Questions for Chapter Five Reading: DNA, Dollars, and Drugs: Biotechnology

Questions for Chapter Five Reading: DNA, Dollars, and Drugs: Biotechnology

1)  Potentially, how could biotechnology be used to “produce proteins that are marketable”? (p. 114)

2)  Why was insulin the first obvious commercial choice for a product?

3)  How do pigs and cows differ in their insulin compared to humans?

4)  How would Genentech propose getting around problems with allergies to pig and cow insulin?

5)  How do introns pose a problem for bacteria? (p. 115) Could you predict a method that could be used that you learned in class?

6)  How is the central dogma violated?

7)  What does the author mean by a “cleaned-up insulin gene”?

8)  What surprised you about the business side of biotech?

9)  Do you think people are willing to push the safety envelope in any field if there is a chance that they could make a lot of money? Explain.

10)  Do you think it is bad or good that an academic institution can only support research above the cost of salaries? (p. 119) Explain.

11)  Why is it important that a genetically modified organism be patented?

12)  Why is it that the patent on cancer research has been “profound and counterproductive”? (p. 124)

13)  How did biotechnology advance the use of HGH from cadavers?

14)  How are monoclonal antibodies used in medicine?

15)  How does Enbrel work? (p. 127)

16)  Why are neurotransmitters, hormones, and growth factors target for research? Why are they “a great idea on paper” but too hard to “apply in practice”?

17)  What else interested you or surprised you about the rest of this chapter? What are some ethical issues that you can think of related to this topic?