RECENT ADVANCEMENTS IN MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

1. RECENT ADVANCES IN
MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
By
A.KABA FATHUM
II-M.Sc BIOCHEMISTRY
VVV COLLEGE
VIRUDHUNAGAR

2. INTRODUCTION
• Bioengineers excel in creating health
technologies and products that truly
revolutionize health care, such devices allow
care providers to perform intricate diagnoses
and develop medicines that prolong human
lives. Biotechnology continues to improve, and
researchers have made considerable progress
in treating illnesses and injuries, as well as
improving overall quality of life for patients.
Bearing this in mind, the following
biotechnology advancements have changed the
human condition in a monumental way.

3. Alzheimer’s Treatment
• Physicians have access to several medications that improve cognition and
memory in nearly half of the patients afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease.
However, researchers want to improve this statistic. They are currently
evaluating dozens of new pharmaceuticals designed to treat the condition.
Upon approval, the new treatments might help patients combat Alzheimer’s
disease effectively and permanently.
• Pharmaceutical manufacturers hope to accomplish this by developing drugs
that target amino acids called beta amyloid plaques that congeal in the
human brain. These amino acids are especially harmful as they impede
human thinking and the ability to recall specific memories.
• The drugs would perform a service similar to a heart surgeon removing
plaque from a clogged artery, which is currently impossible to mimic in the
human brain. These treatments could represent a long sought after
breakthrough for those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to the
new drugs, researchers are developing diagnostic tests that can detect early
signs of the condition.

5. Speech Restorer
• For consumers afflicted with severe speech impediments, uttering
simple words can prove difficult and may only sound intelligible to
caregivers, family members, and friends. However, researchers are
working on technologies to help patients who suffer from such
conditions.
• The Voice Input Voice Output Communication Aid (Vivoca) deciphers
indistinguishable words using translation technology. The device is so
efficient that in some instances, it can complete a sentence for users
after processing only two words.
• Vivoca consists of a handheld computer and Bluetooth headset.
Consumers can customize the device with male and female voices as
well as regional dialects. The device can also vocalize specific
commands when users push a button.
• Well-known figures have provided the likenesses of their voices for the
device, such as poet Ian McMillan and BBC news personality
Christina Ackroyd. Additionally, users who suffer from conditions such
as Parkinson’s or motor neurone disease (also known as Lou Gehrig’s
disease) that may eventually claim their ability to speak can record
their voices for later use with the device.

7. Cancer treatment
• Leukaemia, or cancer in the tissues that create blood cells, can affect
individuals of all ages — even newborn infants. Researchers have
engineered cells using gene therapy to combat the disease. The
technology is one the most advanced medical techniques proposed for
patient treatment.
• Biotechnology firm Collect is has engineered one such therapy called
transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs). Physicians
hope the treatment will serve as the “magic bullet” that wipes out
cancer. After successfully conducting trials on laboratory specimens,
researchers have started testing with over 300 human patients with
amazing success.
• Medical researchers work continuously to find solutions for human
kind’s most pressing health problems. The demand for innovative
health solutions is so high that the search for solutions even extends to
talented biomedical students. At this early career stage, a bright mind
just might discover the next great treatment that revolutionizes health
care.

9. Using CRISPR to Search for an
HIV Cure
• Clustered regular interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)
therapy is a revolutionary new medical innovation. The technology
enables genetic editing and could eliminate cancer along with many
other deadly diseases. Researchers have already removed the HIV
virus from living cells in a controlled environment. Hypothetically,
CRISPR technology could assist biochemists in creating drugs to treat
currently incurable diseases in humans and other life forms. For
example, scientists are currently conducting research with the
technology in an attempt to improve the ability of food crops to resist
diseases and withstand environmental conditions.
• While researchers theorize that CRISPR could increase the intelligence
of an embryo, they warn that caution is highly warranted if scientists
choose to pursue such a potentially unethical endeavor.
Genome editing is the product of over 40 years of research.
Throughout these trials, scientists have debated over the balance
between regulations and permissions — too much regulation hinders
progress while too much permission might deteriorate ethical
standards.

10. Following diagram supports the concept;
Using CRISPR to Search for an HIV Cure