Intro to Biotechnology: Applications of Biotech

Biotech basics, history of biotech based on crash courses #40-#44, lab safety symbols, and NFPA diamonds

biotechnology

the study and manipulation of living things OR their component molecules, cells, tissues, organs, etc. to benefit human beings

DNA fingerprinting

identifying the pattern of certain sequences in parts of DNA

blue diamond

health hazard

red diamond

fire hazard

white diamond

specific harzard

yellow diamond

reactivity hazard

flammable

oxidizing

corrosive

explosive

general warning/harmful

toxic

gas

health hazard

environment

chromosomes

nucleus contained thread-shaped structures

cell division

chromosomes played a critical role in this

Linus Pauling

characterized the alpha helix structure of common proteins

alpha helix

the structure of common proteins characterized by Linus Pauling

James Watson and Francis Crick

what two scientists figured out DNA was a double helix?

DNA

a machine language to make RNA, which became an assembly-language “program”

Stanley Miller and Harold Urey

chemist and his advisor that produced amino acids

amino acids

building blocks of life

recombinant DNA (rDNA)

cloning sections of one organism’s DNA to another

Diamond v. Chakrabarty

supreme court case that determined whether or not a company can patent a bioengineered life form; ruled in favor of respondent that it is legal

chlorpromazine/thorazine

first blockbuster brain drug approved for psychiatric use; an anti-psychotic

tranquilizers

first scientifically created, advertising-promoted drug for the “worried-well”

valium

“mother’s little helpers”; many women took it due to the depression and anxiety may suffered from due to the loneliness and limitations the role of “housewife” that women had to follow back then

chemical imbalance theory

theory that depression may be caused by elevating and lack of norepinephrine and serotonin

cells grow indefinitely

what happens when one turns certain samples of human tissues into immortalized cell lines using tissue engineering?

HeLa

most important cell line in biomedical research; particularly loaded technology; used to clone cells, revolutionized medicine, but the patient’s cell that was used never gave consent or received compensation

genetically modified organism (GMO)

had its genome, or DNA blueprint, edited to include genes from another organism

grains

big money GMOs, which first faced little pushback from consumers

in-vitro fertilization

isolating gametes, or sex sells, and moving them around in labs

somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)

cloning

sanger sequencing

chopping up DNA, tagging them to florescent dyes, and sorting out sequences by length

Kary Mullis

developer of PCR

polymerase chain reaction

developed by Kary Mullis; an automated way of taking advantage of natural processes for copying DNA

Human Genome Project

began October 1st, 1990 & competed in 2003; had the goal of sequencing a representative “working draft” of 90% of a human genome—a model blueprint for the human body

shotgun sequencing (shotgunning a genome)

fragmenting genome into bits in a row, then letting computers piece it back together to make the sequence

BIll Clinton

who signed an executive order in 2000 to prevent genetic discrimination in federal workplaces

DIY bio

movement where amateurs can sequence DNA and do bioengineering at home

Human Genome Diversity Project

collect DNA samples from thousands of people to understand human diversity

Moore’s Law

the # of electronic switches that people could squeeze onto one computer chip would double

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak

two engineers committed to computing for play, not just always work

Microsoft

founded by Bill Gates in 1975

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

to protect citizens from soviet attacks if power lines were out or to pass information quickly

pack-switching

used by ARPANET to send data in small, independent, broken-up parts that can each find their own fastest routes and be reassembled later

Sir Tim Berners-Lee

invented world wide web in 1990; built the first web browser

block chain

list of time-stamped records which are linked using cryptography and resistant to fraud

cryptocurrency

kinds of money not backed by sovereign nations but by groups of co-invested strangers on the internet (ex: NFTs)

biosociality

associating with each other based on shared molecules

genetic therapies

replacing regions of DNA to give a rise to disease with doctor-designed therapeutic gene; genes get taken out, changed, and out back un

personalized medicine

each patient will have care tailored to each individual genome

transcriptomics

how regions of DNA are copied into little strands of DNA

proteomics

how proteins fold together

metabolomics

how energy moves around inside and out of cells

CRISPR

most efficient way of gene-edting; when a virus enters the microbe’s cell, it is recognized as being on the list and an associated protein cuts up the virus; it reads for specific DNA sequences and only cuts these; instead of a step-by-step process it enables a whole solution to be programmed all at once

reprogenetics

engineering babies

microbiomics

genomics of microbes

synpases

collection of neurons joined by little gaps called ______.

connectome

dream database for many researchers; a total map of how neurons are linked

zip code

better predictor of health than a genetic code