Biotechnology is the new magic of the 21st century. Some of the biotech techniques include nanotechnology and tissue engineering which provide new cancer treatments, assist in water security and are slowly becoming crucial in sustainable industrial development.
By using new methods, we can heal, clean, produce new things – and also learn significantly more about life while developing these new methods.
Table of Contents
- Top 15 Biotechnology News In 2018
- 1. Engineered Bacteria against kidney disease
- 2. Nanogels that control cancer treatment
- 3. DNA as a drug carrier
- 4. Nanoparticles against water contamination
- 5. Nanotechnology-based systems for clean water
- 6. A vital device not mentioned in polite society
- 7. Genomics to help with the secrets of wine-making
- 8. Fats instead of alcohol: reprogramming yeast cells
- 9. Do not waste food: give it to bacteria instead!
- 10. Cells as ink: significant progress in bioprinting
- 11. Silver stakes for early tumors
- 12. The silk inside: novel silk-based biomaterials
- 13. DNA-based biosensors: bringing intelligence, not heredity
- 14. Speeding up the heart growth
- 15. Tissue engineering and electricity help heal bones
Suggested Reading: Top 10 Biotechnology Colleges in US.
Top 15 Biotechnology News In 2018
1. Engineered Bacteria against kidney disease
- When oxalates accumulate in kidneys and urine, it can lead to severe renal disease and other complications.
- In order to help our own cells to digest oxalate, bacteria with genes that code for enzymes that can transform oxalate was developed.
- These bacteria are entirely safe, have limited growth and supplement our own microbiome.
- They replace human enzymes and help the body to digest oxalates, thus preventing hyperoxaluria and kidney disease development.
Suggested Reading: Top 25 digestive system facts.
2. Nanogels that control cancer treatment
- As these nanogels change shape in response to the change in temperatures, they can be used to control the shape of the resulting particles and to guide the release of the chemotherapeutic agents contained within.
3. DNA as a drug carrier
- Modern nanotechnology manipulates various pre-existing molecules and allows novel applications.
- For instance, it was possible to construct DNA – based nanostructures that acted as drug carriers. These carriers were successfully used for delivery of favorite anticancer agents such as Doxorubicin and GpG nucleotides.
- Drugs “taking a ride” on such carriers can are absorbed by the target cells more quickly and are also less toxic.
4. Nanoparticles against water contamination
- Substances that do not dissolve in water, such as oil, are pretty difficult to clean away, too.
- It is proposed to use silicone nanoparticles to eliminate the contaminants of this type.
- This approach is swift, efficient and is relatively cheap and less time & labor consuming.
Suggested Reading: Top 15 Current environmental issues in US.
5. Nanotechnology-based systems for clean water
- Nanomaterials can be used to eliminate all kinds of pollutants: salts, chemicals, oils, infectious agents, and heavy ions.
- Nanotechnology-based water treatment systems can improve the overall quality of drinking water and compensate for the insufficiency of present-day water delivery networks.
6. A vital device not mentioned in polite society
- A novel fecobionics device can explain the unexplainable. It can be inserted into the intestine and then transmit various information concerning defecation in the patient.
- The device not only can be used for diagnostic purposes but also applied as a part of the treatment of this type of disorders.
7. Genomics to help with the secrets of wine-making
- It is crucial to choose correctly and prevent the invasion of undesirable microorganisms. However, still, most winemakers are not aware of what exactly is happening after the culture addition.
- It has become possible through the combination of genomics and metabolomics to track changes in chemical composition and gene expression of bacterial starter cultures and their environment, thus tracking the whole process from bacteria added to the final product.
Suggested Reading: What is Biological Fermentation?
8. Fats instead of alcohol: reprogramming yeast cells
- However, it is now possible to change not a single gene, but a whole metabolism of a more complex, eukaryotic cell.
- With the help of metabolomics, it has become possible to reprogram yeast cells, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, so that they produce fatty acids instead of ethanol.
9. Do not waste food: give it to bacteria instead!
- One should just put them into a bioreactor that contains mixed bacterial cultures and uses additional processes such as gasification and syngas fermentation.
- The potential output is extremely varied: from traditional bacteria-derived products such as ethanol or methane to biochemicals and bioplastics.
- Sustainable, zero- waste and zero- pollution industry is not just a vision anymore: it can very well become a profitable reality.
10. Cells as ink: significant progress in bioprinting
- Now the cells and their components have become printing ink: it is possible to print tissues, cellular matrixes, and even small organoids.
- There is still a limit what a bioprinter can produce, though: the extrusion bioprinting still involves considerable stress for the cells used, which means potential damage and inability to create genuinely complex tissue environments.
11. Silver stakes for early tumors
- A group of specialists offers an elegant solution – to stake cancer with silver. The approach involves silver nanoparticles produced with the help of mangostana bark extract.
- The particles are introduced inside the tumor and then activated with ultrasound. The treatment is safe for healthy cells but can be detrimental to the cancer cell culture.
- This method is an elegant solution to dealing with early tumors without traumatic surgery or chemotherapy.
12. The silk inside: novel silk-based biomaterials
- Silk proteins derived from silkworm cocoons can be used for creating nanogels, sponges, and other biomaterials.
- It is also an excellent material for sutures and other surgery-related materials, as silk thread is not particularly immunogenic.
- In the nearest future, silk-based materials would be quite likely used in tissue engineering as well.
13. DNA-based biosensors: bringing intelligence, not heredity
- Not only can it be used as a storage disk or a carrier, but it can also be fashioned into a biosensor.
- Such sensors are not traumatic and can be beneficial tools in medical diagnosis, as they can detect a variety of molecules from other nucleic acids to proteins, ions and other substances.
- It is said to have potential outside medicine and research – in security, for instance.
14. Speeding up the heart growth
- This is a great thing both for heart specialists and researchers, as it is a way to understand how the heart tissue develops and reacts to the environment.
- The main drawback of such culture was the slow development of the cells of this type. Immature cells were not suitable for many kinds of research.
- Now it is possible to create conditions in which heart cells mature quickly, approximately over a month, and express most of the genes typical for adult heart cells.
- The researchers hope to use the new model line for studying heart pathologies such as cardiac hypertrophy.
Suggested Reading: Top 25 Circulatory System Fun Facts.
15. Tissue engineering and electricity help heal bones
- However, with the advancements in tissue engineering, it is now possible to populate biocompatible scaffolds with bone cells and use them for bone healing instead.
- Moreover, the healing process can also be significantly sped up by electrical stimulation, as experiments on mice show.
- The new developments in the field can lead to much better therapy for individuals that sustain massive injuries.
As you see – the future quickly becomes a routine daily practice. What would the sci-fi authors do in a couple of years?
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BioExplorer.net. (2024, December 15). 15 Wonderful Biotechnology Inventions In 2018. Bio Explorer. https://www.bioexplorer.net/biotechnology-news-in-2018.html/.
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BioExplorer.net. "15 Wonderful Biotechnology Inventions In 2018" Bio Explorer, December 15 2024. https://www.bioexplorer.net/biotechnology-news-in-2018.html/.
