Red Biotechnology

*Neveen Kandil 22-18731

Passant Salem 22-1914

1
neveen.kandil@yahoo.com
Introduction:

Red biotechnology refers to the utilization of different organisms to amend healthcare and

medical processes. It is a branch of modern biotechnology which is used in medicine. Red

biotechnology can be used in diagnostics for example screening the blood to test for HIV, gene

therapy which is important to treat disorders that occur in the body by replacing the defected

genes with healthy ones, making vaccines, trials and clinical tests. Medicines that are produced

through biotechnology utilize proteins as proteins assist the body to combat diseases. Some of

the biopharmaceuticals produced through biotechnology are proteins, nucleic acids, DNA, RNA

and antibodies , these are mainly used for therapeutic or diagnostic aims.

History of red biotechnology:

The golden age of red biotechnology started in the 1970’s when the recombinant DNA (rDNA)

techniques were developed , when Paul Berg and his team in Stanford university 1972 conducted

experiments on a simian virus that was attached to a DNA segment in a bacterium .

There techniques were then developed by others , this allowed genes coding for different

proteins to be inserted in to foreign bodies that are then used to produce the desired proteins .
Applications of Red biotechnology :

Diagnostics:

Red biotechnology has achieved a huge success in diagnostics although diagnostics have a

smaller share in the market than therapeutics.

The two main contributions to diagnostics are:

 Pre-diagnosis : the ability to discover the predisposition of diseases .

 Prognostication : the ability to figure out the consequences of a certain disease.

Nucleic acid tests:

The basis of genetic replication were first discovered by Watson and Crick in 1953 .The PCR is a

technique to isolate and amplify a fragment of DNA through enzymatic replication .

Role in infectious diseases:

Nucleic acid test for HIV can measure the amount of HIV in blood , this is used in screening

donated blood in blood banks to decrease the chance of getting infected with HIV if the patient is

undergoing blood transfusion .

Other tests can be conducted to discover the amount of certain virus in patient’s blood such as

Hepatitis B and C viruses, Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus .

Role in Cancer: In hereditary cancers , genetic screening using PCR methods offers a chance in

early diagnosis of cancer . Genetic screening help in identification of family members who

posses the cancer gene breast and ovarian cancer in females.

Prenatal genetic screening:

It is offered in many countries and it help in diagnosis of genetic disorders , and therefore gives

the option of terminating the embryo early .These disorders may include down’s syndrome ,

hymophilia , cystic fibrosis and others . but ethical and legal implications may be present.

Advantages of red biotechnology:

Progress in red biotechnology have increased the effectiveness of different treatments , For

example : it increased the rate of survival from

cancerous diseases .

Red biotechnology has helped in finding many solutions

for chronic diseases.

some examples :

 Anemia - recombinant Erythropoetin.

 Diabetes – recombinant Human Insulin.

 Multiple sclerosis – recombinant Interferons.

Red biotechnology could also be used in targeting rare

diseases which range between 5000 to 8000 diseases that affect from 60% to 80% of a

population .It could also be used in improving medicinal drugs to treat many dangerous life

threatening rare diseases.

Role of each participant:

Neveen Kandil : Introduction , History , Advantages , Applications.

Passant Salem: Disadvantages , Conclusion , Abstract.

References:

http://www.biotech.in/red

http://www.biotecharticles.com/Healthcare-Article/Red-Biotechnology-and-Cure-of-

Tuberculosis-34.html

http://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C17/E6-58-11-00.pdf

http://www.europabio.org/sites/default/files/pages/elmar-shcnee-benefits-of-red-biotech.pdf