BITC2441 Molecular Biology Dr. Larry Loomis-Price What is

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BITC2441 Molecular BiologyDr. Larry
Loomis-Price
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What is Biotechnology?

• The industrial use of living organisms or
  biological techniques developed through basic
  research.
• The results of biotechnology include products
  such as antibiotics, insulin, interferon,
  vaccines, as well as new techniques, including
  recombinant DNA and bioremediation (waste
  recycling).
• Much older forms of biotechnology include the
  methods we use for making bread, yogurt, cheese,
  beer and wine.

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Bacteria
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Yeast
Ancient Egyptian Beer  
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Biotechnology - the use of organisms (or parts,
such as DNA) to make useful products
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Genetically Engineered Products
Pharmaceuticals Pest-resistant crops Diagnostics
Energy Environmental Manufacturing
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Modern Biotechnology

• Molecular Medicine
• Agriculture/Aquaculture
• Bioremediation
• DNA Forensics
• Human Genome Project

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Biotechnology - Disciplines

• Agriculture
• Biochemistry
• Ecology
• Energy
• Genetics
• Medicine
• Microbiology
• Molecular biology
• Pharmaceuticals

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What is Molecular Biology?

• More specific - study of gene structure and
  function at the molecular level (overlap with
  Genetics)
• More general - the study of any biological
  process at the molecular level (overlap with
  Biochemistry)

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BITC2401 - Molecular Biology

• Do a major project where you will isolate, purify
  and sequence DNA from the plant source of your
  choice.
• Continue with some basic approaches to studying
  RNA at the molecular level
• Add in the study of biological processes at the
  computational level (bio-informatics)

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Blood clots
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition in
which a blood clot (thrombus) develops in deep
veins of the body, the blood clot can break
free (called emboli) and become lodged in the
blood vessels of the lung causing pulmonary
embolism (PE).20
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Lovenox
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New in Molecular Biology

• Neanderthal Gene Sequencing
• Molecular Biology News
• Genetics of temperament
• Synthetic life
• Personal genomes
• RNA basis of life
• Cloud computing
• Continued

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Genetic code for allergies
How a mutation in a skin protein revealed a link
between eczema and asthma.