10/13/2023

BTG208: Biosafety and Bioethics in Biotechnology

Professor Yusuf Y Deeni & Malama Aisha Auwal

What are we studying?

Biotechnology - Genetic Engineering and Bioethics:

(1) Biosafety and Bioethics

(2) Conventions and Protocols in Biosafety
(3) Biosafety Issues and application in various Products
and Services
(4) Biotechnology (Genetic Engineering)
(5) Ethical Issues in Biotechnology (Bioethics)
(6) Genetic Engineering - Genetically Engineered
Organisms (GMO), Release and Associated
Biohazards
(7) Controversies – Consumption of Genetically Modified
Foods (GM Foods) and Vaccines
(8) Principles of Risk Assessment and Reduction

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BTG208: Biosafety and Bioethics in Biotechnology

Lecture 1 & 2: Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering

Professor Yusuf Y Deeni

BTG208: Biosafety and Bioethics in Biotechnology

Lecture 1: Biotechnology

Professor Yusuf Y Deeni

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DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

• In 1919, a Hungarian engineer called Karl Ereky invented the word
BIOTECHNOLOGY.
• Biotechnology is simply the use of living organisms for production
goods and services to humanity.
• Biotechnology encompasses any technological application that uses
biological systems, living entities or its derivatives to make or modify
processes for specific use.
• GENENTECH: Biotechnology is the process of harnessing 'nature's
own' biochemical tools to make possible new products and processes
and provide solutions to society's ills (G. Kirk Raab, Former President
and CEO of Genentech)

DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

- Continued
• Biotechnology is the application of genetic engineering and DNA technology to
produce Food, therapeutic and medical diagnostic products and processes. Biotech
companies have one thing in common - the use of genetic engineering and
manipulation of organisms at a molecular level.
• The aspect of technology concerned with the application of living organisms to meet
the needs and ends of man.

• Biotechnology is controlled use of biological agents for beneficial use. It is integrated

use of biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology to achieve technological
application of the capabilities of biological agents. Therefore, biotechnology has
emerged as a science with immense potential for human welfare ranging from food
processing, human health to environment and protection.

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DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY - Continued

• Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary in nature, involving input from
• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Cell and Molecular Biology
• Microbiology
• Genetics
• Physiology
• Biochemistry
• Immunology
• Virology
• Recombinant DNA Technology : Genetic manipulation and modification
of bacteria, viruses, fungi, plants and animals, often for the development
of specific products and/or services.

DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY - Continued

Biotechnology has its application in various fields such as in
• Medicine (Medical & Pharmaceutical) – Red Biotechnology
• Agriculture – Green Biotechnology
• Environment - Green Biotechnology
• Industry – White Biotechnology
• Marine and Fresh-water – Blue Biotechnology
• Desert – Brown Biotechnology
• Patents and Inventions – Purple Biotechnology
• Recombinant DNA Technology : Genetic manipulation and
modification of bacteria, viruses, fungi, plants and animals, often
for the development of specific products (Genetic Engineering)
and/or services.

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BTG208: Biosafety and Bioethics in Biotechnology

Lecture 2: Biotechnology: Genetic Engineering

Professor Yusuf Y Deeni

Genetic Engineering

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Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lesson you should be able to

1.Define Genetic Engineering

2.Outline the process of genetic engineering –
Transgenic Organism; Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMOs); Genetically Modified Food and Vaccines.
3.Know three applications: one plant, one animal, one
micro-organism

Genetic Engineering

The simple addition, deletion, or manipulation of

a single trait in an organism to create a desired
change.

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Genetic Engineering
What you need to know

• Manipulation and
alteration of genes
• Three applications:
using micro-organism
using plant
using animal
 Process involving
isolation, transformation,
and expression

Genetic Engineering

Is:
Artificially copying a piece of DNA from one
organism and joining this copy of DNA into the
DNA of another organism

www.clipartguide.com

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Purpose of Genetic Engineering

It allows genes from one organism to be inserted into a
cell of a different organism of a different species.

Examples:
– Human genes can be inserted into a bacterium
– Human genes can be inserted into cells from other
animals
– Bacterium genes can be inserted into plant cells

Genetic Engineering
• Genetic engineering means that DNA from different organisms can be
combined

• Bacteria can be engineered to produce human proteins

• Human genes can be inserted into other animals

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Genetic Engineering - Overview

 The altered DNA is called recombinant DNA

 Recombinant DNA is joined to other unrelated

DNA in the organism

 This is called gene splicing.

- tiny segments of a gene are taken out and

replaced by different genes

Learning Check
1. What is Genetic Engineering?

2. What is the purpose of Genetic Reengineering?

3. Give three examples of Genetic Engineering

4. What is the difference between altered and

recombinant DNA?

5. What is meant by gene splicing?

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Transgenic Organisms
• Organisms altered by genetic engineering.

• Genetic material changed by other than random natural

breeding

• Gene transfer
-moving a gene from one organism to another.

What Transgenic means

• 'Trans-' means 'crossing from one place to another‘

• The '-genic' bit means genes

• So it means that bits of genes from different living things have been
bolted together and spliced into another organism to make a new one
which does something which the scientists want it to do.

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Examples of Transgenic Organisms

• GMO- genetically modified organism
• GEO-genetically enhanced organism

For example
Plants that resists a particular type of weed killer
Sheep which makes some special substance in its milk. https://www.healthproductsguru.com
Bacteria that produces human insulin

• This is called transformation: when a gene from one

organism is transferred to different organism.
• The organisms that have DNA transferred to them are called
transgenic organisms.

• trans: means different,

• genic: refers to genes

• Genetic engineering has given rise to a new technological

field called biotechnology (technology of life).

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Transgenic bacteria: gene inserted into bacteria so they

produce things humans need.
• For example: insulin and clotting factors in blood are now
made by bacteria.

Micro organisms
• Bacteria can make human insulin

• This prevented many diabetics from getting an allergic reaction to

animal insulin

• Bacteria make interferon which can fight virus infections and some
cancers

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Applications (Micro-organisms)

Production of humulin

www.healthtap.com

Used by diabetics
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Vaccines
• Genetically engineered
microbes can be used to
produce the antigens
needed in a safe and
controllable way.
• The use of genetically
modified yeast cells to
produce a vaccine against
the hepatitis B virus has
been a major success story.

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3. Transgenic plants: plants are given genes so they meet human

needs.

A. Transgenic corn: given a gene so corn produces a natural pesticide.

Now they don’t have to be sprayed with cancer causing pesticides.
• 25% of all corn is like this.

Plants
• Weedkiller resistant crops
- Weeds die but the crops survive
• Vitamin A in Rice
- The gene which produces vitamin A was taken from daffodils and put
into rice to help prevent blindness

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Plant Application

Golden Rice – a
possible solution to
Vitamin A deficiency.

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B. Venomous cabbage
• gene from a scorpion tails
inserted into cabbage.
• Cabbage now produces that
chemical.
• Why? Limit pesticide use while
still preventing insects from
damaging crops.
• Corporations state the toxin is
modified so it isn’t harmful to
humans.

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C. Banana vaccines
• virus is injected into a banana, the
virus DNA becomes part of the
plant.
• As the plant grows, it produces the
virus proteins — but not the disease
part of the virus.

• When people eat a bite, their

immune systems creates antibodies
to fight the disease — just like a
traditional vaccine

• Vaccines for hepatitis and cholera

Animals used in Genetic Engineering

• The human gene to clot blood has been inserted into the DNA of
sheep

• Sheep produce human clotting factor needed for Haemophiliacs in

their milk

• Goats produce a protein to treat emphysema

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B. Spider goat: gene from spider inserted into

goat.
• Goats makes silk of the spider web in their
milk.
• Flexible, stronger than steel. Used in bullet
proof jackets.

C. Glow-in-the-dark
cats
•Scientist used a virus
to insert DNA from
jellyfish
•The gene made the
cat produce a
fluorescent protein in
its fur.

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Applications of Genetic Engineering

• Pharming
• Gene pharming is a technology that scientists use to alter
an animal's own DNA, or to splice in new DNA, called a
transgene, from another species.
• In pharming, these genetically modified (transgenic)
animals are mostly used to make human proteins that
have medicinal value. The protein encoded by the
transgene is secreted into the animal's milk, eggs or
blood, and then collected and purified.

Xenotransplantation
• Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or
organs from one species to another.
• However there are ethical issues and issues with rejection
• There are also issues with virus transmission from one species to
another
• Porcine islet transplants are being investigated for use in type 1
diabetes due to the shortage of human islet cells

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Gene Therapy
• It involves modifying human
DNA either to repair it or to
replace a faulty gene.

• The idea of gene therapy is to

overcome the effects of a
mutation which causes a genetic
disease.

• Cystic fibrosis is the best known

disease where gene therapy has
been tried.

Diagnostic Tests

Genetic engineering can produce very specific and

sensitive diagnostic tests for many diseases, using
engineered proteins.

This new technology is also opening up novel ways

of delivering medicines to specific targets.

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Learning Check A
1. What the word transgenic mean?

2. What is a transgenic organism?

3. Give examples of transgenic organisms

Learning Check B
1. Can you outline 3 uses of Genetic Engineering (GE)?

2. What is the purpose of Pharming?

3. Outline a use for Gene Therapy

4. What have GE modified yeast cells been used to

produce?

5. Forward thinking? What do you think/feel are the

ethical issues associated with GE?

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Thank You

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