Biotechnology in health and nutrition - drive for life
Even now only a fractional amount of known illnesses can be treated. The potential for the use of red biotechnology, i.e. the use of biotechnology in medicine is correspondingly large. With its help diagnostic procedures can be developed, progress can be made in regenerative medicine and active substances can be gained which otherwise can only be manufactured in very small quantities or with insufficient purity.
Pharmaceuticals
Many biotechnological products have already been on the market for a long time, for example interferons for the treatment of Hepatitis B and C or multiple sclerosis. Further well known examples: Erythropoietin against anaemia as well as insulin for the treatment of diabetes. This substance is a natural hormone of the pancreas and is today manufactured in genetically altered bacteria or yeasts. For this, the human insulin gene was transferred to the micro organisms. These form insulin which is identical to that from the human pancreas. If you wanted to produce it without the help of biotechnology, the pancreas' of three million cattle or 14 million pigs would be needed to produce the annual dose for 100,000 diabetics. In addition the use of animal materials in medicine harbours the risk of transferring diseases. Biotechnologically manufactured human insulin is significantly more compatible and you can even increase its effectiveness by punctually modifying the insulin genes in the producing micro-organisms.
However not all substances can be manufactured from microorganisms, because they have a composition which microorganisms do not have the "tools" for. Production in animals or plants is an alternative here. Since 2006 for example an anticoagulant substance, antithrombin, has been on the market, which was made from the milk of genetically altered - so called transgenic - goats.
Vaccines
With genetic methods not only can medications be manufactured, but also vaccines against viruses for which there has been no protection until now. For example cervical cancer: In many cases it can be attributed to the Humanpapilloma virus (HPV). Every year 6,500 new cases are diagnosed in Germany, 2,400 women die in the same period of time from this type of tumour. Since March 2007 the standing vaccine commission at the Robert-Koch-Institute has recommended vaccination against HPV for all girls from 12 to17 years old with a genetically engineered created vaccine - this is the first time that a vaccine has been specifically and successfully developed against cancer.
Gene therapy
While medications often only relieve symptoms, gene therapy works on the cause of the disease, namely on the level of the genetic material. Worldwide research is being carried out into the gene therapy of body cells, somatic gene therapy (Greek soma = body). This form of therapy leads to a genetic modification of the body cells, but is not hereditary. Particularly in the area of metabolic disorders there are great expectations for this. These illnesses are mainly based around the body's own substances such as enzymes being produced in the wrong quantities or defectively. Therefore we are trying to achieve a normal production of the relevant substances, by specifically introducing the correct genetic building plan into the body cells.
Diagnosis
Biotechnology also makes a crucial contribution in the area of diagnosis as well as biomedical research, and indeed both in the practical and basic research. A good third of all diagnoses and biomedical reagents are biotechnologically manufactured - and this trend is increasing. Furthermore procedures which are used to recognise pathogens, where even the tiniest traces can be found in their genetic material, are gaining in significance. With the help of genetic diagnostic procedures, further progress is to be expected when distinguishing between various types of tumours as the basis for a target orientated therapy. Such a procedure is already being used in an antibody against cancer. Here a preceding test can define which patients these antibodies would be effective for.
Regenerative medicine
Finally a field of application with a bright future is regenerative medicine. The aim is to cultivate tissue engineered from cells from the patient's own body, in order to be able to produce tailor made, compatible implants. In the case of heart valves, vascular and cartilage tissue research was able to achieve noticeable progress. The cultivation and multiplication of stem cells is already successfully practised, e.g. for the treatment of leukaemia.
Nutrition
In addition to medical treatment and prevention, healthy living is strongly dependent on nutrition. Food additives such as vitamins are already produced with the help of genetically altered microorganisms. Many of these health promoting additives are only available in sufficient quantities for food production through biotechnological processes. Experts estimate that the percentage of such ”functional foods“ will increase further in the next few years. For example they are supposed to strengthen the immune system or help to prevent deficiency symptoms or old age diseases.
Enzymes also support healthy nutrition, for example lactase, which splits lactose into its components of glucose and galactose. Many adults are lactose intolerant because their lactase gene is no longer active. In Germany between 15 and 25 percent of the population are affected by lactose intolerance. Therefore biotechnologically produced lactase is used in the foods to produce lactose free dairy products.
