Agenda for Jan 26
• The challenge of defining biotechnology
• Its areas of application: agriculture and medicine
• What ethical issues does biotech raise?
• Syllabus and course requirements
• In class reading: “The Birthmark”
Areas of application-- agriculture
• Herbicide-resistant and pesticide-containing crops
• Golden Rice (to remedy Vitamin A deficiency)
• Corn genetically modified for ethanol production
Areas of application-- agriculture
• Herbicide-resistant and pesticide-containing crops
• Golden Rice• Corn genetically modified for ethanol
productionTransgenic trees-- low in lignin content
Low lignin poplars(NY Times)
Eucalyptus treesgenetically modifiedfor low lignin contentas well as higher-than-normal carbon dioxide
absorptive capacity,Developed by Taiwan National Sci Council
and NCSU(Biopact website)
Areas of application-- agriculture
• Herbicide-resistant and pesticide-containing crops
• Golden Rice• Corn genetically modified for ethanol
production• Transgenic treesPharma-cropsFood from cloned animals
Aug 2010: Following FDA approval (and a year’s delay), Geron runs first clinical trial of a therapy for people with severe spinal cord injury, using human embryonic stem cells
NY Timesdiagram
Areas of application--medicine
• Gene therapy
• Therapeutic cloning-- regenerative medicine
Genetic testing; pharmacogenomics
Some of the ethical issues:
• The biotech industry and its subjects– Biobanks– Use of indigenous knowledge– Genetically modified crops
Farmers in Girona, Spain, burned their corn harvestafter learning that it contained genetically modified plants.
(Greenpeace photo)
Ethical issues, continued:
• Genes as intellectual property• Controlling genetically modified organisms• Screening/testing outpacing treatment• Treatment vs. enhancement• Playing Godhttp://video.nytimes.com/video/2006/09/01/science/1194817115689/embryo-screening.html
(the Kingsbury case, narrated by Amy Harmon)