Biotechnology can help identify inherited disease risks and produce treatments and medicines. This lesson explores genetic diagnosis, gene therapy, vaccines, antibiotics, hormones, and transgenic animals.
Genetic diagnosis uses genetic testing to look for suspected defects before treatment or to assess the likelihood of a genetic condition. Testing may be offered when a disease occurs in a family, and it can also be used to examine fetuses or embryos created through in vitro fertilization when a family has a known risk of a debilitating disease.
All flashcards
What is genetic diagnosis?
Testing for suspected genetic defects or disease-associated variants. It can inform treatment and help people with family histories understand inherited risks.
What do BRCA mutations have to do with cancer risk?
Some mutations in BRCA genes increase the likelihood of breast, ovarian, and certain other cancers. A mutation indicates increased risk, not certainty that cancer will occur.
What is gene therapy?
A genetic engineering approach intended to treat disease by introducing a functional, non-mutated gene into a patient's cells, often to provide instructions for a needed protein.
What is a vector in gene therapy?
A carrier used to deliver genetic material into targeted cells. Modified viruses, including adenoviruses, can serve as vectors because they can enter host cells.
Why produce medicines in transgenic animals?
Animal cells can process some recombinant proteins in ways bacteria cannot. Transgenic goats and sheep can produce certain human proteins in their milk, while mice are useful research models.
Quiz questions
What is a main purpose of genetic diagnosis?Answer: To identify suspected genetic defects or disease-associated mutations that may inform health decisions.
What is the basic aim of gene therapy?Answer: To introduce a functional gene into cells as an approach to treating disease.
How did recombinant DNA technology enable large-scale human insulin production?Answer: It allowed human insulin to be produced in bacteria such as *E. coli*.
How can Bt crops help protect plants from insect pests?Answer: They produce a bacterial toxin that affects susceptible insects that eat the plants.
Why are genetically modified crops monitored and tested?Answer: To assess food safety and possible effects on other organisms and ecological stability.
Based on Concepts of Biology by Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James Wise (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.