The rapid developments in biotechnology and the applications of genetic engineering to practical human problems have allowed the advancement of pharmaceutical biotechnology at a staggering pace. Furthermore, the release of the human genome sequence has also been key for the identification of human genetic diseases and the design of revolutionary approaches for their treatment.
RECOMBINANT DNA TECHNOLOGY
INTRODUCTION: BIOTECHNOLOGY IN
PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
The rapid developments in biotechnology and the applications of genetic
engineering to practical human problems have allowed the advancement of
pharmaceutical biotechnology at a staggering pace. Furthermore, the release of
the human genome sequence has also been key for the identification of human
genetic diseases and the design of revolutionary approaches for their
treatment.
Genetic engineering involves altering DNA molecules outside an organism,
making the resultant DNA molecules function in living cells. Many of these
cells have been genetically engineered to produce substances that are medically
useful to humans. Pharmaceutical biotechnology involves the use of living organisms
such as microorganisms to create new pharmaceutical products, or safer and more
effective versions of conventionally produced pharmaceuticals, more
cost-effectively.
Since the manufacture of the first recombinant pharmaceutical, insulin,
there has been a burst in the generation of new recombinant drugs, some of
which will be covered later on in this chapter. Furthermore, the use of
recombinant DNA technology has spread further allowing the development not only
of subunit vaccines, such as the one used in the prevention of hepatitis B, but
also of attenuated vaccines, vector vaccines and DNA vaccines. One of
pharmaceutical biotechnology’s great potentials lies in gene therapy, which
consists in the modification of the genetic material of living cells to
prevent, control or cure disease. It encompasses repairing or replacing
defective genes and, for example, making tumours more susceptible to other
kinds of treatment.
Related Topics
TH 2019 - 2023 pharmacy180.com; Developed by Therithal info.