Lecture Applied Biology -...

Applied Biology

TECAS‐ITN Summer School 2014

Lecture

Applied Biology

Tecas Summer SchoolHannover, 1st – 5th September 2014

Dr. Sabrina SchmeckebierHTTG, Hannover Medical School

Working group Biohybrid Lung

IntroductionApplied Biology - Definition

What does Applied Biology mean ?

-definition BIOLOGY:- „ ... is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms

including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, taxonomy ... “

-branches of BIOLOGY: - Acarology, Anatomy, Arachnology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biomechanics, Bionomics, Biophysics, Biotechnology, Botany, Cell

biology, Ecology, Entomology, Evolution, Genetics, Gerontology, Herpetology, Histology, Ichnology, Ichthyology, Immunology, Limnology, Marine biology, Microbiology, Molecular biology, Mycology, Myrmecology, Neurobiology, Ornithology, Paleontology, Palynology, Parasitology, Photobiology, Phycology, Physiology, Plant physiology, Biological psychology, Radiobiology, Sociobiology, Structural biology, Taxonomy, Virology, Zoology

-APPLIED BIOLOGY:- transfer the basic knowledge of living systems and organisms to practical use to

develop new technologies and products

- AIM: to improve humans live and protect nature highly interdisciplinary

IntroductionApplied Biology - Application

Main areas of application:

- increasing human welfare

- improved use of natural resources

- reduce environmental pollution

- prevention of diseases

Applied Biology


IntroductionFields of Applied Biology

Popular branches

Bionics

Biotechnology

Biochemistry

Molecular Biology Microbiology

Ecosystem Theory

Developmental Biology

Physiology

Genetics

IntroductionFields of Applied Biology

Use of Marine Organisms

Branches of Biotechnology

Environment

Waste Management

MedicinePharmacyAgriculture

Biotechnologyapplication in

Biotech companies - Geographical distribution

Background Biotechnology in Germany

Main areas of activity in Biotechnology companies (only 1 classification per company)

dedicated biotechnology companies

biotechnologically acitive companies with main focus in medicine

Applied Biology


Biotech institutions & employes – Geographical distribution

Background Biotechnological Research in Germany

Examples from Applied BiologyBionics

Bionics (german: Bionik)

- English term existing since 1958

- attempts from early history:

- Leonardo da Vinci - 1505 aimed to transfer the flight of birds to humans

- followed by O. Lilienthal in 1894

- general term not only construction of body parts, also biomimetics, biomimicry

application of biological principles, methods, systems, social behaviour

and organizational principles from nature

- AIM: study and design of engineering systems and modern technology

- strategies:

- basic science of general principles, later identification of potential for ideas to transfer to technology

- direct analogy search

- subsections: design, sensoric, structural, movement, neuronal, constructional, evolutional...

Example 1 - Velcro:

- one of the most famous examples of biomimetics

1948 Swiss engineer George de Mestral:

after walk with his dog recognized burrs in the fur (hair)


Study of Bionics often emphasizes implementing functions found in nature rather than just imitating

biological structures.

Velcro hooks. Velcro loops.

Burr showing tiny hooks

Applied Biology


Example 2 - Lotus Effect:

Examples from Applied BiologyBIONICS

The underlying mechnism behind the Lotus effect was investigated and could be transferred to practical use.

Lotus flowers.

REM image of lotus leafe surface.

Water and dirts perl off window with lotus effect as well as facade painted with lotus effect

paint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZyf5LI8WIIVIDEO LOTUSEFFEKT BLATT


Example 3:

Applied Biology



What is the Bionic behind?

Example 3:

Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt

Example 3:


The roof was designed basing on the mechanism / statics of bat wings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uXEXNH8sCo

Applied Biology


Example:

Examples from Applied BiologyBiotechnology – Green Environmental Technology

Example:

-Project RUBIN „Aufbruch zur Industrialisierung von Naturkautschuk aus Löwenzahn“


Video Continental

Applied Biology


Project RUBIN

-general aim of Continental: - development of an economically optimized wheel with consistent quality

-alternatives to use of fossile materials for rubber production

-kautschuk from dandelion (Löwenzahn)

more weather-independent cultivation than rubber tree

-comparable quality was achieved by using russian dandelion

-able to grow on fallow land (unused fields)

- does thereby not compete with other plants- only one growth period until harvest

-ecologically friendly


Bioconversion:

- synonym biotransformation

- chemical reaction takes place that brings out chemical compound

those cannot be produced by other methods

- use of organic materials into usable products or energy sources

- by applying biological processes or agents

- e.g. microorganisms, enzymes

- metabolites

- enzymatic hydrolysis

- synthesis gas fermentation

- Examples:Yeast is a single-cell organism using alcoholic fermentationto draw ist energy by converting glucose into ethanol andcarbondioxide by using enzymes pyruvate carboxylase andalcohol dehydrogenase.

Scanning electron microscope image of a yeast cluster

Examples from Applied BiologyBiotechnology – Food Technology

Functional Food / Nutrigenomic:

-Increasing world population ( increase of ∼80 Mio people/year)

increasing need for food

optimising the yield

gain additional benefit from food

functional food - supplementation with e.g.

- folates

- omega-3 fatty acids

- latic acid bacteria

- prebiotics

Examples from Applied BiologyBiotechnology – Food Technology

Applied Biology


Genetic Engineering in Agriculture

Production of:

- vaccines

- antibiotics- flowers

- biofuels

- plant and animal breeding- prest resistant crops

- pesticide resitant crops- nutrient supplementation

- abiotic stress resistance

- industrial stength fibres

Examples from Applied BiologyBiotechnology – Agricultural Technology

Genetically modified crop

Optimisation potential for crop e.g. corn

herbicide tolerance

insect resistance

weather tolerance

product yield e.g. bioethanol

storage potential

nutrient content

e.g. treatment of vitamin deficiencies

Caterpillar of O. nubilatisOstrinia nubilatis


Corn borer in corncob.

Genetically modified crop

1997 first transgenic corn

Bt-corn - resistent against certain plant harming insects by producing a poison

protein known from Bacillus thuringiensis,

naturally producing the insecticide (Bt-toxine)

new popular modification Monsato corn

crossing btw. different genetically modified varieties

"SmartStax" multiple artificial features

Crop is infected by European corn borer

Pest dies when feeding on any plant part

Bt gene is inserted into crop

bacillus thuringiensis


Applied Biology


Genetically modified crop & food

controversial discussions about

• need

• political aspects

• health aspects

• ecological aspects

e.g. genetically manipulated wheat, resistant against herbicide (Glyphosat)

treatment is not allowed be grown on free fields

potential for overgrowth


Development of technologies & products for application in medicine / pharma

-for research & treatment of disease or injury

-technologies e.g. pharmacogenomics, genetic engineering, cultivation of cells, tissues, organs

-modell organisms, needed to develop medical products

-production of pharmaceutical substances by genetically modified organisms

-products:

medical drugs (therapeutics, vaccines) and implants, cells, tissues,

organs for research and treatment of disease or injury

-important hallmarks:

- discovery of microbes - end of 15th century

- discovery of penicillin (A. Fleming) - 1928

- description of DNA-structure (J. Watson, F. Crick) - 1953

- human genome sequence – 2000

Examples from Applied BiologyBiotechnology – Medicine & Pharmacy

Technologies for medical & genetic diagnostics

- detection of genetic profiles, defects and diseases by:

- proof of infections

- pharmacogenomics personalised medicine

- drug screening e.g. not working therapy due to a genetic defect

- biochips for development of new drugs and early disease diagnosis

- individual therapy and drug dosages

- prenatal diagnosis for the detection of heriditary genetic diseases

- paternity test / relationship testing

- crime investigations / forensics


Applied Biology


Example - Relationship testing by DNA profiling

- short repeating pieces of non-coding DNA - Short Tandem Repeats (STRs)

- Analysis of STRs

- repeat patterns differ among individuals

- each persons DNA contains 2 copies

(1 inherited from the father, 1 from the mother)

- could differ in length, sometimes sequence

- measured are 15 STR + 1 sex determining STR

- combination of marker sizes found in each person = genetic profile

- amplification of STRs by PCR

- the repeat reagion is variable btw. samples

flanking region are constant

primer binding

- length dependent specific band profile


Technologies for Genetic Engineering

- Aim: change of organisms phenotype

- transgenic: genetic material that has been transferred from one organism to another

- historically genetic engineering performed since first breeding of organisms (e.g. plants)

- from 1970s invention of tools for combining DNA of different species

e.g. transfer of antibiotic resistance (H. Boyer, S. Cohen)


Schematic overview for potentialstrategies to clone a gene of interest.

Transgenes - Products from Pharming

Genetic Engineering in pharmaceutical biotechnology = Pharming

insertion of genes into host organism to facilitate its expression

production of recombinant therapeutics like proteins or metabolic products

to produce alternatives to natural substances that can

be only available from other organisms

be rare

be difficult to derive

vary in quality

antigenes e.g. vaccination / immunisation against

antibodies e.g. against poisons, for diagnostic approaches

enzymes e.g. lactase to digest lactose

hormones e.g. peptide hormone insulin, treatment of diabetes


Applied Biology


Transgenes – Visualisation of gene expression

direct proof gene expression e.g. fluorescent proteins

indirect proof e.g. staining by certain dyes

fluorescence labelled antibodies

immunohistochemical staining

express additional genes e.g. antibiotic resistance

Aequorea victoria

Fluorescent coral

X-Gal hydrolysis with β-galactosidase

. . .


Model Organisms in Biotech Research and Regenerative Sciences

-examples:

- microorganimsm – e.g. Escherichia coli – general gene function

- drosophila – basic studies e.g. general embryonic, metabolic, immunological mechanisms

- zebrafish – genetic studies, developmental biology

- axolotl – regeneration studies

- mice (knock-in, knock-out) – disease study, gain / loss of function studies, drug testing

Drosophila melanogaster, fruit fly.Danio rerio, zebrafish.

Mus musculus, house mouse.E. coli, electron microscopy image.



- microorgansims

- mouse


Bacteria, expressing different flurescent proteins.

Nude mouse; knock out of Foxn1 gene. Mouse embryo shows green fluorescence of heart due to knoch

in of GFP in Nkx 2.5 locus.

LacZ activity marks the cells of the developing myotome.

Applied Biology



- axolotl

Approaches of Regenerative Medicine

- regeneration of diseased cells, tissues, organs and facilitate the respective application

- Induced Regeneration

- (Stem) Cell Therapy

- Gene Therapy

- Tissue Engineering

- Biohybrid devices


Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine

Embryonic stem cells Induced pluripotent stem cells Adult stem cells

promising potential for application in Regenerative Medicine

Examples from Applied BiologyBiotechnology – Regenerative Medicine

Applied Biology


Strategies for applying Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine


- Research & development

- University institutions

- Industry companies

- Publication

- Animal experiments

- Clinical trials

- Patents

- Process of Approval

- Product to market

Examples from Applied BiologyFrom Research to Application - Translation

Thank you for your attention !

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