Biotechnology- the use or alteration of cells or biological molecules for specific applications
Chp. 18- Genetically Modified Organisms
I.
Transgenic Organisms
a. Animals – DNA is inserted into cells using:
i. Liposomes- fatty bubbles that integrate into cell membrane
ii. Electroporation- electricity makes small holes in cell membrane
b. Pharming- inserting genes into hosts in order to produce desired proteins and harvesting them
Chp. 19- Gene Therapy and Genetic Counseling
Gene Therapy- replacing a malfunctioning gene to alleviate symptoms by delivering DNA
Genetic Counseling- calculating the risk of recurrence of inherited disorders in families, using pedigree charts
and applying the laws of inheritance
I.
The Mechanics of Gene Therapy
a. ex vivo gene therapy – cells are altered outside the body and then infused into the person
b. in situ gene therapy – the healthy gene plus the DNA that delivers it is injected directly into a
localized and accessible body part. (More invasive – more risk)
c. in vivo gene therapy- the vector is introduced directly into the body (most invasive)
d. Protein based therapies treat the phenotype by replacing a missing protein
e. Germline gene therapy- alters the DNA of a gamete or fertilized ovum. All resulting cells
changed (not being done in humans) – heritable
f. Somatic Gene therapy- Correct only the somatic cells that an illness affects – not heritable
g. Chimeraplasty- abnormal genes are not replaced, they are repaired by inserting DNA and RNA
Chp. 21- Reproductive Technologies
I.
I.
Assisted Reproductive Technologies –
a. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)- detects genetic and chromosomal abnormalities
before pregnancy starts
i. remove a cell from the 8 celled embryo leaving 7 which can be successful
ii. VERY controversial (sex selection…)
Chp. 22- The Human Genome Project and Genomics
Genome Sequencing: A continuation of Genetics
a. Positional Cloning- how does phenotype correspond to causative gene
i. in contrast to genome pjct. approach which was “sequence now, interpret later”