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Biotechnology is the use of living organisms, cells, or enzymes to develop products and processes useful to humans. Biotechnology and its applications play a significant role in medicine, agriculture, industry, and environmental protection. For NEET aspirants, this chapter is highly important and scoring as most questions are directly based on NCERT content.
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♦ The Living World ⇒ Download Now
♦ Structural Organisation in Animals ⇒ Download Now
♦ Cell - The Unit of Life ⇒ Download Now
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♦ Human Physiology ⇒ Download Now
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♦ Biotechnology and its Applications ⇒ Download Now
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Biotechnology has revolutionized modern medicine by providing advanced diagnostic tools, vaccines, and therapeutic products.
1. Production of Insulin:
Human insulin is produced using recombinant DNA technology. The gene responsible for insulin production is inserted into Escherichia coli or yeast. This genetically engineered insulin is called Humulin and is used to treat diabetes mellitus.
2. Gene Therapy:
Gene therapy involves replacing defective genes with functional ones to treat genetic disorders. The first successful gene therapy was carried out in patients suffering from Adenosine Deaminase (ADA) deficiency.
3. Molecular Diagnosis:
Techniques like PCR, ELISA, and DNA probes are used for early detection of diseases such as cancer, HIV, and genetic disorders.
Biotechnology has led to the development of safer and more effective vaccines.
1. Recombinant Vaccines:
These vaccines are produced using genetically engineered organisms. Example: Hepatitis B vaccine.
2. DNA Vaccines:
DNA vaccines introduce genetically engineered DNA into host cells to produce antigens and trigger immune responses.
Vaccines developed using biotechnology are highly specific and have fewer side effects.
Biotechnology has significantly improved agricultural productivity and crop quality.
1. Genetically Modified (GM) Crops:
GM crops are developed by inserting desired genes into plants to provide resistance against pests, diseases, or environmental stress.
Bt Cotton:
Bt cotton contains a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis that produces toxins harmful to insect pests.
2. Biofortification:
Biotechnology is used to enhance nutritional value of crops, such as Golden Rice, which is rich in Vitamin A.
Transgenic animals are those that have foreign genes inserted into their genome.
Applications include:
Study of gene regulation
Disease modeling
Production of therapeutic proteins
Vaccine safety testing
Examples include transgenic mice and cows producing human proteins in milk.
Biotechnology is used to protect the environment through processes like bioremediation, where microbes are used to clean up pollutants.
Example:
Use of Pseudomonas putida for oil spill cleanup
This application helps in reducing environmental pollution.
Biotechnology raises several ethical, social, and legal issues.
Key concerns include:
Biosafety of GM organisms
Environmental impact
Human health risks
Intellectual property rights and patents
Strict regulations and ethical guidelines are required to ensure safe application of biotechnology.
Biotechnology helps in achieving food security by increasing crop yield, improving resistance to stress, and reducing dependence on chemical pesticides.
Applications include:
Pest-resistant crops
Drought-tolerant plants
Improved shelf life of food
These innovations are crucial for feeding the growing population.
This chapter is extremely important for NEET because:
Most questions are NCERT-based
Definitions, examples, and applications are frequently asked
It is a high-weightage and scoring topic
Clear understanding of real-life applications helps students answer questions confidently.
| Field | Application |
|---|---|
| Medicine | Insulin, gene therapy |
| Agriculture | Bt crops, biofortification |
| Vaccines | Recombinant vaccines |
| Environment | Bioremediation |
| Research | Transgenic animals |
Biotechnology and its applications have transformed modern science and improved the quality of human life. From medicine to agriculture and environmental protection, biotechnology offers innovative solutions to global challenges. For NEET aspirants, mastering this chapter ensures easy marks due to its direct and application-based questions. StudentBro.in provides well-organized, exam-oriented NEET Biology notes to help students succeed.
