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Q.Write an account of biotechnological application in medicine.

Assam AhsecAHSEC Higher Secondary (HS) Final Examination 2026Subjective· 5mImportance★★★★★
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Biotech in medicine gives recombinant insulin, gene therapy, recombinant vaccines and molecular diagnosis. rDNA technology = cut DNA with restriction enzymes, ligate into a vector, transform a host, select and culture to get the product.

Biotechnological applications in medicine (main question):

  1. Genetically engineered insulin (Humulin): the two chains (A and B) of human insulin are produced in E. coli using recombinant DNA technology and then joined by disulfide bonds. This gives a safe supply of human insulin for diabetics, free of the allergic problems of animal insulin.
  2. Gene therapy: correction of a genetic defect by inserting a normal gene. NCERT's example is treatment of ADA (adenosine deaminase) deficiency, where the functional ADA gene is introduced into the patient's lymphocytes.
  3. Recombinant vaccines: e.g. the hepatitis B vaccine made from the surface antigen produced in yeast; safer and produced in large quantity.
  4. Molecular diagnosis: early and accurate detection of diseases using PCR (to detect very low amounts of pathogen DNA/RNA, e.g. HIV, cancer mutations) and ELISA (antigen/antibody detection).
  5. Other therapeutic proteins: interferons (antiviral/anticancer), clotting factors, human growth hormone, etc.

OR — Recombinant DNA technology (rDNA) and its process:

Recombinant DNA technology is the technique of combining DNA from two different sources (a desired gene + a vector) to form recombinant DNA and expressing it in a host organism.

Steps:

  1. Isolation of the genetic material (DNA): cells are broken open and DNA is purified (removing RNA, proteins, lipids).
  2. Cutting DNA with restriction enzymes: both the desired gene and the vector plasmid are cut with the same restriction endonuclease, producing complementary sticky ends.
  3. Amplification (if needed) by PCR to make many copies of the gene of interest. …

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