Research the use of recombinant DNA in the production of human insulin and two other named proteins of your choice.

Research the use of recombinant DNA in the production of human insulin and two other named proteins of your choice Recombinant DNA is DNA that has been created artificially. DNA from two or more sources is incorporated into a single recombinant molecule. There are three different methods by which Recombinant DNA is made. They are: Transformation, Phage Introduction, and Non-Bacterial Transformation. In this essay I will be discussing these methods which are used to make insulin, erythropoietin, and factor VIII. Insulin reduces the blood glucose level (BGL) which is raised by the intake and metabolizing of carbohydrates. High levels of glucose in the blood will cause problems so the sugar level must be returned to normal as soon as possible. When the blood sugar level rises, the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas release insulin into the blood. Insulin makes the liver convert glucose to glycogen, which is stored primarily in the liver but also in the muscles - this results in lowering the BGL. When the BGL is low, the pancreas stops producing insulin. Diabetics cannot produce any or enough of their own insulin so they must inject commercially produced insulin. The gene for insulin production that is inserted into bacteria comes from a human chromosome form a pancreatic cell. Erythropoietin is the hormone normally produced by the kidneys of humans, cats and dogs, and other

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Biology Coursework: Does Acupuncture relieve pain?

Does Acupuncture relieve pain? Is this form of unconventional alternative medicine anything more than placebo effects? Acupuncture is an alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of needles in the body. Its practitioners variously claim that it relieves pain, treats infertility, treats disease, prevents disease, promotes general health, or can be used for therapeutic purposes.3 However, explaining the mechanism of acupuncture using conventional science and proving that it relieves pain has proved very challenging for scientists over the decades. This coursework will attempt to explore this topic further and determine whether there is any biological proof that acupuncture reduces pain. Ideas of what constitutes health and healing sometimes differ from concepts used in scientific, evidence based medicine. Acupuncture was developed prior to the science of human anatomy. Disease is believed to be caused, not by infectious agents, but by an imbalance of yin and yang (a metaphysical balance) caused by a "blockage" or "stagnation" of metaphysical energy known as qi (pronounced "chee") which is believed to flow within and without the body. Inserting needles into specific acupuncture points along a meridian unblocks qi and restores the body's healthy balance. 2 Jessica L (fig 1) says, "after my first session, I felt so much more balanced and in control,

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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In this paper I will be studying chromosome 11 of the human genome.

Biology ISU Chromosome 11 By: Rachel Williams SBI 4U Teacher: Mr. Pigeon December 5, 2003 In this paper I will be studying chromosome 11 of the human genome. Specifically, I will be researching some of the diseases that occur when there are mutations in the genes on chromosome 11. Five specific diseases will be looked at and studied in detail: the Sickle Cell Anemia gene, the MLL gene which causes Trisomy 11, the H19 gene which causes Beckwith-Weideman Syndrome, the WT1 and PAX6 genes which causes Wilm's Tumor syndrome, and finally, the work being done on the genes of Chromosome 11q22-q24 regarding cervical carcinoma. The following research was all acquired from the NCBI online database. The HBB gene which causes Sickle Cell Anemia, is found on chromosome 11p15.4. This gene causes an inherited blood disorder, mainly effecting people from the African continent (1/500), but also people from the Mediterranean and South Asian countries.(NCBI Online, 24 June 2003) Approximately 8% of the African American population are carriers; often, this gene is associated with malaria occurrence, as carriers are somewhat protected against malaria. (NCBI Online, 24 June 2003) Sickle cell anemia is an autosomal (not sex related) recessive disease caused by a mutation in the hemoglobin beta gene. When a mutation occurs, the HBB gene produces a structurally abnormal hemoglobin (Hb),

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Measuring the acceleration due to gravity in the lab.

Measuring the acceleration due to gravity in the lab Aim Our aim was to find the acceleration due to gravity in the laboratory. Method The distance between the ceiling and the floor (h) was measured. A rubber was then dropped from the ceiling and the time taken for it to hit the ground was recorded. Results Attempt Time Taken (sec) 0.47 2 0.45 3 0.71 4 0.55 5 0.5 6 0.71 7 0.4 8 0.46 9 0.58 0 0.56 Average Time = Sum of all times Number of Times = (0.47+0.45+0.71+0.55+0.5+0.71+0.4+0.46+0.58+0.56) 10 = 5.85 10 = 0.59 sec (to 2 dp) H = height of the drop T = time taken Acceleration due to gravity = 2H T2 =2(2.59) 0.592 = 5.18 0.3481 = 14.88 m/s2 (to 2 dp) Evaluation The results circled in the table are anomalous. There was a wide range of results, from 0.4 to 0.71. This spread of results indicates that the data may be inaccurate. Although the experiment was repeated nine times, different results were found at nearly every attempt. This could be due to the timing methods used. A stop clock held by a person was used to measure the time the rubber took to hit the ground. As a human's reaction times are not perfect, the button could have been pressed long after the rubber had touched the ground. Also, the timekeeper could have pressed the button too early; at the time he expected the rubber to fall in order to try and get a more

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Is Genetically Produced Insulin The Right Way To Treat Diabetes

29/03/2004 James Is Genetically Produced Insulin The Right Way To Treat Diabetes? In this project I plan to research and evaluate different methods of producing human insulin for treating people with diabetes. The main methods I will research and evaluate are methods that use some sort of genetic modification process. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas by beta cells. Insulin is necessary to remove excess sugar from the blood, by moving it into other body tissues where it is used as energy(9). Insulin also helps the body to metabolize (process) carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the diet. Insulin was the first genetically engineered drug in the world. (4) People with diabetes have a problem with their pancreas; it does not produce enough insulin for the body's needs, so additional insulin is required or serious problems with the persons nerves, blood vessels, kidneys, and eyes will occur over time. Insulin has to be injected otherwise acid in the stomach would destroy the insulin if taken by mouth. Insulin controls diabetes, but does not cure it. Insulin must be taken regularly, so to keep the persons blood-sugar level stable (1). (2) Methods Of Producing Insulin. GE Insulin-Producing Bacteria. Nowadays demand for insulin is so great that the pig produced insulin method (below) couldn't

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Does An Electrolyte Behave Like A Resistor?

Does An Electrolyte Behave Like A Resistor? Aim To see the relationship between the Current and the Voltage for a liquid. Circuit Diagram Anode Cathode Copper Sulphate (CuSO ) solution Method This experiment was done as a demonstration. The results were obtained by adjusting the variable resistor to give a range of readings from the ammeter and voltmeter. These results are shown in results table and the graph. Results Voltage Current (A) Average Current (V) st Test 2nd Test 3rd Test (A) 0 0 0 0 0 .0 0.14 0.12 0.17 0.14 2.0 0.30 0.26 0.36 0.31 3.0 0.46 0.42 0.52 0.47 4.0 0.67 0.60 0.70 0.65 5.0 0.71 0.83 0.86 0.80 Conclusion The graph is showing a straight line through the origin. This means that as the voltage increases, the current also increases uniformly. A graph of Voltage and Current for a resistor was the same, when I did the experiment. This means that the liquid behaves like a resistor. Which was what we were trying to find out. In a liquid, a current is the movement of ions. In Copper Sulphate (CuSO ) solution the sulphate ions are negative and move to the anode, the copper ions are positive and move to the cathode. The anode is the positive plate and the cathode is the negative plate. If you increase the voltage then the plates become more charged and the ions move around faster, so the

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Static electricity and magnetism

Static electricity When materials like silk or polythene become charged with static electricity it is because they are poor conductors or insulators and the electrons stay on the surface. Good conductors like metals allow the electrons to flow away. When the charge builds up it can jump across a gap causing a spark. Static electricity happens in clouds because ice particles rub past each other and build up a charge in the cloud and this charge can jump between clouds or the Earth as lightning. Electric current Electric current is a flow of electrons along a conductor like a metal wire. Electrons come from a source like an electric cell and change places with the metal atom electrons and push the electrons of the metal atoms along the wire. The electric cell gives the electrons energy. Break the circuit and the electrons cannot flow. Electric current is not used up because electrons are not destroyed they transfer energy as they move round the circuit. This can happen in a resistor or light bulb when thermal energy and light energy are given out. Light bulbs produce light because they have high resistance and resist the flow of the electrons. Series and parallel circuits a b In diagram (a) current flows out of the battery through the ammeter and the bulbs, and as the electrons pass through the first bulb some energy is transferred. Then as the electrons pass through

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Calculating the DHc of the combustion of alcohols.

Sam Forshaw Calculating the ?Hc of the combustion of alcohols. Aim: To work out the ?Hc of the alcohols: ethanol, methanol, pentan-1-ol, butan-1-ol and propan-1-ol by using calorimetry. The idea in this experiment is that if you burn a substance to heat water there is a link between the rise in temperature of the water and the amount of energy the substance contains. For this you need to know the amount of the substance you have burned and the volume and mass of the water you are heating. For this experimant I wil use a copper container for the water, place an aluminium lid on top (to prevent heat loss) and a spirit lamp containing the alcohol that I will be burning. There are however problems with this experiment. Not all of the heat from the reaction will go into the water, much of this energy will be lost to the surroundings and the copper container and aluminium also absorb some of the heat and rise in temperature also. Both of these factors greatly reduce the amount of heat energy produced by the combustion of the alcohol that is available to heat the water. The standard definition for enthalpy change is 'Enthalpy change is the amount of heat energy taken in or given out during any change in a system, provided the system is kept at constant pressure'. Standard enthalpy changes (?H?) are these that occur under standard conditions of 100kPa, 298K and 1 mol dm-3 and

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Using a sensor to measure an angle.

Using a sensor to measure an angle A potentiometer or potential divider is a device, which can be used to measure certain type of data. It consists of a moving contact, which can pass along a surface of high resistance. When it does this the resistant output changes and as a result this can be used to measure things, such as distances or angles, as long as the device can be applied to either a rotary potentiometer or liner potentiometer. Current I = V/R V=voltage R= resistance I have researched that radio and hi-fi systems rely on potentiometers to adjust volume levels. On an old radio there is often a scratchy sounds as you turn the volume knob. This is because the signal from the radios is controlled by tapping off part of it with a sliding contact moving along the surface of high resistance. It works by having the signal from the radio - a varying potential difference - across the whole resistance, but the signal to the speaker is then taken from across only a part of the whole resistance. The scratchy noise on an old radio may come from dirt on the surface of high resistance, which briefly spoils the contact as the slider moves. Really top quality hi-fi equipment sometimes uses a chain of fixed resistors in between gold-plated contacts to beat the noise problem Another use for these devises is in car fuel gauges. In a car the fuel gauge doesn't actually measure the

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes have been popular since they were first published in 1886. Explore the reasons behind this enduring popularity?

Report of My Visit to Xscape On the 6th of February 2004, our Physics class was invited to take a tour of the skiing facility at Xscape in Milton Keynes. The visit gave me a good insight into different areas of Physics that were seen at the skiing complex. We learnt a lot about the cooling system, how it works, and areas of energy loss which could be harnessed instead of lost. We were given a tour as well as a brief talk about Xscape by Mr. Shears. Section 1: Aspects of Physics Observed .1 I observed the operation of drag lifts at Xscape which took skiers back up the ski slope. Each drag lift consisted of 16 hangers onto which the skiers would sit on when going up the ski slope. The cable used to carry all 16 skiers needs to be able to support the 16 skiers by withstanding high degrees of tension. This tension acts on the cable in opposite directions, but these tensions will not equal each other. This is explained below: I am going to focus on the tensions in the cable for one skier sitting on a hanger being pulled up the ski slope. We were told by Mr. Shears that the cable to the top of the slope is at an angle of about 22° to the horizontal and the cable down to the bottom of the slope was at about 20°. We can find the tensions in the cable by resolving forces acting horizontally and vertically on the cable. We know that the horizontal component of T1 and T2 must

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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