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Opportunities in Biotechnology for Future Army Applications (2001) / Chapter Skim
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2. Biotechnology and the Army
Pages 11-15

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From page 11...
... Thus, PCR can provide a time machine enabling students of molecular evolution "to retrieve and study ancient DNA molecules and thus to catch evolution red-handed" (Paabo et al., 1989~. Prior to 1970, gene-directed recombination of DNA was limited to plants and animals and carried out through selective breeding.
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From page 12...
... Several hundred drugs and vaccines are currently in human clinical trials, and hundreds more are in the early development stage. Drug research will be used not only for medical therapeutics, but also to improve sensing and diagnostic capabilities for air and water safety, increase crop yields and improve food quality, provide new techniques for bioremediation of pollutants, enable DNA fingerprinting and forensic analyses, and for many other applications.
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From page 13...
... 1995 Genetically engineered antibodies used against cancer 1997 Dolly the sheep is cloned 1997 First PCR 1997 DNA chips, and software, provide new tools to search out disease-causing genes 1998 Embryonic stem cells used to regenerate tissue animal genome sequenced 1990s First conviction using genetic fingerprinting 1990s Genetically engineered rabies vaccine tested 2000 I Draft catalog of human genome completed FIGURE 2-1 Timeline of significant events in biotechnology. More than half of the significant events in the past century occurred in the last 20 years.
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From page 14...
... The knowledge derived from the study of the genetic characteristics, molecular biology, metabolism, and biology of organisms promises to facilitate the design of devices, software, and genetically altered organisms capable of detecting and diagnosing the effects of pathogens and genetic conditions on human activity. Biotechnology includes the manufacture of products ranging from food-grade sweeteners to fuel alcohol, as well as the use of chemicals to modify the behavior of biological systems, the genetic modification of organisms to produce new traits, and the treatment of genetically based diseases by the manipulation of DNA.
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From page 15...
... For example, an ordinary horse can withstand winter cold and desert heat protected only by hair and its leathery skin. Passive heat transfer alone cannot account for the resistance and isolation necessary to cope with these extreme temperature differentials.
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Key Terms

  • polymerase chain
  • market capitalization
  • bioprocess engineering
  • genetic information
  • dna polymerase

  • dna molecules
  • biological principles
  • genetic material
  • using pcr
  • genetically engineered

  • bacterium thermus
  • medical therapeutics
  • drastic changes
  • thermus aquaticus
  • diagnostic capabilities

  • thermophilic bacterium
  • significant events
  • fuel alcohol
  • machine enabling
  • developing vaccines

  • hundred drugs
  • human clinical
  • inspired methods
  • clinical trials
  • loads relative

  • food quality
  • water safety
  • genetic bases
  • requires engineering
  • underlying basis


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