12 ADVANCES IN BIOLOGY IN THE LAST 30 YEARS - BIOLOGY - 2024

Biology has made great strides in the last 30 years. These advances in the scientific world transcend all areas that surround man, directly affecting the well-being and development of society in general.

As a branch of the natural sciences, biology focuses its interest on the study of all living organisms. Every day, technological innovations make possible more specific investigations of the structures that make up the species of the five natural kingdoms: animal, plant, monera, protista, and fungi.

Human genome. Source: Courtesy: National Human Genome Research Institute, via Wikimedia Commons

In this way, biology enhances its research and offers novel alternatives to the different situations that afflict living beings. In the same way, it makes discoveries of new species and already extinct species, which help to clarify some questions related to evolution.

One of the main achievements of these advances is that this knowledge has spread beyond the borders of the researcher, reaching the everyday environment.

Currently, terms such as biodiversity, ecology, antibody and biotechnology are not for the exclusive use of the specialist; Its use and knowledge on the subject is part of the daily life of many people not dedicated to the scientific world.

Most outstanding advances in biology in the last 30 years

RNA interference

In 1998 a series of investigations related to RNA was published. These state that gene expression is controlled by a biological mechanism, called RNA interference.

Through this RNAi it is possible to silence specific genes of a genome in a post-transcriptional way. This is accomplished by small double-stranded RNA molecules.

These molecules act by blocking the translation and synthesis of proteins, which occurs in the genes of the mRNA. In this way, the action of some pathogens that cause serious diseases would be controlled.

RNAi is a tool that has had great contributions in the therapeutic area. Currently this technology is applied to identify molecules that have therapeutic potential against various diseases.

First adult mammal cloned

The first work where a mammal was cloned was carried out in 1996, carried out by scientists on a domesticated female sheep.

Somatic cells from the mammary glands that were in an adult state were used to carry out the experiment. The process used was nuclear transfer. The resulting sheep, named Dolly, grew and developed, being able to reproduce naturally without any inconvenience.

Mapping the human genome

This great biological advance took more than 10 years to materialize, which was achieved thanks to the contributions of many scientists worldwide. In 2000, a group of researchers presented an almost definitive map of the human genome. The definitive version of the work was completed in 2003.

This map of the human genome shows the location of each of the chromosomes, which contain all the genetic information of the individual. With these data, specialists can know all the details of genetic diseases and any other aspect that they want to investigate.

Stem cells from skin cells

Before 2007, the information was handled that pluripotent stem cells were only found in embryonic stem cells.

In that same year, two teams of American and Japanese researchers carried out a study in which they managed to reverse adult skin cells, in order that they could act as pluripotent stem cells. These can differentiate, being able to become any other type of cell.

The discovery of the new process, where the "programming" of epithelial cells is changed, opens a path to the area of ​​medical research.

Robotic body limbs controlled by the brain

During 2000, scientists at Duke University Medical Center implanted several electrodes in the brain of a monkey. The purpose was that this animal could exert control over a robotic limb, thus allowing it to collect its food.

In 2004, a non-invasive method was developed with the intention of capturing the waves coming from the brain and using them to control biomedical devices. It was in 2009 when Pierpaolo Petruzziello became the first human being who, with a robotic hand, could perform complex movements.

This he was able to achieve by using neurological signals from his brain, which were received by the nerves in his arm.

Genome base editing

Scientists have developed a more precise technique than gene editing, repairing much smaller segments of the genome: the bases. Thanks to this, DNA and RNA bases can be substituted, solving some specific mutations that could be related to diseases.

CRISPR 2.0 can substitute one of the bases without altering the structure of the DNA or RNA. The specialists managed to change an adenine (A) for a guanine (G), "tricking" their cells into repairing DNA.

In this way the AT bases became a GC pair. This technique rewrites errors in the genetic code, without the need to cut and replace entire areas of DNA.

Novel immunotherapy against cancer

This new therapy is based on attacking the DNA of the organ that has cancer cells. The novel drug stimulates the immune system and is used in cases of melanoma.

It could also be used in tumors, whose cancer cells have a so-called "mismatch repair deficiency". In this case, the immune system recognizes these cells as foreign and eliminates them.

The drug has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Gene therapy

One of the most common genetic causes of infant death is type 1 spinal muscular atrophy. These newborns lack a protein in the motor neurons of the spinal cord. This causes the muscles to weaken and stop breathing.

Babies with this disease have a new option to save their lives. It is a technique that incorporates a missing gene in spinal neurons. The messenger is a harmless virus called adeno-associated virus (AAV).

AAV9 gene therapy, which has the protein gene absent from neurons in the spinal cord, is delivered intravenously. In a high percentage of the cases in which this therapy was applied, the babies were able to eat, sit, talk and some even run.

Human insulin through recombinant DNA technology

The production of human insulin through recombinant DNA technology represents an important advance in the treatment of patients with diabetes. The first clinical trials with recombinant human insulin in humans began in 1980.

This was done by producing the A and B chains of the insulin molecule separately, and then combining them using chemical techniques. Now, the recombinant process has been different since 1986. The human genetic coding for proinsulin is inserted into Escherichia coli cells.

These are then cultivated by fermentation to produce proinsulin. The linker peptide is enzymatically cleaved from proinsulin to produce human insulin.

The advantage of this type of insulin is that it has a faster action and a lower immunogenicity than that of pork or beef.

Transgenic plants

In 1983 the first transgenic plants were grown.

After 10 years, the first genetically modified plant was commercialized in the United States, and two years later a tomato paste produced from a GM (genetically modified) plant entered the European market.

From that moment on, every year genetic modifications are recorded in plants around the world. This transformation of plants is carried out through a process of genetic transformation, where exogenous genetic material is inserted

The basis of these processes is the universal nature of DNA, containing the genetic information of most living organisms.

These plants are characterized by one or more of the following properties: tolerance to herbicides, resistance to pests, modified amino acids or fat composition, male sterility, color change, late maturation, insertion of a selection marker, or resistance to viral infections.

Discovery of the 79th organ of the human body

Although Leonardo Da Vinci already described it more than 500 years ago, biology and anatomy considered the mesentery as a simple fold of tissue, without any medical importance.

However, in 2017, science deemed the mesentery to be considered the 79th organ, so it was added to Gray's Anatomy, the reference manual for anatomists.

The reason is that scientists now consider that the mesentery is an organ that forms a double fold of the peritoneum, being the link between the intestine and the abdominal wall.

Once it has been classified as an organ, it is now that more research should be done on its real importance in the human anatomy and how it can help diagnose certain diseases or perform less invasive surgeries.

Organ donation will give way to 3D printing

3D printing is one of the most important scientific advances in recent decades, especially at a practical level, being a tool that is changing many economic sectors and a large part of scientific research.

One of the uses that are already being considered is that of the massive development of organs, since advances could allow the reproduction of complex human tissues to implant them surgically.

References

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6. Emily Mullin (2017). CRISPR 2.0, capable of editing a single DNA base, could cure tens of thousands of mutations. MIT Technology review. Recovered from technologyreview.es.