In 500 B.C., the Chinese used moldy soybean curd to fight infections. In the 1860s, genese were discovered through the study of green peas in a pod. The genetic code was cracked in 1953. Today, the biotechnology industry uses genomics to identify genes involved in diseases so drugs can be designed to treat the causes of illnesses, not just symptoms. If we stop here, we'll never know how far we can go.
Biotechnology leads the way in medical innovation by confronting life's most threatening illnesses.
More than 350 biotechnology drugs and vaccines are in human clinical trials and hundreds more are in early development. Nearly ever human disease is under attack by thousands of dedicated researchers in the United States. Our nation has more scientists working on more new therapies and cures in more biotechnology companies than any other nation in the world. These new treatments pinpoint cancer cells and destroy tumors, while leaving healthy tissue unharmed. With the hope that this new therapy could someday replace traditional chemotherapy, cancer patients may look to their future with greater certainty.