It is the international conflict in which viruses, bacteria and other biological agents noxious to or destructive of life are used against enemies.
Bioweapon or biological weapon is a device that carries and delivers to the target organisms a pathological biological agent or a toxin derived from it.
Bioweapon agent:
The biological agent or toxin which is kept in a suitable container so that it remains active and virulent during delivery, which in delivered in various ways, including missiles and aircraft. Potential pathogens for bioweapons are Bacillus anthracis, Vibrio choierae, small pox virus, Pasteurella/Yersinia pestis, botulinum toxin etc.
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Bioweapons are-(i) low cost weapons, (ii) almost invisible, (iii) cause for more casualities than chemical or conventional weapons.
The possible defences against bioweapons include the use of respirator or gas mask, vaccination, administration on of appropriate antibiotics, decontamination and sensitive detection systems.
It is a set of perceptions, standards and principles which regulate our activities in relation to exploitation of biological world particularly in view of the latest breakthrough in biotechnology.
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The major bioethical concerns related to biotechnology are :
(1) Animals are used for producing pharmaceutical proteins are virtually functioning as factory for human beings.
(2) Use of animals in biotechnology causes great suffering to them.
(3) Transfer of human genes into animals (and vice- versa) dilutes the ‘concept of humanness’.
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(4) Biotechnology by manipulating genes is producing new genotypes, some of which may be dangerous to the living world.
(5) Transgenics are likely to damage environment.
(6) It would change the crop-weed interaction by the transfer of new genes to weeds and other plants.
(7) It violates integrity of species. Biotechnologies do these things on a much larger scale and at a much faster rate.
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• Golden rice: Genetically altered rice with yellow coloured grains, rich in vitamin A.
• Terminator seeds: Produced by genetic engineering are in fact seeds that develop into fertile plants which produce nongerminable seeds.
• Plasticulture: Use of plastic in agriculture. This technology in being considered as an important tool for evergreen revolution.
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• Citizens of Delhi contains the highest level of pesticides is their body fat in the world.
• Therapeutic cloning: Used to repair damaged tissues and diseased organs.
• Reproductive Cloning: Used to create babies identical in genetic makeup to a given genome. Helps to seek immortality, bypass infertility, triumph over death by recreating a loved one etc.
• Bioenergy the energy obtained from biological sources i.e., animal energy and biofuels.
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• A transgenic cow has been produced that bears a gene for the production of human lactoferin in cow milk.
• Bioreactor: The fermentation tank where fermentation is caried out in the presence of micro-organisms.
• Hybridomas: The hybrid cells of same clone.
• PNA (Peptide Nucleic Acid): Nucleotide bases attached to back bone of small peptides stick to RNAs of food poisoning bacteria. The latter fail to produce proteins and die after some time.
• Biological weapons convention and Treaty- 1972.
• Broad spectrum antibiotics: The antibiotics which have the ability to act on several pathogenic species differing from each other in structure and composition of cell wall.
• Department of Biotechnology (DBT)-India.
• Information Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB): New Delhi and Italy.
• Central Food and Training Research Institute (CFTRI): Mysore.
• Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI): Lucknow.
• Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP): Lucknow.
• Animal energy is available in two forms: HMP (Human Muscle Power) and DAP (Draught Animal Power).
• Shikonin: A red dye used for manufacturing cosmetics.
• Second generation vaccines: Those produced by genetic engineering for Hepatitis B and Herpes Virus.
• Third generation vaccines: Synthetic vaccines.
• TPA (Tissue Plasminogen Activator) enzyme is used to dissolve blood clots particularly in case of heart attacks.
• Gene bank: is an institution where valuable genetic material is stored either in the form of seeds or as vegetative material.
• Germplasm: The genetic material especially that contained within the reproductive cells.
• G. Haberlandt (1854 – 1945): Father of plant tissue culture, first to have cultured cells which were fully differentiated (on Knop’s salt solution + sucrose).
• Somatic embryogenesis: Represents the embryo like structures derived from sporophytic or somatic cells of the plant.
• IPRs: Intellectual Property Rights (Patents).
• Humulin: first genetically engineered human insulin produced by the American firm Eli Lilly.
• Cellular totipotency: The ability of somatic cells of a plant to produce a new complete plant.