College of Arts and Sciences Education

General Education – Science

2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

Big Picture in Focus: ULOa. Determine the interrelatedness of

society, the environment, and health

Metalanguage

Biotechnology harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to

develop technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health of our
planet.

GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) is a plant, animal, microorganism or

other organism whose genetic makeup has been modified in a laboratory using genetic
engineering or transgenic technology

Genetic Modification is the process of altering the genetic makeup of an

organism.

DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all
other organisms.

LMO is defined in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as any living organism

that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of
modern biotechnology.

Nano - One nanometer is equivalent to a billionth of a meter

Nanotechnolgy – the manipulation of matter on an atomic or subatomic

scale.

Gene - small sections of DNA within the genome that code for proteins. They
contain the instructions for our individual characteristics – like eye and hair colour.

Stem Cell - are cells with the potential to develop into many different types of
cells in the body. They serve as a repair system for the body. There are
two main types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.

Essential Knowledge

BIODIVERSITY refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to
ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes
that sustain life. This includes ecosystem, genetic and cultural diversity and the
connections between these and all species.

1|P age
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

2010 International Year of Biodiversity declared by the United Nation General

Assembly. Hence, the loss biodiversity threatens food supplies, opportunities for
recreation and tourism, and sources of wood, medicines and energy. It also interferes
with essential ecological functions.

BIOTECHNOLOGY
 The manipulation of biological processes to serve societal needs.
 Modern biotechnology paves the way for new developments on
food and agriculture. Developing new precise tools and
diagnostics; speed up breeding gains and efficiency; develop
pest-and disease-resistant crops; combat salinity; drought; and
problems of agriculture; enhance the nutritional quality of food;
increase crops varieties and choice; reduce inputs and production
costs; and to increase profits are some of the goals or aims of
modern biotechnology.

“Law and policy of Relevance to the Management of Plant Genetic Resources”

a module released by The Biodiversity International that aims to help professionals in
managing, conserving, and use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
The module defines the following:
 Biotechnology uses biological systems, living organisms, or
derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for
a specific use.
 The technique allowing genes and DNA to be transferred from
one source to another is Genetic engineering. It leads to the
production of living modified organisms (LMOs) or Genetically
modified organisms (GMOs)
It give scientists molecular tools for obtaining a better understanding of the structure
and function of genes in living organisms.

2|P age
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

 It is a plant, animal, microorganism, or other organism whose genetic

makeup has been modified using recombinant DNA methods, gene
modification or transgenic technology.

 Genetic engineering does the laboratory process where genes from the
DNA of one species are extracted and artificially inserted into the genes
of an unrelated plant or animal

 This aims to address issues with regard to food security, agriculture, drug
production, and nutrition.

Table 1: Examples of GMOs Resulting from Agricultural Biotechnology

Genetically Conferred Trait Example Genetic Change
Organism

APPROVED COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS

Herbicide tolerance Soybean Glyphosate herbicide (Roundup) tolerance

conferred by expression of a glyphosate-tolerant
form of the plant enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-
3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) isolated from the
soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, strain
CP4

Insect resistance Corn Resistance to insect pests, specifically the

European corn borer, through expression of the
insecticidal protein Cry1Ab from Bacillus
thuringiensis

Altered fatty acid composition Canola High laurate levels achieved by inserting
the gene for ACP thioesterase from the California
bay tree Umbellularia californica

Virus resistance Plum Resistance to plum pox virus conferred by

insertion of a coat protein (CP) gene from the
virus

PRODUCTS STILL IN DEVELOPMENT

3|P age
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

Vitamin enrichment Rice Three genes for the manufacture of beta-

carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, in the
endosperm of the rice prevent its removal (from
husks) during milling

Vaccines Tobacco Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg)

produced in transgenic tobacco induces immune
response when injected into mice

Oral vaccines Maize Fusion protein (F) from Newcastle disease virus
(NDV) expressed in corn seeds induces an
immune response when fed to chickens

Faster maturation Coho salmon A type 1 growth hormone gene injected into
fertilized fish eggs results in 6.2% retention of
the vector at one year of age, as well as
significantly increased growth rates
https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/genetically-modified-organisms-gmos-transgenic-crops-and-732/

GENETIC MODIFICATION
Steps are:
1. Identification of the desired trait from another organism.
2. A gene containing this trait is first isolated and replicated.
3. The insertion of traits. Only the sections of the gene that carry the particular
characteristic that will be integrated into the adult organism.

 In this process of recombinant DNA technology, the information needed

for an organism can be borrowed from another. A farmer can design an
organism to have the characteristics relevant to address particular
issues.
 For example, a farmer may want the crops to have less chance of getting
bruised due to rough handling. If an organism containing a gene that
prevents bruising in the mature fruit could be found, then this
characteristic could then be used to modify the crops through the
process of recombinant gene technology.

4|P age
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/PH/GMOs/GMOs3.html

CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY is an international agreement which

aims to ensure the safe handling, transport, and used of living modified organisms
(LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on
biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health.

 It takes precautionary approach by assuring that countries are provided with

the data necessary to make informed decisions prior in agreeing the import of
such organisms in their country.

WHY NANO? (10-9)

 Nanostructures can be found in nature. Such as catalysts, minerals, and other

particles that are measured on a nano scale.

 Nanoscience deals with materials that are very small using specialized
microscopes and other nano devices.

 The nano world cannot be seen in the naked eye. It can be recognized and
identified after technology has allowed for discovery of nanostructures.

5|P age
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

 This leads to innovations developed in this field that include microprocessors

and strain-resistant fabrics and many others from manipulating matter on an
atomic or subatomic scale called Nanotechnology.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Nanoscale-integration-of-nanoparticles-and-biomolecules_fig2_320132877

https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics

6|P age
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

Areas where nanotechnology are used:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128135860000043

WHAT IS DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)?

- A long molecule that contains our unique genetic code. It holds the
instructions for making all the proteins in our bodies.

- The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical

bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T).
Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99
percent of those bases are the same in all people.

- DNA bases pair up with each other, A with T and C with G, to form
units called base pairs. Each base is also attached to a sugar molecule
and a phosphate molecule.

- The thread like structure that that packed the DNA molecule is called
chromosomes.

7|P age
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

- In humans, each cell normally contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a

total of 46. Twenty-two of these pairs, called autosomes, look the same
in both males and females. The 23rd pair, the sex chromosomes, it differ
between males and females. Females have two copies of the X
chromosome, while males have one X and one Y chromosome.

8|P age
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

GENE THERAPY is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent

disease.

MEDICINE is one example of a scientific and technological innovation that made a

breakthrough in the area of human health. The known one was the aspirin (relieved
for various pain), an old technology in 21 st century.

Gene therapy is one of the new discoveries on the areas of molecular and atomic
physics that are applied in biological basic building blocks (gene). This technique may
allow doctors to treat a disorder by inserting a gene into a patient’s cells instead of
using drugs or surgery. Researchers are testing several approaches to gene therapy,
including:

 Replacing a mutated gene that causes disease with a healthy copy of the gene.

 Inactivating, or “knocking out,” a mutated gene that is functioning improperly.

 Introducing a new gene into the body to help fight a disease.

This could be a promising treatment option for a number of diseases (including

inherited disorders, some types of cancer, and certain viral infections) but , it remains
risky and still under study to make sure that it will be safe and effective.

https://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i45/Gene-therapy-ready-comeback.html

9|P age
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

WHAT IS STEM CELL?

Stem cells are cells with the potential to develop into many different types of
cells in the body. They serve as a repair system for the body.

Two main types of stem cells:

a. embryonic stem cells - derived from the undifferentiated inner mass

cells of a human embryo (IVF). Can develop into each of the more
than 200 cell types of the adult body as long as they are specified to
do so.
b. adult stem cells - are undifferentiated cells found throughout the
body that divide to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged
tissues. Have abilities to divide or self-renew indefinitely and
generate all the cell types of the organ from which they originate —
potentially regenerating the entire organ from a few cells.

Stem cells are different from other cells in the body in three ways:
a. They can divide and renew themselves over a long time
b. They are unspecialized, so they cannot do specific functions in the
body
c. They have the potential to become specialized cells, such as muscle
cells, blood cells, and brain cells

WHAT IS STEM CELL THERAPY?

Stem cell also known as regenerative medicine, promotes the repair response
of diseased, dysfunctional or injured tissue using stem cells or their derivatives. It is
the next chapter in organ transplantation and uses cells instead of donor organs, which
are limited in supply.

 Researchers grow stem cells in a lab. These stem cells are manipulated to
specialize into specific types of cells, such as heart muscle cells, blood cells or
nerve cells.

 The specialized cells can then be implanted into a person. For example, if the
person has heart disease, the cells could be injected into the heart muscle. The
healthy transplanted heart muscle cells could then contribute to repairing
defective heart muscle.

But according to Filipino-American doctor-lawyer Samuel Bernal, an expert in the

fields of regenerative medicine and regulatory law, the public should take a lot of
precautions. It’s not a “cure to all”, it is actually trying to allow the body to heal
itself. It requires ‘analyzing at the molecular level what is causing the problem or (what

10 | P a g e
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

could be done) to prevent the problem. It’s just a small part of the molecular approach
to medicine.

Doctor –Lawyer Samuel Bernal – educated at Johns Hopkins’ and Harvard Medical
School. He’s currently Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of California –
Los Angeles. A member of American Association of Clinical Oncologists, the American
Association of Cancer Researchers, and recognized as cancer investigator with the
US National Institutes of Health.

A typical stem cell procedure looks like this:

http://www.autismweb2.com/stem-cell-therapy-for-autism/

Self-Help: You can also refer to the sources below to help you
further understand the lesson:

Mayo Clinic Staff (2011). Stem cells: What they are and what they do?. Retrieved
from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-
cells/art-20048117

ChemicalSafetyFacts.org (2020). Nanotechnology. Retrieved from

https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/nanotechnology/

yourgenome.org (2016). What is a gene? Retrieved from

https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-a-gene

National Institutes of Health (2020). Stem Cells. Retrieved from

https://medlineplus.gov/stemcells.html

NIH U.S. National Library of Medicine (2020). What is gene therapy? Retrieved from
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/therapy/genetherapy

NIH U.S. National Library of Medicine (2020). What is DNA? Retrieved from
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/basics/dna

11 | P a g e
 College of Arts and Sciences Education
General Education – Science
2nd Flr. DPT Building, Matina Campus, Davao City
Phone No. : (082)300-5456/305-0647 Local 134

NIH U.S. National Library of Medicine (2020). How many chromosomes do people
have? Retrieved from https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/basics/howmanychromosomes

ScienceDaily(2020). Embryonic stem cell. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/embryonic_stem_cell.htm

McNamara, Daniel Joseph SJ, Valverde, V.M., Beleno, R. (2018). Science Technology
and Society.1st ed. C and E Pub.

12 | P a g e