P A GE 1

The End of

Hunger,

Disease, and

Even Death?

BIOTECHNOLOGY

By Dan Murphy

P A GE 1

Table of Contents

Disc la imer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

In t roduct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Types o f B io techno logy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Appl icat ions o f B io techno logy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Med ica l B io techno logy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Human Genome Pro jec t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Detec t ion o f Genet ic D iseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Gene Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Assays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Ag r icu l t u ra l B io techno logy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Genet i c Eng ineer ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Molecu lar Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Molecu lar D iagnost i cs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Vacc ines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

T issue Cu l tu re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

I ndus t r ia l B io techno logy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Potent ia l o f B io technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Concerns about B io techno logy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

R isks o f B io techno logy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

B iotech: Th rough an Investo r ' s Eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

AbbVie I nc . (ABBV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Organovo Ho ld ings (ONVO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Teva Pharmaceu t ica l I ndus t r ies L td (TEVA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Arena Pharmaceut ica ls (ARNA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Oramed Pharmaceut i ca ls (ORMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Alny lam Pharmaceut i ca ls I nc . (ALNY) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Opko Hea l t h I nc (OPK) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

I s is Pharmaceut i ca ls Inc . ( IS IS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Futu re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

P A GE 2

Disclaimer

© 2014 Joshua Tree Financial , Inc. Al l Rights Reserved

No part of th i s publ ication may be reproduced in any form or

by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwi se

wi thout the pr ior wr i t ten permiss ion of the copyr ight holder .

The Author has st r i ved to be as accurate and complete as

poss ible in the creat ion of th i s book, notwi thstanding the fact

that he does not warrant or represent at any t ime that the

contents wi th in the book are accurate due to the rapidly

changing nature of the subject .

Whi le a l l attempts have been made to ver i fy information

provided in th i s publ ication, the Author assumes no

respons ibi l i ty for er rors , omiss ions , o r contrary interpretat ion of

the subject matter herein.

P A GE 3

Introduction Bio techno logy is a t ype o f techno logy t ha t has root s deep in to t he co re o f b io logy .

I t s purpose i s to harness the power o f b io -mo lecu lar and ce l lu la r p rocesses in order

t o deve lop t echno log ica l p roducts wi t h t he a im o f improv ing hea l t h and ex tend ing

l i ves . To be more prec ise , cont rary to i t s name, b io techno logy is not a t a l l a s ing le

t echno logy - bu t ra ther a g roup o f va r ious t echno log ies t ha t wo rk in con junc t ion to

accomp l i sh innova t ive prog ress .

A more accura te def in i t i on o f b io techno logy w ou ld be "any techn ique that uses

l i v ing organ isms or t he i r p roducts t o make or mod i f y a product , t o improve p lant s or

an ima ls , o r t o deve lop m ic roorgan isms for spec i f ic uses . "

Bio techno logy may appear to be a re la t i ve ly new f ie ld o f s tudy ; however , th i s i s n ’ t

ent i re l y t r ue . Humans have been us ing b io techno logy f o r centur ies . Tasks such as

bak ing bread, brewing a lcoho l ic beverages and breed ing food c rops as we l l as

domes t ic an ima ls – a l l f a l l i n to the doma in o f b io techno logy.

Never the less , t he d iscov ery o f DNA ( deoxyr ibonuc le ic ac id ) in 1953 has been a

t u rn ing po in t f o r b io techno logy. The d iscovery tha t a l l l i v ing th ings had DNA as a

genet ic mater ia l i n t hem he lped in br ing ing about t r emendous advances and th is i s

wha t gave b i r t h t o modern b io techno lo gy.

The deve lopments in b io techno logy a l lowed sc ient i s t s t o deve lop numerous types o f

usefu l p roducts f rom who le organ isms or spec i f ic par ts o f t hem, inc lud ing

mo lecu les , ce l l s , o rgans and t issues . The ab i l i t y to ex t rac t DNA f rom l i v ing

o rgan isms and comb ine them wi th some o ther DNA paved way f or a new era o f

genet ic mod i f ica t ions . Now we are ab le t o c reate genet i ca l l y mod i f ied an imals and

p lant s .

These t ype s o f advancements in b io techno logy can, and a re , he lp ing humans to

head in a d i rec t ion t ha t wou ld so lve mank ind ’s most ca lam i tous cha l lenges. Here

are some o f the ways in wh ich b io techno logy can and a l ready is benef i t ing us :

Heal th

Through unders tand ing and man ipu la t ion o f the very s t rands t ha t make humans,

b io techno logy wou ld be ab le t o he lp improve hea l t hcare and improve l i v ing

cond i t ions o f peop le a l l a round the wor ld .

I t can reduce the ra tes o f i n fec t ious d iseases .

I t can g reat l y reduce ch i ld mor ta l i t y ra tes a l l over t he wor ld .

I t can he lp in deve lop ing a cure f o r i l l nesses t ha t a re cons ide red to be

unt reatab le as o f ye t .

P A GE 4

The versat i l i t y o f b io techno logy wi l l he lp by a l lowing mod i f i ca t ion and

ad jus tment o f t rea tment procedures t o s u i t the ind iv idua l needs o f pa t ien t s .

I t w i l l he lp in der i v ing accura te too ls fo r de tec t ion o f d iseases .

I t can g reat l y he lp the hea l th prob lems engu l f i ng deve lop ing wor lds .

Energy

Cer ta in b io log ica l p rocesses such as fe rmenta t ion are u t i l i zed by

b io techno logy . I n add i t i on to harness ing b iocata lys ts such as yeas t , enzy mes

and numerous o ther m ic robes ; b io techno logy i s a l ready he lp ing t o power our

wor ld .

S t reaml in ing chemica l manufac tu r ing processes and a l l t he p ro cesses there in

by over 80 percent .

I t has lowered the temperature requ i rement f o r c lean ing c lo thes . Th is saves

over $4 b i l l i on each year .

The e f f i c iency o f manufac tur ing p rocesses has resu l t ed in sav ings on

opera t ing cos t s o f more than 50 percen t .

B io techno logy has cons iderab ly reduced our re l iance on pet rochemica ls .

Cer ta in b io - f ue ls have been manufac tu red and one day we may be re ly ing on

f ue ls deve loped through b io techno logy .

These b io - f ue ls have reduced g reenhouse gas em iss ions by more t han 50

percent .

The ra tes o f water usage as we l l as waste genera t ion have been reduced,

t hanks t o b io techno logy ’s u t i l i za t ion o f t he f u l l po ten t ia l o f b iomass was te .

Food

B io techno logy has o f f e red h igher c rop y ie lds wi th m in imum input .

I t has lowered the vo lumes o f ag r icu l tu re chemica l r un -o f f by in t roduc ing

genet ic mod i f ica t ion o f c rops .

I t has prov ided a means o f deve lop ing enhanced c rops t o ove rcome nut r ien t

de f i c ienc ies .

P roduc t ion o f f ood tha t is f ree o f a l le rgens and tox ins i s now poss ib le .

I t has he lped imp rove ca rd iovascu la r hea l t h by o f f e r ing improvements in the

o i l content f ound in f ood .

I t has t he potent ia l t o he lp us meet t he g rowing demands o f f ood wor ldwide .

P A GE 5

Types of Biotechnology

Bio techno logy can be u t i l i zed t o f u l f i l l numerous pu rposes in a wide range o f f i e lds .

That be ing sa id , b io techno logy can be d iv ided in to t he f o l lowing th ree t ypes to

ascer ta in a spec i f i c d i rec t ion o f r esearch

and deve lopment :

Red Biotechnology – Red, or Hea l t hca re

b io techno logy , re fers t o t he use o f

t echno logy t o research, deve lop or

man ipu la te t he body ’s own too ls to

improve l i f e by e l im inat ing d iseases. The

a im o f th is t ype o f b io techno logy is t o

f ocus on produc ing d iagnost ic techn iques

to detec t in fec t ions and d iseases and to

c reate med ic ine .

Green Biotechnology – Green , or Agr icu l t u re

b io techno logy , f ocuses on breed ing techn iques to

improve c rop produc t ion and qua l i t y . I t u t i l i zes

genet ic mod i f ica t ion t echn iques to ass is t

b reed ing and deve lopment o f a l te red c rops .

Regard less o f wh ich t echn ique is used, t he

p roduced c rop may be u t i l i zed f o r f ood o r en ergy

p roduct ion .

Whi te Biotechnology – W hite , o r

I ndus t r ia l b io techno logy , mak es use o f

enzymes and m icroo rgan isms to c reate

p roducts t ha t inc lude food, f eed,

chemica ls , de tergen ts , paper , tex t i l es as

we l l as b io - f ue ls . In p roduc ing b io - f ue ls ,

b io techno logy u t i l i zes renewab le

resources on ly in orde r t o reduce, and

perhaps one day e l im ina te , the re l iance

on pet rochemica ls as t he source o f f ue l .

P A GE 6

Applications of Biotechnology Bio techno logy a ims a t mak ing use o f l i v ing organ isms and sys tems in order to

deve lop new usefu l p roduc ts t ha t cou ld be used for a number o f purposes.

Depend ing on the type o f too ls used and the goa ls tha t sc ient i s ts w ish to f u l f i l l –

b io techno logy can be used to benef i t a number o f f i e lds inc lud ing med ica l sc ience ,

env i ronmenta l management , ag r i cu l tu re and an ima l f a rm ing , as we l l as f o r

i ndus t r ia l use .

I n t h is chapter , we wi l l examine , in deta i l , t he cur ren t app l i ca t ions o f b io techno logy

in each o f these f ie lds and d iscuss how they have he lped in advanc ing t hem.

Medical Biotechnology

One o f the most

common app l ica t ions o f

b io techno logy inc ludes

med ica l b io techno logy .

Th is i s a branch tha t

has g reat l y in f luenced

the l i ves o f humans ever

s ince exper t s s tar ted to

car r y ou t research and

deve lopment in an

a t t empt to improve

l i v ing s tandards .

The las t two decades

have brought some

majo r advancement t o

med ica l b io techno logy .

W e now have the ab i l i t y

t o detec t and t rea t

numerous d iseases,

some o f wh ich were

labe led as be ing

unt reatab le in t he pas t .

The newly ga ined leve l

o f unders tand ing has

p rov ided researchers

wi t h a f ramework on wh ich they can bu i ld upon for f u r t her prog r ess .

S ince DNA was d iscovered in t he ear ly 1950s, t h is k nowledge has a l lowed

sc ient i s t s t o bet t e r unders tand human phys io logy in o rder t o de r i ve and deve lop

new b io techno log ies wi th the in tent o f r a is ing t he hea l th ca re s tandards wor ldwide .

The genet ic causes o f d iseases have been under scru t iny by sc ient is t s . The Human

Genome Pro jec t a ims a t

P A GE 7

mapp ing the exac t locat ions o f human chromosomes so tha t p revent ion and cu re o f

d i seases can be deve loped.

Here are some ways tha t b io techno logy has cont r i bu ted t o , and cont inues to f ue l

t he deve lopment o f med ica l sc ience:

o The Human Genome Pro jec t

o De tec t ion o f Genet ic D iseases

o Pharmacogenomics

o Gene Therapy

o Assays

The Human Genome Pro ject

The Human Genome Pro jec t was launched in t he 1990 ’ s w i t h t he back ing o f the US

Depar tmen t o f Energy and the Na t iona l I ns t i tu te o f Hea l th . The pro jec t was p lanned

to las t f o r 15 years ; however , advancements t h roughout the years have acce le ra ted

and he lped the pro jec t , caus ing i t to comp le te 2 years pr io r t o t he pro j ec ted date o f

comp le t ion .

The pro jec t had the f o l lowing ta rgets :

1 . To iden t i f y a l l o f the genes in

t he human DNA (approx imate ly

20,000 to 25,000)

2 . To determ ine sequences o f

chemica l base pa i rs tha t

cons t ruc ted the human DNA

(around 3 b i l l i on pa i r s )

3 . To t rans fer s im i la r t echno log ies

t o t he pr i va te sec tor t o ensure

cont inued g rowth

4 . To address i ssues tha t may

a r ise f rom th is p ro jec t (E th ica l ,

Lega l and Soc ia l )

A genome cons is t s o f a l l t he genes

found in a DNA of an o rgan i sm. They

car r y on them the in fo rmat ion t ha t is

requ i red t o c reate p ro te ins to f u l f i l l

t he requ i rements o f any pa r t icu lar

o rgan ism.

I t i s t hese p ro te ins t ha t es tab l i sh an organ ism ’s appearance as we l l as how the

f ood i s metabo l i zed. The way the organ ism f ig h ts o f f an in fec t ion a lso depends on

these p ro te ins .

P A GE 8

DNA cons is ts o f f ou r ana logous nuc leo t ides . These nuc leo t ides a re nominated

depend ing on the type o f base they con ta in and are abbrev ia ted as A, T , C and G .

These are recur r ing m i l l i ons and b i l l i ons o f t imes in a s ing le genome. For examp le ,

our genome – t he human genome, cons is t s o f a round 3 b i l l i on pa i r s o f such

nuc leot ides .

Thanks t o b io techno logy , t h is k ind o f knowledge can he lp us in revo lu t ion iz ing the

ways o f d iagnos ing , t rea t ing and preven t ing t he la rge number o f d i seases tha t

cont inue to haunt us .

Th is research wi l l he lp us wi th the f o l lowing app l i ca t ions :

o Mo lecu lar Med ic ine – goa ls o f mo lecu la r med ic ine inc lude improvements in

d iagnos is o f d i seases, improved drug des ign, gene therapy among var ious

o thers .

o DNA Forens ics – f o r i dent i f i ca t ion purposes

o Env i ronmenta l App l i ca t ions

o Renewab le Energy Sour ces

Some of the above app l i ca t ions wi l l be d iscussed in deta i l l a ter on in t h i s repor t .

Detect ion o f Genet ic Diseases

Most o f the genet ic t es t ing was, unt i l now, car r ied out on ly on f e tuses wi t h the

in tent o f i dent i f y ing t he gender o f a ch i ld . On ly a sma l l number o f genet i c d iseases

were ab le to be detec ted

( f o r examp le Down

Syndrome. )

To determ ine the gender

o f a ch i ld , a need le was

i nser ted in to t he mother ’ s

abdomen wh ich pene t ra ted

in to the pocket o f amn io t ic

f l u id tha t sur rounded the

f e tus . The ce l ls t ha t were

removed were t rea ted so

t ha t t hey re leased the i r

chromosomes – t he ce l l s

were then s ta ined wi t h

dyes and pa i red together ;

t h is techn ique i s named

karyotyp ing.

However , the research cont inues in order to deve lop new techn iques to de tec t

genet ic d iseases. W ith t ime, more soph is t i ca ted methods wi l l emerge that w i l l a l l ow

detec t ion o f d iseased genes. Accura te d iagnos is o f such d isorde rs wi l l pave way f or

accura te t r ea tment methods.

P A GE 9

The DNA based tes t s t ha t a re cur rent ly ava i lab le can dete c t the f o l lowing :

o A lzhe imer 's d isease

o Amyot roph ic la te ra l sc le ros is

o A tax ia t e lang iec tas ia

o Cys t i c f i b ros is

o Hemoph i l ia A and B

o Hered i t a ry nonpo lypos is co lon cancer

o Myo ton ic dys t rophy

o Sachs D isease

o S ick le ce l l d isease

o Sp ina l muscu lar a t rophy

Pharmacogenomics

Pharmacogenomics i s a t ype o f b io techno logy t ha t a ims a t ana lyz ing how a

par t icu lar gene t ic makeup i n f luences a person ’s reac t ion t o drugs . I t i nvo lves the

p rocess o f des ign ing t he most e f f ec t i ve t ype o f d rug t herapy and t rea tment methods

based on a par t i cu la r genet ic pro f i l e o f an ind iv idua l . I t i s be l ieved that p rog ress in

t h is f ie ld wi l l l ead us to a po in t where persona l i zed drugs wi t h h ig h leve ls o f sa fe t y

and e f f ec t i veness wi l l become poss ib le .

Gene Therapy

Genet i c d isorders resu l t when a gene is damaged o r m iss ing . Genes are t he

essent ia l un i t s o f he red i t y t ha t a re passed down by ou r f am i l y . A method o f

cor rec t ing these defec t i ve genes i s ca l led Gene therapy , and i t can be done in t he

f o l lowing ways :

o By p lac ing a normal gene a t a non -spec i f ic l ocat ion

o By rep lac ing the defec t i ve gene wi t h a norma l one

o By repa i r ing the abnorma l gene

o By tu r n ing a par t i cu la r gene on or o f f

Genera l l y , a norma l gene

can be inser ted in to any

genome us ing a car r ie r

mo lecu le wh ich we ca l l a

vector . A vec tor i s s imp ly a

v i r us whose d iseased genes

have been subst i t u ted by

t he rapeut i c genes.

A l l human gene therapy

p roducts are cur rent l y a t an

exper imenta l s tage.

P A GE 1 0

Assays

Biosensor t echno logy f a l l s under t he vas t scope o f b io techno logy and i t p rov ides

superb and exc i t i ng ways o f measur ing po l lu tants in ou r env i ronment . I t can a lso be

used to detec t exp los ives , b io -war fare agents or tox ins .

A b iosensor is bas ica l l y composed o f severa l b io log ica l components inc lud ing ce l l s ,

enzymes and ant ibod ies . A t iny t ransducer i s a lso par t o f t he sensor assemb ly . I t

work s when the tes t subs tance b inds i t se l f on to the b io log ica l c omponents and as a

resu l t , the t ransducer c reates e lec t r ica l impu lses tha t a re d i rec t l y p ropor t iona l t o

t he subs tances ’ concen t ra t ion .

A lo t o f compan ies have begun to spec ia l i ze in c reat ing Hand -He ld Assays . Th is

t echno logy i s noth ing shor t o f be ing revo l u t ionary as i t swi f t l y and accura te ly

detec ts any pro te ins , in fec t ions or ant ibod ies wi t h accuracy ra tes reach ing cent

percent .

Agricultural Biotechnology

For thousands o f years , f a rmers have been a t tempt ing to improve the y ie lds o f t he i r

w i ld p lan ts as we l l as qua l i t y o f the i r an ima ls by se lec t ing and breed ing on ly t hose

tha t had des i rab le p roper t ies . Th is se lec t i ve breed ing led t o t he domest i ca t ion o f

bo th p lant s and an ima ls . W i th t ime , t hese techn iques have p rog ressed to a po in t

where prec ise a l t e ra t ions in the

DNA have become poss ib le .

A l l o f the c red i t goes t o t he

sc ient i s t s who have deve loped

ways o f ident i f y ing , and then

mod i f y ing DNA wh ich i s

respons ib le f o r the

charac ter i s t ics o f a l l l i v ing

o rgan isms.

Ag r icu l t u ra l b io techno logy re fers

t o t he techn iques tha t a re

u t i l i zed in o rder t o improve

an ima ls , p lan ts and o ther

o rgan isms. As sc ien t is t s and

researchers have ga ined a

g reater unders tand ing o f the

DNA, ag r i cu l tu ra l p roduct i v i t y

has sk yrocketed . A t ime h as come where b io techno logy has enab led us t o br ing

improvements wh ich were o the rwise no t poss ib le before now.

Ag r icu l t u ra l b io techno logy i s be ing used for t he f o l lowing :

o Genet i c Eng ineer ing

o Mo lecu lar Mark ers

P A GE 1 1

o Mo lecu lar D iagnost i cs

o Vacc ines

o T issue Cu l tu re

Genet ic Engineer ing

The vas t unders tand ing o f the s t ruc tu re o f DNA has enab led sc ient is ts t o t r ans fer

genes o f one organ ism to another . Th is method is a lso known as the f o l lowing :

1 . Genet i c Mod i f i ca t ion

2 . Genet i c Eng ineer ing

3 . Genet i c Improvement

Regard less o f what i t i s ca l led , t he ac tua l p rocess invo lves t rans fer r ing des i rab le

p roper t ies o f one organ ism in to e i t her a p lant f o rm or an ima l by in t roduc ing genes

f rom any o ther l i v ing o rgan ism.

I n s imp le words , t h is is l i k e

handp ick ing t he bes t qua l i t i es

f rom one th ing , and pu t t ing i t i n

anothe r t o make the u l t imate

end produc t .

Such k ind o f mod i f ica t ions have

a l lowed farmers t o improve the

y ie ld o f the i r c rops , enhance

c rop pro tec t ion , improve

nut r i t iona l va lue , as we l l as

a l lowing them to produce c rops

wi t h bet t e r f lavo r .

Molecular Markers

Trad i t i ona l l y , b reed ing methods were dependent on v isua l i dent i f i ca t ion o f des i red

t ra i t s . Th is was, and rema ins , a somewhat inaccura te way o f se lec t i ve breed ing . I t

i s now poss ib le t o examine the DNA of an o rgan ism in order to ident i f y pos i t i ve

t r a i t s in a p lan t o r an ima l ’ s genes. Th is techn ique has a l lowed for a more prec ise

and much more e f f icac ious way o f b reed ing .

S im i la r l y , th i s t echn ique can a lso be used to comp le te ly e l im ina te any undes i rab le

t r a i t s f rom the genes in order t o s top them be ing passed down to f u tu re

genera t ions .

Molecular Diagnost ics

Molecu lar d iagnost i cs cons is t s o f numerous techn iques tha t a l low bet ter de tec t ion

o f genes. Th is has been used in ag r icu l t u re wi th the in tent o f p rec ise ly f i nd ing

d iseases in c rops or l i ves tock .

P A GE 1 2

Vaccines

Qui te recent l y , a number o f vacc ines have been deve loped us ing b io techno logy .

These vacc ines are no t on ly used in l i ves tock , bu t a lso humans . They are a

cheaper and safer a l te rnat i ve to prev ious t ypes o f vacc ines . Such vacc ines a re

s tab le a t r oom temperatures and there fore do not requ i re re f r igera t ion . Th is makes

them an exce l len t op t ion f o r use in ho t count r ies and deve lop ing count r ies .

Tissue Cul ture

T issue cu l t u re i s a t echn ique that has a l lowed sc ient i s ts a way to reproduce p lant

mate r ia l tha t i s d isease f ree . Avocados , bananas, c i t r us , co f f ee , papaya and

p ineapp les are examp les o f c rops tha t have been produced by us ing t issue cu l tu re .

Industr ia l Biotechnology

I ndus t r ia l B io techno logy is t he modern u t i l i za t ion and app l i ca t ion o f b io te chno logy

t o ach ieve sus ta inab le processes. I t a l l ows us to produce numerous mater ia l s ,

chemica ls as we l l as f ue ls . Th is branch o f b io techno logy makes use o f enzymes

a long wi th m ic ro -organ isms to c reate a range o f p roducts across severa l i ndus t r ia l

sec to rs such as :

o Chemica ls

o Pharmaceut ica ls

o De te rgen ts

o Paper

o Tex t i l es

o Energy

B io techno logy has been a round for a long , long t ime. However , on ly recent ly has i t

eve r been used a t such a vas t sca le

and wi t h t he ongo ing research – we

a re soon to see a rap id g rowth in

t he number o f app l ica t ions o f

i ndus t r ia l b io techno logy . Sc ient is ts ,

w i t h t he i r newly der i ved knowledge

o f ce l l metabo l i sm and mater ia l

sc iences , a re cont inu ing t o head

towards b reak through

ach ievements .

The fac t tha t i ndus t r ia l

b io techno logy has paved wa y for

sus ta inab le indus t r ia l p rocesses is

t he major reason i t i s so a t t r ac t i ve .

I ndus t r ia l b io techno logy can have

g reat e f f ec ts on o the r f acets o f b io techno logy by :

o He lp ing ag r i cu l tu re become more v iab le as we l l as sus ta inab le

P A GE 1 3

o Improv ing the q ua l i t y o f l i f e o f humans by o f f e r ing g round -break ing products

a t r easonab le cos t s

o He lp ing indus t r ies to amp l i f y t he i r economic e f f icacy and sus ta inab i l i t y

B io techno logy cont inues to deve lop; however , i t has a l ready has f a r reach ing

e f f ec t s on numerous indus t r ies . Here are some o f the sec to rs tha t have benef i t ed

f rom the improved indus t r ia l and b io log ica l p rocesses :

- Bu lk Chemicals: B io techno logy has in t roduced fermenta t ion processes tha t

have a l lowed manufac ture o f numerous chemica ls in inc reas ing ly h igher

quant i t i es . Common examp les o f such chemica ls inc lude V i t am in C, C i t r ic

ac id and L -G lu tam ic ac id . B io -degradab le p las t i cs have a lso been in t roduced

and they o f f e r l im i t less capac i t y f o r deve lopment , t hanks to t he new bu lk

po lymers and monomers .

- B io-Energy – Bio techno logy has made i t poss ib le f o r sc ien t is t s and

researchers to examine ways o f deve lop ing renewab le f ue l sources in orde r t o

reduce g reenhouse em iss ions and the re l iance on pet rochemica ls . A number

o f b io - f ue ls have been c reated and the f u tu re seems ex t reme ly br igh t .

P A GE 1 4

Potential of Biotechnology Bio techno logy has seen some amaz ing deve lopments t h roughout the wor ld . There i s

no doubt t ha t t hese deve lopments have cont r ibu ted in amaz ing ways f o r the

bet te rment o f mank ind in t e rms o f bo th hea l t h and commerce.

W e have a l ready d iscussed a number o f cur rent app l i ca t ions o f b io techno logy in the

p rev ious chap ter s and i t wou ld be sa fe t o say t ha t the ra te o f p rog ress i s bound to

increase exponen t ia l l y in t he coming days . The break th roughs in med ica l sc ience ,

t hanks t o b io techno logy , has prov ided med ica l p ro fess iona ls t he ab i l i t y t o

unders tand l i v ing organ isms bet ter t han ever before . Thus, t he potent ia l o f med ica l

b io techno logy canno t be, in anyway, doubted . The day isn ’ t f a r when b io techno logy

wi l l un leash i t s po tent ia l , l ead ing t o a hea l t h ie r g loba l soc ie t y . Same goes for o ther

app l i ca t ions o f b io techno logy – cont inued research i s bound to pave way for

innovat i ve products and there is no t u rn ing back .

Mar ine b io techno logy, wh ich we have not ment ioned p rev ious ly , is ye t anothe r

app l i ca t ion t ha t i s no t the leas t p rom is ing . Recen t l y , sc ien t is t s have succeeded in

c lon ing g rowth hormones o f sa lmon – i f such t ype o f advances cont inue then we wi l l

sure ly see sus ta inab le methods o f p roduct ion o f sea l i f e . Spec ia l chemica ls and

enzymes wi th a un ique set o f p roper t ies are now be ing d iscovere d – t hereby pav ing

way f or new products wh ich have a l ready appeared on the ho r i zon . App ly ing the

concept o f gene t ic eng ineer ing onto mar ine l i f e can do wonders f o r t he commerc ia l

and indus t r ia l benef i t s o f th is indus t r y , w i t hout hav ing a negat i ve impact on the

env i ronment .

P A GE 1 5

The deve lopments in gene t ic eng ineer ing have e l im inated our dependence on

sus ta ined harves t wh ich was sub jec ted t o t he vagar ies o f weather . Deta i led

knowledge o f DNA has a l lowed us t o produce under cont ro l led env i ronments .

Ag r icu l t u re b io techno logy i s prom is ing and i t may be the on ly so lu t ion to f u l f i l l t he

wor ld ’s inc reas ing need for f ood.

However , deve lop ing count r ies

need to se t up f ac i l i t i es tha t wou ld

cont r ibu te to t he con t ro l led

p roduct ion . Deve loped count r ies

a lone cannot f u l f i l l t he wor ld ’ s

requ i rement , s ince t he exper t i se

and resources requ i red f o r

in te l lec tua l t ra in ing are not

abundant .

Par tnersh ips among deve loped and deve lop ing coun t r ies a re a way fo rward tha t

wou ld he lp proper u t i l i za t ion o f the p oten t ia l o f b io techno logy .

That be ing sa id , b io techno logy is a f ie ld t ha t is burs t ing wi t h g reat po tent ia l t o

enhance l i f e in a lmost every way imag inab le – and in te l lec tua ls wor ldwide are no

doubt t app ing in to i t t o br ing about un imag inab le benef i t s .

P A GE 1 6

Concerns about Biotechnology Bio techno logy is by i t s very nature f as t -paced and a rap id ly - chang ing f ie ld . Th is

t echno logy somet imes g rows a t ra tes g reater t han tha t o f t he regu la to ry bod ies .

Th is somet imes ra ises quest ions as to t he b ioeth ica l i ssues . Some segments lay

g reat emphas is on t hese because many o f the produc ts t ha t a re produced through

b io techno logy are consumed by humans -

whe ther d i rec t l y o r ind i rec t l y .

Bo th Sc ient i s ts and regu la tors are aware o f

t hese gaps tha t f requent l y emerge, a nd th is i s

t he so le reason as t o why ru les regard ing

s tem -ce l l r esearch and pa tent ing o f genet i c

inven t ions are cont inuous ly a l te red t o ca ter

t he chang ing scenar ios .

Qu i te recent l y , t he ab i l i t y t o c reate ar t i f i c ia l

genes and the emergence o f genomics h as

ra ised quest ions o f t he poss ib le th reats to the

env i ronment and the humans themse lves .

Some of the concerns t ha t have come to

l ime l igh t as a resu l t o f these emerg ing

t echno log ies are as f o l l ows:

1 . Damage to the Envi ronment

Th is i s ra ised t yp ica l l y by those set o f peop le who oppose Genet ica l l y Mod i f ied

Organ isms (GMOs) . They c la im that i t i s d i f f i cu l t t o pred ic t t he a f te re f f ec ts o f

i n t roduc ing new organ isms in to t he ecosys tem – regard less o f whether t hey have

been genet i ca l l y mod i f ied or no t .

2 . B ioterror i sm

The peop le in power are concerned about the f ac t

t ha t b io techno logy cou ld be used to c reate numerous

v i ruses , t ox ins and s im i la r chemica ls and used for

t he purpose o f war fa re .

3 . Laboratory Safety

Some of the newly deve loped techno log ies such as

t he nanopar t ic les mak e i t t o t he p roduct ion l ines

even before they have been fu l l y t es ted f o r sa fe t y .

Th is has ra ised concerns about the sa fe t y and we l l

be ing o f the peop le t ha t a re invo lved in t he i r

p roduct ion , such as t echn ic ians . Af te r a l l , i f you are

not aware o f the

P A GE 1 7

dangers o f a par t i cu la r o rgan ism (or even non l i v ing organ ism) , i t i s f a r more

d i f f i cu l t to pro tec t onese l f .

4 . Ethical Concerns

Apar t f rom the decades o ld quest ion o f whe ther i t i s e th ica l t o c lone genes or not , a

number o f ques t ions have been ra ised as t o t he d i rec t ion where genet ic

eng ineer ing and b io techno logy as a who le i s headed. The ab i l i t y t o cons t ruc t genes

may one day empower humans to c reate l i f e f rom a ‘chemica l soup ’ . I f th i s

happens , th i s ac t wi l l ce r ta in ly v io la te t he re l ig ious ideas and e th ics o f a g rea t

number o f peop le .

Risks of Biotechnology

L ik e a l l t h ings , regard less o f how many advantages i t has o f f e red us , b io techno logy

does come wi th some r i sks . Such r isks may sur face one day ; cou ld i t be poss ib le

t ha t sc ient i s t f a i l ed t o ca lcu la te t he r isks invo lved before get t ing invo lved in t he

in t r i cac ies o f genet i c eng ineer ing?

S im i la r ques t ions may or may not be answered in t he coming fu ture . Here a re t he

r i sks :

o Al le rg ies

o Nut r ien t Imba lance

o Decrease in the natu ra l f ood d ivers i t y

o Tox ic i t y

Among o ther concerns i s t he idea tha t genet ic mod i f ica t ion in the f ood indus t r y may

i nc rease peop le ’s sens i t i v i t y t o ce r ta in t ypes o f a l l e rgens. From a sc ient i f i c po in t o f

v iew, any in t roduc t ion o f f o re ign genes can d is rupt t he natu ra l ba lance o f nu t r ien t s

in t he rec ip ien t .

Some quest ions t ha t need to be c lear l y answered are :

1 . How wi l l genet i c mod i f ica t ion a f f ec t the in terac t ion o f var ious nut r ien t s?

2 . How wi l l genet i c eng ineer ing a f f ec t the in terac t ion o f nu t r ien t s wi t h genes?

3 . W hat t ype o f e f f ec ts wi l l genet i c mod i f i ca t ion have on b io -ava i lab i l i t y o f

nu t r ien t s?

4 . How wi l l such changes a f f ec t t he metabo l i sm o f nu t r ien t s?

The concerns are no t rea l l y d i rec ted a t t he t ype o f genet i ca l l y mod i f ied f ood that is

cur rent l y p resent in t he markets as t h is has been approved by a number o f s tud ies .

The rea l cause o f apprehens ion i s concern ing what t he f u ture o f genet i c

eng ineer ing wi l l b r ing about .

Th is i s why i t i s essent ia l t o unders tand the f ine deta i ls and the charac ter is t i cs o f

genet ica l l y eng ineered food and the k ind o f impact i t w i l l have on humans.

B io techno logy is an in terd isc ip l inary f ie ld and ex tens ive knowledge o f a l l t he

P A GE 1 8

consequences shou ld be s tud ied in deta i l i f we a re to avo id any k ind o f p rob lems in

t he f u ture .

P A GE 1 9

Biotech: Through an Investor's Eyes The umpteen number o f p rospects f o r deve lopment tha t a re o f f e red by

b io techno logy are c r ys ta l c lear . There i s no doubt t ha t b io tech no logy i s someth ing

t ha t is here to s tay f o r good, and wi t h the increas ing number o f research and

deve lopment compan ies a l ready t app ing in to b io techno logy t o benef i t f rom i t s

potent ia l – inves tors have a good fee l ing about b io techno logy s tocks .

Un t i l t he th i rd quar te r o f the prev ious year , t here were a round 30 b io techno logy

compan ies wh ich were o f f e r ing s tocks f o r t he pub l ic . W i th t he onset o f 2014, t he re

def in i t e l y has not been any lag and the number cont inues t o increase. I nves to rs are

not labe l ing t h is indus t r y as a bubb le , bu t a boom. Those who k now the in t r icac ies

o f how the s tock market works , wou ld be p leased to know that good t imes for

b io techno logy compan ies are pred ic ted t o cont inue; ra ther t han the bubb le bu rs t ing

and the s tocks tumb l ing down th e h i l l .

Such were t he impress ions o f inves tors who served as pane l i s t s a t the B io I nves to r

Fo rum in San Franc isco. A lmost each and every pa r t o f the med ica l b io techno logy

had seen ex t reme ly h igh deve lopment cos ts and numerous o ther ma lad ies ;

however , the year 2013 saw the techno logy roar ing back t o l i f e – a surge tha t was

not w i tnessed s ince t he year 2000 .

Some be l ieve tha t th i s i s j us t a shor t bu rs t tha t wou ld d ie down wi th t ime.

I nves tment exper ts be l ieve o the rwise:

“There i s no reason to be l ieve th is window is go ing t o shut any t ime soon, ” sa id

Andrew McLaugh l in , a po r t f o l io manager wi t h an inves tmen t company. “As fa r as I

can te l l , t h is w i l l con t inue for a wh i le . ”

P A GE 2 0

Many pharmaceut ica l compan ies have turned towards t he use o f b io techno logy f o r

research ing and deve lop ing med ica l so lu t ions , and i t i s sa fe to say t ha t severa l

b reak th roughs are imminent in t he coming months . The race cont inues as t hese

compan ies compete in an a t t empt t o become lead ing b io techno logy compan ies .

Here are some o f the compan ie s t ha t a re o f f e r ing s tocks t o t he pub l i c :

AbbVie Inc . ( ABBV) i s a research based company wi t h an a im o f d i scover ing ,

deve lop ing and commerc ia l i z ing advanced therap ies . Th is pharmaceut i ca l

company 's product range inc ludes HUMIRA, metabo l ic /hormone products , v i ro logy

p roducts , endoc r ino logy and dys l ip idemia products bes ides o the rs .

The i r p roducts have been used to t r ea t a number o f a i lmen ts and d iseases such as :

o Rheumato id Ar thr i t i s

o Psor ias is

o C rohn ' s D isease

o Human Immunodef ic iency V i rus (H IV)

o Cys t i c F ibros is Comp l ica t ions

o Low Testos terone

o Thyro id D isease

o Pa rk inson 's D isease

o A Number Of C ompl i ca t ions Re la ted To K idneys

AbbV ie has a lso launched a comprehens ive prog ram for Hepat i t i s C v i rus genotype

one.

Organovo Holdings (ONVO) genera ted a p la t f o rm for genera t ing t h ree d imens iona l

human t issues t ha t can be used in d iscover ies o f d rug s and for t he i r deve lopment ,

r esearch as we l l as f o r t herapeu t ic imp lants f o r t rea t ing damaged t issues and

o rgans. Degenera t ing t issues and organs can a lso be t rea ted us ing t hese

techn iques.

The company was fo rma l l y known as the Rea l Es ta te Restora t ion & Ren ta l I nc . ;

however , i t merged wi t h Organovo Acqu is i t i on Corp .

Teva Pharmaceut ical Industr ies Ltd (TEVA) i s a pharmaceut ica l company based

in I s rae l . I t i s i nvo lved in deve lo p ing , p roduc ing and marke t ing gener i c d rugs t ha t

can be used in numerous t rea tment ca tegor ies . The ma in p roducts o f th is company

inc lude Az i lec t and Copaxone. TEVA indus t r ies opera te qu i t e a f ew subs id iar ies in

t he f o l lowing count r ies :

o Canada

o C roa t ia

o Czech Repub l ic

o F rance

o Germany

o Hungary

P A GE 2 1

o I r e land

o I s rae l

o Jordan

o Po land

o Russ ia

o Spa in

o Ne ther lands

o Un i ted K ingdom

o Un i ted Sta tes

T ra in Merger Sub Inc , a subs id iary o f t h is company, recen t l y acqu i red NuPath I nc .

Arena Pharmaceut ica ls (ARN A) i s a b iopharmaceut i ca l company wh ich f ocuses on

d iscovery, deve lopment and commerc ia l i za t ion o f nove l d rugs t ha t a re des igned to

t a rget G p ro te in coup led recep tors , i n an a t t empt t o f u l f i l l unmet med ica l needs. In

2012, t he US Food and Drug Admin is t ra t ion approved the i r d i scovery o f a drug

named BELVIQ wh ich a ims a t he lp ing overwe ight adu l t s w i t h chron ic we ight

management .

Oramed Pharmaceut icals (ORMP) i s a pharmaceu t ica l company that i s engaged in

t he research and deve lopment o f innova t i ve pharmaceut ica l p roducts . The i r l i ne o f

i nnovat i ve products inc ludes ora l l y inges t ib le insu l in f o r peop le wi th d iabetes . They

a re a im ing to revo lu t ion ize the t rea tment o f d iabetes th rough th is f lagsh ip produc t .

The i r i nnova t i ve insu l in has changed the way insu l in is de l i v e red to t he body.

Alnylam Pharmaceut icals Inc. ( ALNY) i s a b iopharmaceu t ica l company tha t has

been deve lop ing nove l t herapeut ics t ha t is based on the RNA in ter f e rence. RNA

in te r f e rence i s a natura l l y occur r ing b io log ica l pa thway ins ide t he ce l ls wh ich

s i lences and regu la tes the express ions o f pa r t icu lar genes. They a im to deve lop a

number o f b io log ica l and chemica l methods to tha t can be used to f u r ther deve lop

RNA In ter ference fo r a number o f d i seases.

Opko Heal th Inc (OPK) i s a mu l t i -na t iona l b iopharmaceu t i ca l company wi t h goa ls

t o es tab l ish i t se l f as an indus t r y lead ing company in the rap id ly expand ing med ica l

markets by u t i l i z ing t he i r exper t ise in orde r t o deve lop, d iscover and commerc ia l i ze

nove l and p ropr ie tary t echno log ies .

They have been work ing on deve lop ing a range o f p roducts to d iagnose and t rea t a

number o f cond i t ions . They have deve loped the f o l lowing tes t s f o r d iagnost i c

purposes :

o Po in t -o f -care tes t s

o Labora tory deve loped tes ts

o Mo lecu lar d iagnost i c tes t s

They have p lans t o commerc ia l i ze such so lu t ions and in t roduce them on a g loba l

bas is , a l ready hav ing launched the i r commerc ia l opera t ions in emerg ing markets o f

Ch i le ,

P A GE 2 2

Mex ico and Spa in . These opera t ions are genera t ing good revenue and wi l l he lp in

in t roduc t ion o f p roducts t ha t a re cu r rent l y under deve lopment . They have a lso

es tab l ished the i r opera t ions in Braz i l qu i t e recent l y .

I s is Pharmaceut ica ls Inc. ( IS IS) i s a lead ing company in an t i - sense drug d iscovery

and deve lopment . They exp lo i t a nove l d rug d iscovery p la t f o rm in order to genera te

a wide p ipe l ine o f f i r s t i n c lass drugs . An t isense techno logy i s known to prov ide a

d i rec t rou te f rom genomics t o drugs . Us ing t h is p la t f o rm, t hey are research ing and

deve lop ing drugs t o t r ea t a wide range o f d isease, inc lud ing :

o Card iovascu lar D iseases

o Neuro log ica l D iseases

o Me tabo l ic D isease

o Cancer

P A GE 2 3

The Future

A qu ick g lance a t the potent ia l and cur rent deve lopments in b io techno logy seems to

revea l an ins ight in to i t s f u tu re . The future is , w i thout any doubt , b r igh t .

B io techno logy p romises t o improve our l i ves in ways tha t we may not even be ab le

t o unders tand a t th is very moment in t ime. Jus t imag ine a wor ld tha t i s f ree o f a l l

d i seases – a wor ld where t he p revent ion and t rea t ment t echn iques are so advanced

tha t f a l l ing i l l becomes a t h ing o f the pas t .

Imag ine a wor ld where f ood is in abundant supp ly ; imag ine what i t wou ld be l i ke

when the g rowing demand for f ood can be met and no one ever s leeps hungry .

B io techno logy can do tha t – i t can e l im ina te hunger , f amine and a l l ma l i ce tha t

cur rent l y g r ips t he n at ions o f the wor ld . Deve lop ing count r ies wi l l be ab le t o come

out o f the i r p rob lems and wi l l be ab le to jo in t he league o f deve loped count r ies . A l l

t h is may be a dream for now, but t h i s d ream can be t rans formed in to rea l i t y .

Sc ient is t s and researchers hav e a l ready shown us what can be ach ieved us ing

b io techno logy in the f i e lds o f med ica l sc ience , ag r i cu l tu re and env i ronmenta l

management . D iseases tha t a re cur rent l y labe led un t reatab le may be to ta l l y

e l im inated. Af te r a l l , some o f the vacc ines t ha t have bee n c reated to t r ea t

numerous d iseases, t hanks to b io techno logy, were a lso cons idered unt reatab le .

The fu ture o f b io techno logy depends on cont inuous e f f o r ts f rom a l l corners o f the

wor ld . However , i t i s impor tant t o unders tand tha t the r i sks o f m isuse o f

b io techno logy l inger on. Th is makes i t essent ia l t ha t some mon i tor ing body keeps

an eye on the ac t i v i t i es and

P A GE 2 4

r esearch t ha t is go ing on – the las t th ing we wou ld want on our way to ach ieve

per fec t ion wou ld be des t ruc t ion .

B io techno logy has the potent ia l o f be ing used for a l l sor ts o f i l l s – c rea t ion o f b io -

weapons, unt reatab le v i ruses and o f course, t he humans themse lves can be

genet ica l l y a l t e red t o enhance them. These concerns wi l l cont inue to be brought up

f rom ce r ta in g roups – bu t the quest ion i s , who i s r igh t? Can we le t our f ea rs

become a h indrance in the deve lopment o f our soc ie t ies? Are we even capab le o f

f ac ing our wors t f ea rs?

Regard less o f the fears and concerns ; t he d i rec t ion o f advancement tha t has been

taken up by b io techno logy i s t r u l y prom i s ing .

To ensure g rowth in t he cor rec t d i rec t ion , par tnersh ips be tween governments ,

i ndus t r ia l bod ies , va r ious indus t r ies and the research sec tor shou ld be es tab l i shed

so t ha t mutua l p rogress can be made. No t on ly wi l l t h is encourage co l labora t ion , i t

w i l l c reate bonds be tween humans f rom a l l corners o f the wor ld – a bond that w i l l

no t on ly work t owards t echno log ica l advancements , bu t one that a ims a t improv ing

re la t ions o f var ious s ta tes and e l im inates hat red and pre jud ice . W e, as humans ,

need to unders tan d that be fore we can fu l l y hand le power fu l t echno logy, we need to

deve lop are mora l and e th ica l s tandards so tha t t he wor ld can func t ion peacefu l l y .

W e need to ensure t ha t we are ready fo r t he b io techno logy revo lu t ion .