Question

How is biotechnology useful for human health? Explain with an example.

Answer 1

1. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases are the two important aspects of human health management where biotechnology plays an important role.
2. Diagnosis: Biotechnology helps to identify the role of genes in the disease of a person. Diagnosis of diabetes and heart diseases has become possible even before the onset of symptoms, with the help of biotechnology. Diagnosis of the diseases like AIDS, dengue can be done within few minutes.
3. Therapy: Biotechnology is useful for the production of hormones like insulin, somatotropin and blood clotting factors.
4. Vaccines and vaccination: Biotechnology has led to the development of safer vaccines which make use of only antigens rather than the complete pathogen. Edible vaccines are also being developed with the help of biotechnology.
5. Interferons: Biotechnology is used to produce interferons from transgenic E. coli, that are useful for the treatment of viral diseases.
6. Gene therapy: Gene therapy to treat genetic disorders in somatic cells has become possible due to biotechnology.
7. Therapeutic Cloning: Stem cells can be derived from the cell formed in the laboratory by the union of the somatic cell nucleus with the enucleated egg cell. Various diseases can be treated with the help of these stem cells.