Biotechnology is really important for helping us stay healthy. One of its key parts is genetic engineering. This exciting area of science lets researchers change the DNA of living things. By doing this, they can make useful traits better, leading to amazing medical discoveries.
Making Insulin: A great example of genetic engineering is how scientists produce human insulin using modified bacteria. In the past, insulin came from animal pancreases. Now, thanks to genetic engineering, bacteria can be designed to produce insulin that is just like human insulin. This is a huge help for millions of people with diabetes who need insulin shots.
Gene Therapy: This cool method fixes or replaces broken genes that cause illnesses. For example, in some cases of inherited blindness, scientists have successfully put healthy genes into people's eyes. This has helped some regain their vision!
Creating Vaccines: Genetic engineering is also used to make vaccines. A good example is the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19. These vaccines use genetic engineering to tell our cells to make a harmless piece of the virus. This helps our bodies learn how to fight it off without getting sick.
In short, biotechnology and genetic engineering make medical treatments better. They lead to new and more effective ways to deal with health problems, which helps improve our lives.
Biotechnology is really important for helping us stay healthy. One of its key parts is genetic engineering. This exciting area of science lets researchers change the DNA of living things. By doing this, they can make useful traits better, leading to amazing medical discoveries.
Making Insulin: A great example of genetic engineering is how scientists produce human insulin using modified bacteria. In the past, insulin came from animal pancreases. Now, thanks to genetic engineering, bacteria can be designed to produce insulin that is just like human insulin. This is a huge help for millions of people with diabetes who need insulin shots.
Gene Therapy: This cool method fixes or replaces broken genes that cause illnesses. For example, in some cases of inherited blindness, scientists have successfully put healthy genes into people's eyes. This has helped some regain their vision!
Creating Vaccines: Genetic engineering is also used to make vaccines. A good example is the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19. These vaccines use genetic engineering to tell our cells to make a harmless piece of the virus. This helps our bodies learn how to fight it off without getting sick.
In short, biotechnology and genetic engineering make medical treatments better. They lead to new and more effective ways to deal with health problems, which helps improve our lives.