The History and Advancement of Medical Biotechnology

The Future of Medicine and You

The History and Advancement of Medical Biotechnology

So where is this field of biotechnology headed? Funding for stem cell research is skyrocketing, mostly toward the areas pertaining to the study of ECM, or extracellular matrix. Also, developments in gene therapy are gaining new interest among many; treatments for genetic diseases are in currently in the making. We are constantly looking for new answers; hopefully, we can find them in the nucleus of a simple, microscopic cell.

ECM

(ECM, by the way, is a part of animal tissue that contains no cells rather different polysaccharides and fibrous proteins; it is used in the regrowth and healing of damaged tissue. ECM is usually found in pig bladders. Because it contains no cells, once implanted wherever it needs to go in the body, it does not provoke an anti-inflammatory response nor does it form scar tissue. Rather, once placed where the damaged tissue is located, it awaits the normal healing by stem cells; once the stem cells come in contact with the ECM, instead of forming scar tissue, it creates tissue that is as new as a baby's. Therefore, it is as if nothing ever happened. Further research is being conducted to advance its use to the regeneration of detached limbs, whether it be by amputation or accident)

by Antonio Heckstall

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And This Matters... Why?

Many medicines and pharmaceutical products owe their thanks to medical biotechnology, such as erythropoeitin (EPO), which is a medication that stimulates the increased production of RBC's in bone marrow (mainly targeted to people with anemia); and insulin, which increases the production of the hormone insulin in the pancreas for people with diabetes.

Slow Beginnings

Years of 'First Times' (1970-1979):

All About DNA (1990-1999):

The Emergence of Medical Biotech (1950-1959):

1990: The Human Genome Project is launched, costing $3 billion

1998: Embryonic stem cells are synthesized in a lab for the first time.

1999: The complete human genetic code is deciphered

1970: Restriction enzymes are discovered

1972: DNA ligase is used for the first time

1974: The first chicken pox vaccine is developed in Japan

1977: Genetically engineered bacteria are used to synthesize the human growth protein somatostatin, marking the first time a synthetic recombinant gene is used to clone a protein. Many consider this to be the advent of the Age of Biotechnology.

1952: Dr. George Grey establishes a continuous cell line taken from a human cervical carcinoma isolated from Henrietta Lacks, who died of the cancer in 1951. These cells are called HeLa cells and are continuously used in research to this day

1953: Drs. James Watson and Francis Crick reveal the double-helix structure of DNA

1955: The first polio vaccine is developed by Dr. Jonas Stalk

1980-1989

1960-1969

2000-Present

1990-1999

1970-1977

1952-1955

Microbiological Developments (1960-1969):

A Global Advancement (1981-1989):

Genomes, Genomes, and More Genomes (2000-Present):

1981: Mice are cloned for the first time in Switzerland, and the first transgenic mice are produced.

1983: Dr. Luc Montagnier isolates the AIDS virus.

1988: Congress funds the Human Genome Project, which was a global effort to map the entire human genetic code.

• 1960: Messenger RNA (mRNA) is discovered by French scientists
• 1961: Genetic code is understood for the first time
• 1962: Dr. Osamu Shimomura discovers the green fluorescent protein in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. He later develops it into a tool for observing previously invisible cellular processes.
• 1963: Scientists in China, Germany, and the U.S. synthesize insulin, a pancreatic hormone
• 1969: The first vaccine for rubella is developed.

2001: The human genome sequence is published in all science and nature magazines.

2002: Other major genome sequences are completed, including that of the mouse, chimpanzee, dog, and hundreds of others.

2009: President Barack Obama signs executive orders allowing scientists more leeway to research embryonic stem cells.

What Is Medical Biotechnology?

Medical biotechnology is the use and manipulation of DNA and other cellular components for the benefit of humans, such as curing and treating diseases. This field has seen many advancements in the past 60 years, from the discovery of the structure of DNA to mapping out its whole genetic code. This field continues to develop more and more each and every day.