What is Biotechnology?

Science Based Definition:

Sub-discipline of biology in which biochemically based processes

such as DNA technology are used for practical purposes.

Paraphrased:

The use of biology as a tool.

 When did Biotechnology Originate?

(What was the first bioengineer food?)

 First beer was brewed by Sumerians in Mesopotamia
between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers (8000 to 6000 BC)
Modern Day Iraq
Soaked barley in water and let it germinate.

Germinated grain was kneaded (mix or rolled) into beer

bread that was lightly baked and crumbled and stirred
into water.

Mixture was poured through a wicker sieve and sealed

in clay vessels.

Gas bubbles would appear as fermentation occurred.

Fermentation: Anaerobic process which transforms

sugars into alcohol This case BEER!
Babylonians drink had sour taste due to lactic acid
fermentation. Prolonged storage. Why?
Microbes dont tolerate acidic environment!
2-3% alcohol affects plasma membrane of bacteria
inhibits growth. Their beer was 12-15% alcohol.

Celtics and Germanic tribes made Mead.

The word beer comes from ancient Saxon word

bere which means?
Barley
 How is beer making biotechnology?
The Egyptians and Saxons knew how to make bere but did they understand
how it really worked?

What are the yellow blobs that one would see in non-purified beer?

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) Merchant and self taught Scientist

After observing a spectacle maker grind lenses, Leeuwenhoek
learn to make lenses himself. Made stronger lenses which led to
building the first microscope (200x magnification).

Looked at a drop of water and scrapings from dogs teeth. Was

he surprised at what he saw?

Letter to a group of Dutch scientists whose organization was the

Royal Society of London in 1673.

Leeuvenhoek described what he saw was miserable wee

beasties.

First person to see bacteria.

 Robert Hooke (1635-1703) work with Leeuwenhoek to
build microscopes and he was noted for looking at thin
sections of cork. Thus providing us with the description of
the term?
CELL

So what did Leeuwenhoek see in bere? The yellow

blobs were?
Prokaryotic Definition: simple organism whose cells
lack a nucleus or organelles and multiply by simple fusion
compared to Eukaryotic cells.
Eukaryotic Definition: cells have a nucleus,
mitochondria, etc which is found in Yeast

Drawing by
Leeuwenhoek

Yeast as view with a

scanning electron
microscope
 200 Years From Leeuwenhoek to Rediscover
Microbes
Although food and alcohol production had occurred for centuries, little
was understood about the process really worked.
19th century alcohol produced on industrial scale which led to major losses
if the process failed.
Enter Louis Pasteur (1822-1895): Founding father of microbiology and biotechnology.

In 1856, Monsieur Bigo came to Pasteur concerning

problems with alcohol distillery. Something in his
fermentation vessels caused some sour-smelling, grey liquid
to form. Pasteur took his microscope (remember
Leeuvenhoek?) and looked at healthy versus the
contaminated vessels. He saw the normal yellow blobs of
yeast stuck together in the healthy vessels but didnt find any
yeast in unhealthy. Pasteur saw oscillating rods that killed the
yeast and produced what is lactic acid (sour smell).

Rods were named bacteria comes from Greek word bakterion

meaning rod.

Pasteur determined that heating wine briefly killed any

unwanted bacteria. So where does the term
Pasteurization come from?
 Biotechnology with Bacteria and Fungi
Wine
Mount Ararat region (6,000 years ago)
Maybe China (9,000 years ago)
Romans and Greeks made an art of
winemaking.
Cheese
Bread Mold

Flat bread made by Penicillin

Hole in cheese caused by propionic acid

Egyptian bakers 6,0000
bacteria ferment sugar to propionic years ago Bakers
acid, acetic acid and CO2 yeast.
Without Bacteria there would be No
Modern Biotechnology Today
Transfection of Animal Cells to Produce Products for Human Use
 In 2002, Genetic Savings & Clone
produced the world's first cloned
cat, named "CC".

CopyCat, the First Cloned Pet

Animal, Texas A&M University
College of Vet Medicine

The first cloned-to-order pet sold in the United States is named Little Nicky, a 9-week-
old kitten delivered to a Texas woman saddened by the loss of a cat she had owned for
17 years. Woman pays $50,000 to firm for genetic twin of beloved cat; Little Nicky
considered the first cloned-to-order pet sold in U.S.

Unfortunately, even for the most devoted of pet owners, theres a limit to how much theyll
pay to have their dearly departed feline recreated. Genetic Savings and Clones hefty
$50,000 price tag was just too much to generate much interest in their services. The
company recently reduced the price to $32,000, but still there were no takers. The company
sent letters to its customers later letting them know that they will have to close at the end of
the year. The letters said that Genetic Savings and Clone has been "unable to develop the
technology to the point that cloning pets is commercially viable."
 Genotyping
Illumina Announces Commercial Release of the Infinium(R)
BovineSNP50 BeadChip
The BovineSNP50 BeadChip Contains the Highest Number of
Novel and Known SNPs for Characterizing Genetic Variation
in Cattle
Date Event
1750 B.C. The Sumerians brew beer.
500 B.C. The Chinese use moldy soybean curds as an antibiotic to treat boils.

250 B.C. The Greeks practice crop rotation to maximize soil fertility.

100 A.D. Powdered chrysanthemum is used in China as an insecticide.

1590 The microscope is invented by Janssen.

1663 Cells are first described by Hooke.
1675 Leeuwenhoek discovers bacteria.
1797 Jenner inoculates a child with a viral vaccine to protect him from smallpox.

1802 The word "biology" first appears.

1830 Proteins are discovered.
1833 The first enzymes are isolated.
1855 The Escherichia coli bacterium is discovered. It later becomes a major research, development and
production tool for biotechnology.
Pasteur begins working with yeast, eventually proving they are living organisms.

1863 Mendel, in his study of peas, discovers that traits were transmitted from parents to progeny by discrete,
independent units, later called genes. His observations laid the groundwork for the field of genetics.

1869 Miescher discovers DNA in the sperm of trout.

1879 Flemming discovers chromatin, the rod-like structures inside the cell nucleus that later came to be called
chromosomes.

1883 The first rabies vaccine is developed.

Date Event
1911 The first cancer-causing virus is discovered by Rous.

1914 Bacteria are used to treat sewage for the first time, in Manchester, England.

1915 Phages, or bacterial viruses, are discovered.

1919 The word "biotechnology" is first used by a Hungarian agricultural engineer.

1928 Fleming discovers penicillin, the first antibiotic.

1938 The term "molecular biology" is coined.
1941 The term "genetic engineering" is first used by a Danish microbiologist.

1943 Avery demonstrates that DNA is the "transforming factor" and is the material of genes.

1944 DNA is shown to be the material substance of the gene.

1949 Pauling shows that sickle cell anemia is a "molecular disease" resulting from a mutation in the protein
molecule hemoglobin.

1953 Watson and Crick reveal the three-dimensional structure of DNA.

1955 An enzyme involved in the synthesis of a nucleic acid is isolated for the first time.

1956 Kornberg discovers the enzyme DNA polymerase I, leading to an understanding of how DNA is replicated.

1957 Sickle cell anemia is shown to occur due to a change of a single amino acid.

1960 Exploiting base pairing, hybrid DNA-RNA molecules are created.

Messenger RNA is discovered.
Date Event

1969 An enzyme is synthesized in vitro for the first time.

1970 Specific restriction nucleases are identified, opening the way for gene cloning.

1973 Cohen and Boyer perform the first successful recombinant DNA experiment, using bacterial genes.

1975 The first monoclonal antibodies are produced.

1976 The tools of recombinant DNA are first applied to a human inherited disorder. Molecular hybridization is used for
the prenatal diagnosis of alpha thalassemia.
Yeast genes are expressed in E. coli bacteria.

1978 North Carolina scientists Hutchinson and Edgell show it is possible to introduce specific mutations at specific
sites in a DNA molecule.

1982 Humulin, Genentech's human insulin drug produced by genetically engineered bacteria for the
treatment of diabetes, is the first biotech drug to be approved by the Food and Drug
Administration.

1983 The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique is conceived. PCR, which uses heat and enzymes to
make unlimited copies of genes and gene fragments, later becomes a major tool in biotech research and
product development worldwide.
The first genetic transformation of plant cells by TI plasmids is performed.
The first artificial chromosome is synthesized.
The first genetic markers for specific inherited diseases are found.
Date Event

1986 The first field tests of genetically engineered plants (tobacco) are conducted.
Ortho Biotech's Orthoclone OKT3, used to fight kidney transplant rejection, is approved as the first monoclonal
antibody treatment.
The first biotech-derived interferon drugs for the treatment of cancer - Biogen's Intron A and Genentech's Roferon
A - are approved by the FDA. In 1988, the drugs are used to treat Kaposi's sarcoma, a complication of
AIDS.
The first genetically engineered human vaccine - Chiron's Recombivax HB - is approved for the prevention of
hepatitis B.

1987 Humatrope is developed for treating human growth hormone deficiency.

Advanced Genetic Sciences' Frostban, a genetically altered bacterium that inhibits frost formation on crop
plants, is field tested on strawberry and potato plants in California, the first authorized outdoor tests of an
engineered bacterium.
Genentech's tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), sold as Activase, is approved as a treatment for heart
attacks.

1988 Congress funds the Human Genome Project, a massive effort to map and sequence the human genetic code
as well as the genomes of other species.

1989 Amgen's Epogen is approved for the treatment of renal disease anemia.
The gene responsible for cystic fibrosis is discovered.

1990 The first federally approved gene therapy treatment is performed successfully on a 4-year-old girl
suffering from an immune disorder.
Date Event

1991 Amgen develops Neupogen, the first of a new class of drugs called colony stimulating factors, for the treatment of
low white blood cells in chemotherapy patients.
Immunex's Leukine, used to replenish white blood counts after bone marrow transplants, is approved.
Genzyme's Ceredase is approved for the treatment of Gaucher's disease.

1992 Recombinate, developed by Genetics Institute and used in the treatment of hemophilia A, becomes the first
genetically engineered blood clotting factor approved in the U.S.
Chiron's Proleukin is approved for the treatment of renal cell cancer.

1993 Chiron's Betaseron is approved as the first treatment for multiple sclerosis in 20 years.
The FDA declares that genetically engineered foods are "not inherently dangerous" and do not require
special regulation.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is created by merging two smaller trade associations.

1994 Genentech's Nutropin is approved for the treatment of growth hormone deficiency
The first breast cancer gene is discovered.
Calgene's Flavr Savr tomato, engineered to resist rotting, is approved for sale.

1997 Scottish scientists report cloning a sheep using DNA from adult sheep cells.
A group of Oregon researchers claims to have cloned two Rhesus monkeys.
A new DNA technique combines PCR, DNA chips and a computer program providing a new tool in the
search for disease-causing genes.
Date Event

2000 A rough draft of the human genome is completed by Celera Genomics and the Human Genome
Project.
Pigs are the next animal cloned by researchers, hopefully to help produce organs for human
transplant.
"Golden Rice," modified to make vitamin A, promises to help third-world countries alleviate blindness.
The genetic code of the fruit fly Drosophila is published.
Arabidopsis thaliana is the first-ever completed sequence of a plant genome.

2001 The sequence of the human genome is published in Science and Nature.
President Bush decides to permit federal funding of research using existing stem cell lines, allowing
researchers to continue seeking cures for debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
The biotech industry responds to the need for biodefense research and development following the release
of anthrax in the mail system and in government buildings.

2002 Researchers sequence the DNA of rice, the main food source for two-thirds of the world's population. It is
the first crop to have its genome decoded.
The draft version of the complete map of the human genome is published, and the first part of the Human
Genome Project comes to an end ahead of schedule and under budget.
Date Event

2002 Biotech crops grown on 145 million acres in 16 countries, a 12 percent increase in acreage grown in 2001. More
than one-quarter (27 percent) of the global acreage was grown in nine developing countries.
Researchers announce successful results for a vaccine against cervical cancer, the first demonstration of a
preventative vaccine for a type of cancer.
Scientists complete the draft sequence of the most important pathogen of rice, a fungus that destroys enough
rice to feed 60 million people annually. By combining an understanding of the genomes of the fungus and
rice, scientists will elucidate the molecular basis of the interactions between the plant and pathogen.
Scientists are forced to rethink their view of RNA when they discover how important small pieces of RNA
are in controlling many cell functions.

2003 GloFish, the first biotech pet, hits the North American market. Specially bred to detect water pollutants, the fish
glows red under black light thanks to the addition of a natural fluorescence gene.
The U.K. approves its first commercial biotech crop in eight years. The crop is a biotech herbicide-resistant corn
used for cattle feed.
An endangered species (the banteng) is cloned for the first time. 2003 also brought several other
cloning firsts, including mules, horses and deer.
Dolly, the cloned sheep that made headlines in 1997, is euthanized after developing progressive lung disease.
Dolly was the first successful clone of a mammal.
Date Event

2004 The FDA approves the first anti-angiogenic drug for cancer, Avastin (bevacizumab).
The FDA clears the first DNA microarray test system, the AmpliChip Cytochrome P450 Genotyping Test, to aid in
selecting medications and disease for a wide variety of common conditions.
An RNA-interference product for age-related wet macular degeneration becomes the first RNAi product
to enter a clinical trial.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) endorses biotech crops and states that
biotechnology is a complementary tool to traditional farming methods that can help poor farmers and
consumers in developing nations.
The National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine (IOM) finds biotech crops do not pose any more
health risks than do crops created by other techniques, and that food safety evaluations should be
based on the resulting food product, not the technique used to create it.
FDA finds biotech wheat safe, after a food safety review.
Monsanto introduces low-linolenic soybeans (produced through conventional breeding methods) that will reduce or
eliminate trans fatty acids in processed soybean oil.
Chicken genome sequenced by the Chicken Genome Sequencing Consortium.
First cloned pet, a kitten, delivered to its owner