BIOL 2107K Chapter Notes - Chapter Unit 4: Str Analysis, Macular Degeneration, Microrna
Document Summary
Biotechnology means combining biological principles with engineering principles. The goal is alter biological parameters: size, growth, gene expression. There are 4 different biotechnologies to know in this unit: gene therapy - cures x-linked severe combined immunodeficiency. A normal gene is inserted into the dna replacing the bad gene. However it must become cells that multiply throughout the patient"s life. The first gene therapy was tried in 1990. The first successful case for a cure was scid. Scid means people have a defect in their immune system that leaves them vulnerable to potentially deadly infections: left untreated, causes death in early childhood. Nine of the patients in the trial showed significant improvement after two years. However, 3 of them developed leukemia and one of them died. (20. 23) It is concluded that the insertion of the retroviral vector occurred near a gene that triggers an increase in blood cells.
