RECENT ADVANCES IN BIOTECNOLOGY AND SCOPE OF BIOTECNOLOGY IN PAKISTAN

 

 What first thing comes into your mind when you hear the word biotechnology? It should be the study of biology with the help of technology or simply you can say the technology in biology, that’s true. But when we use this in definition this says that the use of living organisms or living systems for the manufacturing the products and the services for the welfare of mankind. Basic biotechnology include the cultivation of crops , selective breeding of animals and use of living organisms for manufacturing the products like yogurt, cheese ,bread and wine. But as we move into modern era, biotechnology make more emphasis on producing the hybrid genes and transferring of hybrid genes into the organism in which this type of gene is not present before.

 

 

In the last few decades many people had used the domesticated plants for their food and also using the domesticated animals for their uses of milk and meat. Yogurt and cheese were also made in that era. But later on, as few years passed, the process of fermentation started in which the yogurt and bread were produced with the help of microorganisms .These microorganisms hydrolyze the sugars and in anaerobic environment the product was made.

Advances in biotechnology

But as we move into the modern era the biotechnology is not  just use of living organism but it also make more advances in recent years. Biotechnology makes more achievement in medicine, agriculture and in industrial scale. Biotechnology produces techniques likes DNA fingerprinting, cloning and genetic engineering.

1.      DNA fingerprinting and its benefits:

DNA fingerprinting is a technique which is used for the identication of DNA. DNA fingerprinting uses the genetic makeup of the organisms for the identification of criminal perspectives. It is used for tracking the bodies in the criminal sites and identification of culprits. In 1858 German scientist George von Messiner designed the first fingerprinting technique. When we catch a dead body, and we want to identify the dead body, at this time we use the DNA fingerprinting technique to find the identity of dead body.

Benefits of DNA fingerprinting:

Many medical researchers use DNA fingerprinting in their forensic investigations.

With the help of DNA fingerprinting we can detect the genetic disorders and also can diagnose inherited disorders.

DNA fingerprinting is also used to match the DNA of son with that of  father.

2.      Cloning:

 

Cloning is a technique to produce the genetically identical copes of organisms. With the help of this techniques we can produce a clone of living cell. With the help of cloning we can only produce the identical copies of living organism but the genetic makeup of the living organism will not change.Clonning does not create manipulation in the genetic makeup of the living organism and does not also change the DNA structure.

 

Cloning process occurs in nature. In this process cell replicates itself asexually without changing its genetic makeup .Like bacteria, bacteria can produce its genetically identical copies with the help of binary fission process.

 

Why the cloning of human is banned?

 

Human cloning is banned because it is against the laws of Nature, it is unsafe and unnecessary. Human cloning is banned because it has many risks factors like it increase the risks of manipulation in the genetic makeup of the human and also alters the DNA.

 

3.      Genetic engineering:

 

Genetic engineering is the process of altering the genetic makeup of the living organism with the help of recombinant DNA technology. Genetic engineering include the cutting of the gene from one organism and pasting it into the other organism. Many genetically engineered bacteria are used in biotechnology field to make human insulin and human growth hormones.genetic engineering helps us today fighting different disease like cystitis fibrosis, diabetes mellitus and many other diseases.

 

Why genetic engineering is not a natural process?

 

In genetic engineering the combination of DNA occurs and the genetic engineering permits joining of DNA from different species. The combination of DNA would never be occur in nature .Therefore we can say that this is not a natural process.

 

Scope of biotechnology in Pakistan:

 

We find biotechnology demand in outer country but now biotechnology is also an emerging field in Pakistan and biotechnology has many fast growing sectors in Pakistan. Biotechnology provides many jobs opportunities for the students. But many students in Pakistan find biotechnology a complex find and therefore they do not go into the biotechnology field and they think that biotechnology do not have any job opportunities but I personally suggest you to search your career in biotechnology because this is very emerging field and have respectable opportunities of jobs for boys and girls.

Biotechnology have fast area in the medical field because it provide you to know about the different carriers of disease and provide you the knowledge of tackling with this disease. Even, if you go into the university they will surely hire you as the lecturer of biotechnology because now the demand of biotechnology is growing very fast.

 

Biotechnology has scope in

 

1)     Medical department

2)     Pharmaceutical industry

3)     Health department

4)     Agriculture sectors

5)     Teaching department

6)     Medical laboratories

 

So, you would have to take a step towards the biotechnology to encourage our government to provides facilities for biotechnology labs therefore we can compete the other country in the biotechnology field by showing our skills in biotechnology because this is very interesting field.