Biotech, the cure

[mrbiotech]

Now a days, biotech developed a way to clone a human, with these they achived extract mother´s cells, with mother´s cells we can cure a lot of dissueses like hearth problems, cancer, etc. But exist an other factor, it is the religion that disagree with these idea. I my opinion we have to support biotech because may eb one day we will need it.

[MollyBarnesville]

mrbiotech, are diseases what you said?

I still have clear that these totally in favour of biotechnology, I would dare to say up you love it.

Much for reinforcing in your hypothesis, you might add your articles or information with scientific bases.

I am totally in favour about everithing you mention, recent studies reveal that biotech help us to extract some cells, that help to anticipate many diseases and up to treating some of them.

I will be waiting your article.

[mrbiotech]

Ok Molly, Iwas investigating about it and I founded one author who says "there are new genetically engineered proteins that are tailored for each person's unique structure" (Jackson, P T. 2006) Is awesom how biotech is evoluting and as far as we know, we can do a lot of things with it.

[biohazard]

Currently biotech offers many promises and little else. It is true that there's potential in there, but recent development in the fields of biotechnology has been much slower than initially was hoped. The much-hyped stem cell technology, for example, has a lot to do before it can meet the promises made few years back. So, especially medical biotech has, if not failed us, at least brought us down from the clouds, so to speak.

This being said, e.g. food and agricultural biotechnology seems to be doing well, and most obstacles currently on the way are negative opinions of the general public, rather than scientific problems.

But maybe medical biotechnology only needs a major breakthrough to get back on track, and after that we'll see some diseases actually being cured by biotechnological innovations. Currently the only viable stem cell treatment that I'm aware of is blood marrow transplantation, which is an old technique. What comes to biotechnological therapeutic agents, we have a couple humanised/chimerised antibodies and recombinant insulin etc. - but we still haven't seen any groundbreaking innovations in this field. So don't get too carried away just yet, people...

And I'm a biotechnologist myself, not some green-hippie treehugger or fundamentalist christian who opposes everything related to stem cells or GMOs

[mith]

of course there's still some patent law problems with biotech that need to be worked out

[BioCore]

Not trying to be mean here or anything but I had a hard time understand the first couple of posts. Biohazard I agree with you on how Biotechnology has up to this point only promised a lot. But we do have to look into the past. Lots of other fields (ex. Physics) were advanced due to one major breakthrough. Which you do mention, and based on how fast data and information is being gathered in todays society, I would say that in the next couple of decades Biotechnology could potentially be able to provide answers and not just promises.

Also, not all religions oppose Biotechnology or research such as Stem Cells. I just thought you might like to know that before anyone else says something about religion and science.

of course there's still some patent law problems with biotech that need to be worked out

I believe that a lot of laws determining patents will have to be rewritten in the coming years, especially due to this new desire for companies to own the sole property of our genes.

[biohazard]

Yeah, I agree with you there BioCore: in a decade or two it can be a whole new story with many good techniques to improve the quality of human life or cure some currently incurable medical conditions. I merely tried to point out that the picture that has been given to us by many researchers and biotech companies during the recent years has maybe been too rosy and optimistic.

This probably isn't anything new in the scientific world, but surely makes it more difficult for biotech companies and researchers to gain funding and public approval now, as many start thinking of the field as a failure - after all, many investors lost their money (even though they should've known it was high-risk business) and people didn't get the new organs they were told they'd get in no time. But patience is the key, again. I'm pretty sure we'll se some real advancement in biotechnology, but it just takes more time, money and effort.

And, I never said all religions object stem cell research or GMOs. I did, though, hint that fundamental christians do so, and I still hold to that.

[mudphudder]

There are a lot of anti-biotech people in academia but I think the biotech industry has a lot of benefits for the academic community. Yes the agendas of biotech and academia may differ in significant areas (i.e. for-profit vs. not-for-profit) but I think collaborations between academia and the biotech industry have ultimately been beneficial to *patients* by accelerating development and delivery of therapeutics to the market places.