One of the biggest uses in biotechnology is
for medicinal purposes. Modern applications of biotechnology continue to find
promising new uses in the medicinal and health care fields. Some of the biggest areas of application in
the medicinal field include pharmacogenomics, drug production, genetic testing
and genetic therapy. These main four applications of biotechnology bring a whole
new approach and chance for improvement in the world of medicinal applications.
Pharmacogenomics is the impact that genetic
inheritance of an individual has on the way their bodies respond to drugs and
medications. It is basically the study of genetics and pharmaceuticals.
Biotechnology offers new possibilities in the design and production of drugs
and how they can be adapted to each individual and their genetic makeup.
Benefits of biotechnology applications in
pharmacogenomics include: development of custom medications, accurate methods of determining proper dosages of medications, improvements in the discovery of new drugs and getting those
drugs approved, and better and safer vaccinations.
Biopharmaceuticals refer to large molecules
of protein that typically target the hiding mechanisms of diseases. Modern
biotechnology has been making great strides in trying to find treatments for
diseases like hepatitis, cancer, arthritis and cardiovascular diseases.
Biotechnology has improved the way drugs and medications are developed and
used, and has opened the door to a whole new method of developing treatments bystudying genetic traits.
Genetic testing is one of the more
controversial applications of biotechnology and includes two major types: one
method involves the use of DNA probes with sequences similar to mutated
sequences and the other method involves the scientist or researcher conducting
the genetic test by comparing the patients DNA sequence against a healthy
persons DNA sequence. Applications of biotechnology in genetic testing make it
possible to determine sex, carrier screening, prenatal diagnostic screening,
newborn screening and even forensic and identity testing.
Biotechnology is used in gene therapy for
treating and possibly curing acquired and genetic diseases such as AIDS and
cancer. It works by using normal genes and supplementing or replacing the
defective genes. There are two basic implementations of gene therapy: ex vivo
which is done outside of the body, and in vivo which is done inside of the body.
Biotechnology has come a long way with medicinal
applications in the health care field and continues to be improved as more
research is completed.
