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Modern Biotechnology: Medical Uses of Biotechnology / Gene Therapy / Xeno-transplantation / Genetic Modification in Medicine / Cloning and Stem Cell Technology

What is it and what is new?

Biotechnology is a descriptive term that covers a range of scientific tools which use living things to solve problems and make products. In the context of health and disability issues, this term covers many procedures that have existed for decades, including heart and kidney transplantation, blood transfusion, skin grafts, enzyme replacement therapy and bone marrow transplantation.

Recent developments in understanding the structure and function of DNA and genes, and the way in which cells grow and develop in the body, have led to a number of conceptual ideas about how new techniques in biotechnology may be applied to various diseases or disabilities.

Some of these newer techniques are described in this section. Follow these links for NZORD's brief explanations of Gene Therapy, Xeno-transplantation, Cloning and Stem Cell Technology, and Genetic Modification in Medicine. Our section on the medical uses of biotechnology gives some actual and some potential uses for the prevention and control of disease and disability. To round out the whole picture, read our comments on The Human Genome Project which has acted as a catalyst to speed up the potential of these technologies.