bacterial cell’s main genetic constituent. With the help of molecular scissors, the functional DNA is inserted into the plasmid to duplicate inside an organism. This replication will lead to the formation of numerous  DNA strands, and further, the DNA could be extracted and could be used for various purposes. One of the most significant contributions of this technology to humanity  is the development of genetically engineered insulin
• HPV vaccine – When one talks about biotech medicine leaving the HPV vaccine and its discovery out of the discussion would be a complete injustice to the incredible technology itself. HPV, also known as the human papillomavirus, is one of the fatal viruses that affects women and causes lethal cervical cancer. Before discovering the vaccine, the virus was very evident and mainly killed women ranging from 9 to 26. Further, with the development of the vaccine, we have successfully contained the virus, and there are fewer numbers of young females getting infected with the HPV virus

• Stem cell research- Another use of biotechnology in medicine would be stem cell research. Stem cells are unique cells formed during a child’s growth or a fetus that can multiply into any body cell. In medicine, these cells are called pluripotent cells, and they can replicate the entire human body. Since these cells are limited to the growth period and are not found in a mature child, extracting them is a complicated task. But with the recent stem cell research, scientists have been able to manipulate and make special stem cells that are actively working. Even biotechnology  has made a way to extract stem cells from mature adults by special techniques. Once the technology gets fully developed, it could be a miracle in the race of humanity as the cell would give the power to regenerate the entire human body

Biotechnology Scope

Biotechnology is used in various disciplines and industries, including food, pharmaceuticals, medicine, and agriculture. Its application spans both research and engineering.

Therapeutic proteins and biological organisms have both benefited from genetic engineering. In molecular biology and industrial biotechnology, biotechnology has achieved significant breakthroughs.

Biotechnology encompasses a wide range of biological disciplines. Tissue culture, the development of transgenic plants and animals, the development of antibodies, and so on are only a few examples. More than 200 companies have been established in the United States, including Biogen, Cetus, Hybritech, and others.

Ethical Issues with Medical Biotechnology

Biotechnology in medicine is a growing branch, but some ethical issues are hard to deal with, which is why biotechnology is limited.

• The risk to human trials

If a specific vaccine or a product of biotechnology medical is not tried before launching to the market, it would be considered illegal to use such a product. Hence the effect of the products on humans is tested before sending it for everyday use. And this creates a risk in humans in which it would be tried.

• High production cost

The high production cost remains a significant drawback of the entire field of biotechnology. Numerous factors are responsible for making the production go so high, but if one needs the correct and accurate product from medical biotechnology, then investing money is the only option out there.

Conclusion

Modern medicine is all based on Biotechnology. Most of the biotech medicines are used these days to treat severe and fatal diseases. Even many therapies such as gene therapy have made human life easy. Hence we can conclude that the contribution of biotechnology in the field of medicine has been a significant boost to the entire health care.