STS

STSModule
MODULE2-A
7

I. Topic: Biotechnology

Images from www.freepik.com, www.biorg.com

II. Objectives

After reading and doing the tasks in this module, you should be able to
A. Trace the development of biotechnology
B. Name the discoveries that advanced biotechnology
C. Discuss the societal concerns with biotechnology
D. Propose ways how to resolve ethical issues in biotechnology

III. Introduction

Biotechnology has its roots in an ancient way of food preparation. The advancement in
science and technology had opened up enormous possibilities to modern biotech. Some edge
cutting biotechnologies however raised some issues resulting to limits being set to its progress.
This module discusses the development of biotechnology and the issues of GMOs, and stem cell
research.

IV. Discussion
Development of Biotechnology
Biotechnology is the system and methodology of producing resultant products from raw
materials with the use of living organisms. The use of yeast, a living organism is one of the oldest
biotechnology. This process had been known to ancient people. In medicine, the first biotech
product is the penicillin. This drug is the first naturally occurring antibiotic from a mold (penicillium
notatum). It was accidentally discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. It was around this time
that Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, discovered the basic laws of heredity and variation using
pea plants. Biotechnology entered its modern era when James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice
Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin discovered the double helix, twiste-ladder structure of
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in 1953. In 1970’s, modification of organisms at the genetic level
became a reality in what is now known as genetic engineering. DNAs that has been isolated from
different organisms are incorporated into a single molecule. This results to what is known as
GMOs (genetically modified organism).
Biotechnology has subspecialties that correspond to its field of applications. These
subspecialties are color coded. Red biotechnology is in the area of medicine, pharmacy and
health. Application of biotechnology in increasing agricultural yield is green biotech. White
biotechnology on the otherhand involves the use of living organisms in industries. Nutritional
enrichment of food products is assigned the yellow color. Gray biotechnology focuses on
applications on environmental remediation. The improvement of aquaculture and marine food
production falls under blue biotechnology. Crop modifications for arid land agriculture is brown
biotechnology. Biotechnolgy is also used in nano technology and this is subspecialty is gold
bitotechnology. When biotechnology‘s purpose is to harm like the development of bioweapons, it
is called dark biotechnology. There are a lot of legal and moral issues that could arise from
biotechnology and these are the concerns of violet or purple biotechnology.

Societal Concerns with Biotechnology

Society gets an enormous benefit form biotechnology. Despite the advantages that
biotechnology provides society, some concerns are being raised. The biggest concerns are the
environmental effects and the ethical questions of biotechnology. When crops are modified to
withstand pests and other elements such traits may be passed on to weeds. This process could
create super pests in the environment. In another scenario, living modified organisms (LMOs)
might leak out from laboratories or during transport. These organisms being foreign to the natural
environment can inflict damage to other spceies. Another aspect of the environmental threat
stems from GMO crops being favored by farmers. Since GMO crops give a high yield, farmers
will prioritize them over their native crops. This might lead to the neglect of the native crops and
may ultimaltely result to its extinction. On the otherhand, the ethical questions concerns the use
of human embryo in stem cell research. Many spiritual views consider human embryo as human
beings in their primary stage of development. People who don’t hold such view consider a human
embryo as lump of cell and may therefore be used for research.

International Regulations on Biotechnology

Biotechnology is rapidly changing due to advances in scientific and the sophistication of

instruments as well. The pace at which biotechnology is being developed far exceeds that of
regulatory changes thus creating issues. As mentioned earlier one of the issues is the
environmental hazard that living modified organism (LMO) might inflict once they leak out during
transport. To minimize the possibility of LMOs getting in the natural environment, the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety was enforced in 2003. It is an international regulatory charter for ensuring
safe transfer and handling of LMOs during trans-boundary movements. Another issue in
biotechnology is ownership. It is possible that an endemic species from one nation is the source
of DNA material used in developing certain products in another country. Who has the right over
the profit from the product? The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair
and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological
Diversity addresses this concern. It is a 2014 international agreement on fair and equitable
sharing of benefits from utilization of genetic resources.
 For further learning watch:

“Biotechnology: Genetic Modification, Cloning, Stem Cells,

and Beyond” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVf_ASEGuns

V. Summary

Biotechnology has a long way of development. At its present state, it is rapidly

advancing bringing more benefits to mankind but at the same time clashing with society’s
ethical standards in some aspects. Government policies and regulations should keep
pace with biotechnology so that a clear direction for its advancement will be in place.