Medicine & Biotechnology - Lecture 38

Flashcards covering key concepts from the Medicine & Biotechnology lecture, focusing on definitions and explanations of terms related to biotechnology, genomic practices, vaccine types, and related technologies.

Biotechnology

The use of biological agents for technological progression, with applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry.

Genomics

The study of a complete set of genes, their nucleotide sequence, organization, and their interactions within and across species.

Gel Electrophoresis

A technique that separates nucleic acids based on size by applying an electric current through a gel.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

A method used to amplify a specific sequence of DNA.

Cloning

The process of creating copies of small fragments of a genome, allowing the study of specific genes and their proteins.

Recombinant DNA

Plasmids created artificially by inserting foreign DNA into them.

Transgenic Organism

An organism whose genome has been altered by the addition of a gene from another species.

Gene Therapy

Therapies involving the insertion of genes into a patient's cells to replace defective ones.

Lentivirus

A type of virus used in gene therapy for its ability to modify gene expression in target cells for an extended time.

Herd Immunity

Resistance of a group to infection, arising when a high proportion of the population is immune, protecting those who are not.

mRNA Vaccine

A vaccine that contains material from a virus that instructs cells to produce a harmless protein unique to the virus.

Live Attenuated Vaccine

A vaccine made from a weakened strain of a pathogen that activates the adaptive immune response.

Inactivated Vaccine

A vaccine made from whole pathogens that have been killed or inactivated.

Subunit Vaccine

A vaccine that exposes the patient to key antigens of a pathogen rather than whole cells or viruses.

Pharmacogenomics

The study of genes that code for enzymes metabolizing drugs, aimed at designing tailor-made drugs.

Biofuels

Renewable fuels produced from biological materials through biotechnological processes.

Bioremediation

The use of microbial metabolism to remove pollutants from the environment.