08-19-2013, 12:44 AM
Treatment of diseases utilizes a wide variety of preparations of both biological and abiological origins. The preparations of biological origin may either be crude e.g. ayurvedic medicines, some allopathic drugs etc., or purified to various degrees. Many of such compounds are obtained from plants, but a large number of them originate from microorganisms, cultured cells and recombinant organisms.
1. Products from nonrecombinant organisms
Therapeutic agents from nonrecombinants organisms may originate from the following systems – microorganisms, plant cell cultures and animal cell cultures.
A large number of pharmaceuticals originate from microorganisms; they range from whole microorganisms, e.g. spores of Lactobacillus sporogenes, through biomass used as food/feed supplements e.g. single cell proteins, to a variety for highly valuable compounds like antibiotics, vitamins, enzymes, organic acids, etc.
Some biochemicals of pharmaceutical value are produced by cultured plant cells, e.g. shikonin, ginseng biomass and taxol. Taxol is produced from cell cultures of Taxus spp. grown in 75,000 l bioreactors and is used for treatment of breast and ovarian cancers.
Cultured animal cells are the source of several compounds used for treatment of diseases e.g. angiogenic factor, interleukin -2, beta interferon etc.
2. Products from recombinant organisms
The products obtained from nonrecombinant organisms are limited to their natural capabilities. Genetic engineering has, however, removed this limitation and genes from any organism can be transferred and expressed in any other organism. This has enabled the production of a large number of recombinant proteins, i.e. , proteins produced by using genetic engineering or recombinant DNA technology in microorganisms, cultured animal cells, and more recently, in plants grown in the field. E.g. Human insulin, human growth hormone.
3. Interferons
Interferons are members of a large group of proteins called cytokines, which affect a wide range of target cells and tissues by binding to specific receptors present on the surface of their target cells. In these and the following respect, cytokines resemble hormones: they are released into the blood stream and other body fluids. But they differ from hormones in the following features: they are produced by a variety of cell types and not by specific endocrine organs.
Other examples of disease treatment methods using biological factors include growth factors, monoclonal antibodies, artificial tissues/organs, therapeutic oligonucleotides etc.
1. Products from nonrecombinant organisms
Therapeutic agents from nonrecombinants organisms may originate from the following systems – microorganisms, plant cell cultures and animal cell cultures.
A large number of pharmaceuticals originate from microorganisms; they range from whole microorganisms, e.g. spores of Lactobacillus sporogenes, through biomass used as food/feed supplements e.g. single cell proteins, to a variety for highly valuable compounds like antibiotics, vitamins, enzymes, organic acids, etc.
Some biochemicals of pharmaceutical value are produced by cultured plant cells, e.g. shikonin, ginseng biomass and taxol. Taxol is produced from cell cultures of Taxus spp. grown in 75,000 l bioreactors and is used for treatment of breast and ovarian cancers.
Cultured animal cells are the source of several compounds used for treatment of diseases e.g. angiogenic factor, interleukin -2, beta interferon etc.
2. Products from recombinant organisms
The products obtained from nonrecombinant organisms are limited to their natural capabilities. Genetic engineering has, however, removed this limitation and genes from any organism can be transferred and expressed in any other organism. This has enabled the production of a large number of recombinant proteins, i.e. , proteins produced by using genetic engineering or recombinant DNA technology in microorganisms, cultured animal cells, and more recently, in plants grown in the field. E.g. Human insulin, human growth hormone.
3. Interferons
Interferons are members of a large group of proteins called cytokines, which affect a wide range of target cells and tissues by binding to specific receptors present on the surface of their target cells. In these and the following respect, cytokines resemble hormones: they are released into the blood stream and other body fluids. But they differ from hormones in the following features: they are produced by a variety of cell types and not by specific endocrine organs.
Other examples of disease treatment methods using biological factors include growth factors, monoclonal antibodies, artificial tissues/organs, therapeutic oligonucleotides etc.
![[+]](https://www.biotechnologyforums.com/images/netpen-pro/collapse_collapsed.png)