Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Combating Disease in biology

Medical biotechnology is a growing field that plays a huge role in the healthcare industry. Many career opportunities are available in the areas of research, development, and manufacturing of products in medical biotechnology.
These three areas in medical biotechnology address the common goal of prevention and treatment of diseases]
One of the fastest growing areas within medical biotechnology is drug discovery and development. A drug is a chemical that changes the affects of the molecules or proteins that are related with the cause of a disease.
Scientists and laboratory technicians research the causes of a disease and then use tools of biotechnology to find a way to fight that disease. Often, nature is the beginning of a scientist's search to finding a new drug. Many drugs use items found in nature, sometimes in plants or animals without making many changes
One simple example of a drug that was found in nature is penicillin. Penicillin is an antibiotic, a substance that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. Penicillin was the first antibiotic found in nature and used successfully to treat bacterial infections. Penicillin made a big difference in the number of deaths and amputations caused by infected wounds during World War II.
Before the discovery of penicillin as a medical treatment, many people died from simple accidents such as a cut. The person would catch a bacterial infection from the cut, which would work its way through the person's body and cause them to die. It's easy to see that penicillin has had a huge impact in the medical field
Many biotechnology companies are focusing on better ways to diagnose, prevent and treat diseases. Due to biotechnology, strep throat can be diagnosed in just minutes, whereas before it would take days.
Since strep throat is diagnosed so rapidly, people can begin receiving treatment right away. New treatments for diseases are constantly being discovered and applied, making medical biotechnology an exciting field to work in.
 Saving the Environment:
The newest area where biotechnology is being put into practice is for saving energy and the environment
Biotechnology companies have responded by expanding research and development in these areas. This is an exciting field to work in because as it expands, there will be an increasing amount of career options.
Environmental biotechnology addresses many topics, such as cleaner water, soil, and air, new non-polluting fuels, and new materials that are biodegradable. It is clear to see that there are many opportunities within this area of biotechnology.
A rising concern for fuel pollution has sparked a drive for research and development of alternative non-polluting fuels that replace gasoline.
The government is recognizing the potential for these alternative fuels and is giving incentives to those who are undertaking research and development in this area. These new alternatives are being discovered and tested
(X) true=A growing amount of research is being done in finding alternative non-polluting fuels that replace gasoline.

Renewable resources such as crop waste from corn stalks, grasses, and wood chips can be used to create a cleaner fuel
(x)=Crop waste is being used as a source for alternative fuels.
Biotechnology laboratories are creating enzymes that turn the crop waste into bioethanol. This bioethanol may one day replace gasoline.
Biodegradable plastics and materials are also innovative products of biotechnology. These materials are created from biodegradable and mostly renewable resources. A material that is biodegradable has the ability to be broken down by other living things.
These new products address the issues of former plastics and materials that are made of non-renewable resources and are not biodegradable. Some of the new materials that can be made are fabrics, plastics, and packaging materials.
(x)=
Biotechnology is also being applied to address the problems of toxic chemicals, pollutants and oil spills.
Natural products are being developed to clean up these hazards in the water, soil, and air. Both plants and bacteria are being used to develop better methods of cleaning the pollution and waste in the water, air, and soil.
(x) true = Bacteria are being used to develop better methods of cleaning up pollution and waste.
 These areas within biotechnology are expanding and offer exciting career opportunities.
 Bioethanol is a product of biotechnology that may be an alternative to gasoline
 

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