Throughout conservations on a daily basis, I often get asked ‘Will there ever be a cure for…?’ or ‘Do you think there will ever be…?’ and those questions are quite a stumbling block. Having discussed various aspects of current biochemical and biotechnical research of late I suppose it has prompted me to ask a similar question myself. The question being, how far can biotechnology take us? How much can we cure, eradicate or produce through further research in the biosciences? It’s a stimulating question and one that is impossible to answer definitively. We never know what exactly lies around the corner, but we can extrapolate on from current trends and ideas. Obviously, the areas of gene therapy, synthetic biology and pharmacogenomics are all fairly well established, yet in scientific terms they are still rather fresh. The possibilities that arise from such disciplines, at this point in time, seem boundless. But, how far can this research go? Some quarters accept biotechnology with skepticism , weary of its capabilities but accepting of its benefits. Furthermore, a small minority actively rejects research in certain areas , whilst their rivals actively pursue the forwarding of such research. It is clearer than ever before that we have a debate on our hands. But, vested interests, biases and religions aside, what can bioscience and biotechnical research achieve?
Current Biotechnology At WorkThe biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries are collectively worth billions of dollars and their impact is felt globally. But, people often actually wonder (other than manufacture drugs) what these companies do that is so special. I’m only going to focus on one such process and that is the manufacture of synthetic insulin via biotechnology. Fred Sanger developed the process and he was awarded with a Nobel Prize for his efforts (1958) . Insulin is formed of two chains, simply named the ‘A’ chain and the ‘B’ chain. The gene fragments that produce these chains cleaved and then ligated into separate inducible vectors; the fusion proteins are then synthesized and purified. Following that, cyanogen bromide is used to cleave the beta-galactosidase segment that presides at the end of the polypeptide chains. Finally, the chains are purified and joined by disulphide bridge formation to produce insulin (if you’re struggling with the lingo here, please refer back to my post entitled ‘Genetically Modified World’). Insulin is only one of a great deal of substances that are now made via genetic modification and biotechnological processes. So, it is important to note that whilst the research being currently undertaken and the future of biotechnology is important, biotechnology is also performing an extremely important function within our lives right now.
Future Biotechnical & Biochemical ResearchMost recently, I looked at the area of pharmacogenomics and the current research that the field is undertaking into drug metabolism . Currently, the limits of this research are unclear, but it seems that pharmacogenomics could revolutionize modern medicine. It seems more than plausible that ‘personalized medicine’ will become part of mainstream clinical treatments in years to come. Not only that, pharmacogenomics is making clear strides towards other elucidations beneficial to medicine. For example, just this month, researchers located a link between polymorphisms in the thyroid hormone receptor gene and the onset of asthmatic responses . But, How far can pharmacogenomics take us? Well, it can personalize medicine, improve drug development and dramatically enhance the treatment of many ailments and conditions; and I’m not sure this area of research has ever encompassed to do more than that.
Gene therapy treatments and genetic modification are also fast advancing areas of research. One rather trivial example is the development (via genetic modification) of a seedless watermelon . Allowing consumers to purchase watermelons without the irritation of having to deseed the watermelon (or crunch the seeds if you’re not overly fussed about their removal). I hasten to add, that genetic modification is capable of much more than deseeding watermelons though. For example, gene therapy has long held hope for the development of a cure to cystic fibrosis and HIV. Gene therapy has the potential to cure a variety of diseases, including links to oncolytic viruses and cancers . As with pharmacogenomics, gene therapy and genetic modification have their boundaries with regards to potential benefit. However, they both offer great hope to many people and are capable of taking humanity into a much healthier future. Research into genetic alteration is very popular and it wouldn’t surprise me if a very beneficial vaccine, cure of therapy (I suppose I mean life-changing) is only a few years away.
I have also delved into the up and coming field of synthetic biology, arguably, the most thought-provoking and interesting area of biotechnology. At this point in time, it is difficult to gauge the boundaries of synthetic biology. Synthetic biology focuses on building molecules and organisms from the bottom up . Thus meaning that it seemingly has no limits at all. A Synthetic biologist could, in theory, create a form of life that has never been seen before . Synthetic biologist can also engineer organisms to alter their function, for example, by metabolically engineering microorganisms to produce biofuels as their metabolic product . Synthetic biology is capable of a great deal more though; its medical benefits also have the potential to be groundbreaking. For example, synthetic biologists build and program cells as if they were computers. Recently, the parts (genes actually) they use to build and program these cells were standardized, greatly increasing their reproducibility and safety, directing their usage more towards the genetic medicine area . As I mentioned earlier, it is impossible to say how far synthetic biology can take us, other than anywhere we shall let it. We are effectively able to build life from scratch, any way we require, that alone is an incredible tool.
A Conclusion?Well, this is rather difficult. I have highlighted the current importance of biotechnology by referring to processes that are being employed right now. I then went on to emphasize the potential impact and benefit that biotechnology and research in similar areas may have in the future. But, going back to that initial question: How far can biotechnology take us? Well, as I have hopefully shown, that question is impossible to answer. Research is being undertaken all over the world to gradually climb a steep and challenging mountain, at the top of which may lie cures, vaccines and therapies of massive benefit to society (we may even completely eradicate disease). But, for now at least, the top of that mountain is obscured by cloud and fog. However, we must keep on climbing, even though we cannot see the summit, simply because that summit offers more hope than digging in and holding on to where we are right now*.
*- I hope you gathered that the Mountain is an extended metaphor for medical and bioscience research? Good.PLEASE NOTE- This article does contain references and is available (with previous articles and more) at...http://biochemperspectives.blogspot.co.uk/
