21. Pharmaceutical Biotechnology: Part Ib Emergent Technologies DNA-based Biotechnology NQ

With Recombinant DNA Drug development pharmaceutical biotechnology embraces the tools of genetic modification for new therapies. Similar to the technology introduced in the Agricultural Biotechnology section of this course, gene constructs can be made using DNA from different sources to make high value proteins that can be produced as injectable drugs. Insulin was one of the first recombinant DNA drugs to be made this way. Notice that recombinant insulin does not draw nearly the controversy as genetically modified tomatoes (even though they use the same technology). in this part we also examine the use of this technology for antibody based drugs and new vaccines.