Revision: Biotechnology >> Biotechnology and Its Application Biology Science (English Medium) Class 12 CBSE

The technique of bringing about improvements in living organisms by genetic modifications and hybridization, for the welfare of human beings is known as ‘Biotechnology’.

A transgenic animal is an animal whose genome has been artificially modified to contain one or more genes from another species.

Bioethics is the branch of ethics that deals with moral principles and issues arising from advances in biology, medicine, and life sciences.

Bioethics are a set of standards that may be used to regulate our activities in relation to the biological world.

• Biotechnology, a term coined by Karl Ereky in 1919, is the use of biological systems and genetic modifications to develop products and services for human welfare.
• Traditional biotechnology relies on small-scale, natural processes like fermentation (e.g., producing curd and wine), whereas modern biotechnology operates on a large scale.
• Modern biotechnology is fundamentally driven by two core techniques: genetic engineering (the targeted alteration of DNA and RNA) and bioprocess engineering.
• The field experienced a major breakthrough with the development of recombinant DNA technology by Cohen and Boyer in 1973.
• By integrating disciplines such as molecular biology and biochemistry, biotechnology enables crucial applications in both medicine (antibiotics, vaccines, insulin) and agriculture (high-yield, disease-resistant crops).

• Totipotency is the basis of tissue culture.
• Micropropagation produces many plants rapidly.
• Somaclones are plants obtained through tissue culture.
• Meristem culture helps produce virus-free plants.
• Somatic hybridisation involves the fusion of protoplasts.
• Golden rice is an example of a nutritionally improved GM crop.
• Bt cotton protects against bollworms.
• Bt protoxin becomes active in the alkaline gut of insects.
• RNAi silences specific mRNA and helps control pests like Meloidogyne incognita.

• Recombinant DNA technology mass-produces safe, human-identical therapeutics, preventing the allergic reactions caused by animal extracts.
• Genetically engineered human insulin is produced by separately synthesising the A and B chains in E. coli and then joining them.
• Gene therapy treats genetic disorders, like ADA deficiency, by inserting functional genes into a patient's extracted lymphocytes.
• Because lymphocytes have a limited lifespan, gene therapy requires periodic treatments unless performed at the embryonic stage.
• Molecular diagnostics, such as PCR and ELISA, enable highly sensitive, early detection of disease before physical symptoms even appear.

• Transgenic animals have artificially modified genomes containing specific foreign genes from other species.
• They are produced by isolating a desired gene, inserting it into a host embryo, and growing it into a complete animal expressing the new trait.
• They serve as essential living models for studying normal physiology, understanding complex diseases, and testing the safety of vaccines and chemicals.
• They function as biological factories for therapeutic products, such as "Rosie," the first transgenic cow that produced human protein-enriched milk.
• Mice are the most widely used models in disease research, while other animals such as sheep, pigs, and fish are utilised for medical and agricultural advancements.

• Bioethics sets moral standards to safely regulate biotechnology and prevent the misuse of biological resources.
• Major ethical concerns focus on preventing animal suffering in research and avoiding the ecological risks of cross-species gene transfer.
• Biosafety protocols are essential to protect human health and the environment from the unpredictable effects of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) strictly evaluates and regulates the safe release of genetically engineered products into the environment.
• Biopiracy is the unethical, unauthorised commercial exploitation of regional biological resources and traditional knowledge without fair compensation.