Previously, these materials had to be extracted from human and animal tissue with some difficulty and with potential risks for the patient. Biotechnology has provided a better alternative. One of the first great successes of biotechnology in healthcare has been to create a safer and more effective vaccine against Hepatitis B. New types of therapeutic vaccines are being developed to treat, rather than prevent disease, including HIV, herpes and various cancer-causing infections. Biotechnology is also leading to the development of new medicines for diseases, which, until now, have been otherwise untreatable. Beta-interferon, for example, is giving new hope to multiple sclerosis patients, where before there has been no hope of treatment.
Biotechnology is likely to come up with new therapies for many more unconquered diseases.
The technology will help in the earlier diagnosis of disease and will help to identify more accurately gene abnormalities that may lead to the treatment of certain hereditary diseases. In agriculture, biotechnology has the promise to produce foods with enhanced nutrition and flavour, and crops with increased yield. Most of today s hard cheese products are made with an enzyme chymosin, which is produced by biotechnology. In the UK the first recombinant tomato paste was launched in supermarkets earlier this year. Biotechnology has the potential to make crops more nutritious, to taste better, last longer and naturally resist insects, viruses and herbicides.