gene therapy sts, genetic engineering sts

gene therapy

1. THE GENETIC
REVOLUTION:
How Humans Influence
Traits in Organisms

2. WELCOME TO OUR LESSON
Today, we'll explore how technology has reshaped
the way humans control the inheritance of desired
traits in living organisms.

3. LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
Understand the impact of
technology on genetic
outcomes.
Explore artificial selection,
genetic modification, animal
husbandry, and gene therapy.
Analyze the societal impacts
and scientific discoveries
related to these technologies.

4. WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL
SELECTION?
The selective breeding of organisms by
humans to enhance specific desired traits.

5. WHAT ARE
SOME OTHER
EXAMPLES
OF SELECTIVE
BREEDING?
ornamental
plants with
particular
flower shapes
and colours.
crop plants such as
apples with better
yields, or that are
more resistant to
different
environmental
conditions.
farm animals
that produce
more, better
quality meat or
wool.

6. GENETIC
MODIFICATION
NN
The direct manipulation of an
organism's genes using biotechnology.

7. EXPLANATION OF GENETIC MODIFICATION
Every living organism, from a tiny microbe to a towering tree,
possesses a unique genetic blueprint encoded in its DNA. This
DNA contains the instructions for building and maintaining the
organism, including the traits it will inherit.
THE
GENETIC
BLUEPRINT
In genetic modification, scientists start by identifying a specific
gene within an organism's DNA that they wish to modify. This
gene is chosen because it codes for a particular trait, such as
resistance to pests in crops or the ability to produce a
beneficial protein.
IDENTIFY
THE TARGET
GENE

8. EXPLANATION OF GENETIC MODIFICATION
ISOLATING THE GENE
Once the target gene is
identified, it is carefully isolated
from the organism's DNA. This
process involves precise
molecular techniques that allow
scientists to extract the gene
without damaging it.
INTRODUCING CHANGES
Scientists can modify isolated genes
by altering their sequence, adding
new genetic material, or inserting
genes from different organisms to
achieve a desired outcome, such as
enhancing crop yield or conferring
disease resistance.

9. EXPLANATION OF GENETIC MODIFICATION
After the modifications are made, the altered gene is reinserted
into the DNA of the host organism. This step requires precision
and often employs specialized tools like CRISPR-Cas9, which
can precisely cut DNA and insert the modified gene.
INSERTION
INTO THE
HOST
ORGANISM
Once integrated into the host organism's DNA, the modified
gene can be expressed, meaning that it can be used by the
organism to produce specific proteins or exhibit certain traits.
For example, a genetically modified plant may produce a toxin
to deter pests or yield more nutritious fruits.
EXPRESSION
OF THE
MODIFIED
GENE

10. APPLICATIONS
EXPLANATION OF GENETIC MODIFICATION
TESTING AND
EVALUATION
To ensure success and
safety, genetic modification
undergoes thorough testing
and evaluation, including
studying the organism's
performance, stability, and
potential impacts on the
environment and health.
ETHICAL
CONSIDERATIONS
Genetic modification has
applications in agriculture,
increasing crop yield and
pest resistance for food
security. It can also
produce pharmaceutical
proteins and treat genetic
disorders in medicine.
Genetic modification raises
ethical concerns regarding
the long-term
environmental effects,
safety, and potential
unintended consequences
of the technology.

11. ANIMAL
HUSBANDRY
The selective breeding of animals
to improve desired traits.
Breeding dairy cows for higher
milk yield
Meat chickens for larger size

12. Genetic engineering modifies an organism's genetic
material to treat or prevent diseases, through the
introduction, removal, or alteration of genetic material.
It is a promising field of science that could revolutionize
healthcare and provide new treatments for previously
untreatable conditions, especially genetic disorders.
GENE
THERAPY

13. WHAT ARE SOME GENETIC
DISORDERS THAT ARE BEING
TREATED BY GENE THERAPY?
Hemophilia and other blood disorder. Gene therapy for hemophilia
A is a one-time infusion that uses a vector to deliver a functional
gene to replace the hemophilia patient's own defective gene or a
therapeutic gene to provide a missing protein. The result is better
clotting factor activity, which protects against bleeding.
Cancer. Immunotherapy uses genetically modified cells and viral
particles to stimulate the immune system to destroy cancer cells.
Oncolytic virotherapy, which uses viral particles that replicate within
the cancer cell to cause cell death, is an emerging treatment
modality that shows great promise, particularly with metastatic
cancers.
Gene transfer is a new treatment modality that introduces new
genes into a cancerous cell or the surrounding tissue to cause cell
death or slow the growth of the cancer.

14. WHAT ARE SOME GENETIC
DISORDERS THAT ARE BEING
TREATED BY GENE THERAPY?
Heart Disease. Researchers from the University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center believe a new CRISPR-Cas9
gene editing therapy can both help treat heart disease and
repair damaged tissue immediately after a heart attack via
a mouse model.
Leukemia. Researchers Develop a Potential “Universal” CAR
T-Cell Therapy for Blood Cancers. Acute myeloid leukemia
(AML) cells floating among other cells. Researchers have
developed an approach to CAR T-cell therapy that can
potentially treat nearly any blood cancer, including AML.

15. WHAT ARE SOME GENETIC
DISORDERS THAT ARE BEING
TREATED BY GENE THERAPY?
Inherited neurological disorders. Gene transfer therapy
could transform care for a wide range of polygenic
diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS),
Alzheimer's disease, autism, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis,
Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.
Severe combined immunodeficiency. Using gene therapy,
scientists reprogrammed haematopoietic stem cells to
become white blood cells that contained a working version
of the ADA gene.

16. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS
CRISPR-CAS9 FOR
GENETIC MODIFICATION:
(Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and
CRISPR-associated protein 9) is a revolutionary gene-editing tool.
It's like the molecular scissors of genetic engineering.
HOW IT WORKS:
CRISPR-Cas9 allows scientists to precisely target and modify specific genes within an organism's DNA.
It does this by using a guide RNA molecule to find the target gene and Cas9, a protein, to cut the DNA
at the desired location. The cell's natural repair machinery then kicks in to make the desired genetic
change.
APPLICATIONS:
CRISPR-Cas9 has myriad applications, from creating genetically modified crops with improved traits
to researching potential therapies for genetic diseases. Its precision and versatility have opened up a
new era of genetic manipulation.

17. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS
AI BREEDING PROGRAMS
IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY:
Animal husbandry, the selective breeding of animals for desirable
traits, has been supercharged by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
data analytics.
HOW IT WORKS:
AI algorithms analyze vast datasets of genetic information to identify animals with the most desirable
traits, such as higher milk yield in dairy cows or disease resistance in poultry.
APPLICATIONS:
AI-driven breeding programs have revolutionized the livestock industry. They enable breeders to make
informed decisions about which animals to breed, leading to improved productivity, disease resistance,
and overall health in livestock populations.

18. IMPACTS
ON SOCIETY
POSITIVE IMPACTS
INCREASED FOOD PRODUCTION: DISEASE TREATMENTS:
Genetic modification and advanced
breeding techniques have improved
agricultural productivity, making crops
resistant to pests and diseases, tolerant
to adverse environmental conditions, and
increasing yield. This has played a vital
role in addressing global food security
challenges in regions vulnerable to crop
failure and food shortages.
Genetic technologies have opened up
new frontiers in medicine. Gene therapy
holds promise for treating genetic
disorders by correcting or replacing
faulty genes.
Biopharmaceuticals, produced using
genetically modified organisms, have
revolutionized the production of vaccines,
insulin, and other critical medical
products.

19. IMPACTS
ON SOCIETY
NEGATIVE IMPACTS
ETHICAL CONCERNS: POTENTIAL RISKS:
Genetic modification and artificial
selection raise ethical concerns regarding
issues of consent, equity, and respect for
nature. Altering genetic makeup,
especially in humans, leads to questions
about moral responsibility. GMOs have
sparked debates about transparency in
labeling and potential health risks.
Genetic modifications pose risks like
unpredictable environmental impacts and
potential genetic changes passed on to
future generations, especially in gene
therapy. GMOs could also escape and
interbreed with wild species, causing
unintended consequences.

20. REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS
Insulin Production
Using Genetically
Modified Bacteria
Bt Cotton and
Pest Resistance
Gene Therapy
for Genetic
Disorders
AquaBounty
Salmon
Precision
Agriculture
Genomic
Medicine and
Personalized
Treatments
Biofuels from
Engineered Microbes
Conservation
of Endangered
Species

21. THANK YOU
For your participation & curiosity!