Extra Credit: 3D Printing Technology

          Professor Huang Wenhua and his students from Southern Medical University have been able to use the 3D printing technology to print out 3D bones and organs. The 3d printed structures are made up of thousands of layers of bone powder and biological glue. After successfully producing 3D printed rabbit and goat bones, the researchers discover that these experimental structures can withstand the same amount of pressure as the real bones. However, the researchers have yet to find a way of producing large, strong bones with active cells that can replace real bones. The professor claim that there would still be many years of experimenting and working before the 3d bones could be being implanted into patients and become useful in real-life cases.  Apart from the limitation of today’s 3d printed bones, this technology does have many potential benefits that will positively influence us in the future.  One of the benefits includes decreasing the long waiting times for organ donors. With this technology, many patients could replace their organs with 3d printed bones without having to face serious illness due to the lack of donors. The patients would have a faster rate of recovery than they would with the long waiting list of donors. Another benefit includes decreasing the chance of organ rejection after transplantation. Since the organ is printed the way the patient needs them, it is less likely for the body to reject the printed organ than the donor’s organ. This would increase the rate of the positive outcomes of the surgeries. There are also some risks involved in the use of the 3D printing technology. For example, there would be copyright issues or disputes over the ownership of the 3d structures produced by the companies. The patients or medical workers might get into serious trouble if the implant is used illegally without the permission of the owners. The difficulty in maintaining the cell environment in the 3d organ can also be a problem that puts the patients’ lives into danger. Although it is risky to use this technology, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The 3D printing technology might cause several problems, but it would be improved over the years and would bring positive changes to the society. It would increase the efficiency of surgeries and medical treatment. It would also help patients receive organs before serious damage can be done to their health. This technology is definitely beneficial and useful for people around the 

Works Cited:
 Hipolite, Whitney. "Chinese Researchers 3D Print Rabbit & Goat Bones for Implantation Using Bone       Powder & Bio-glue."3DPrintcom. N.p., 15 July 2015. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.                                                   <http://3dprint.com/81530/3d-printed-rabbit-goat-bones/>

"3D Printed Bone Implants Are Here - 3D Printing Industry." 3D Printing Industry Move Over Titanium 3D Printed Bone Implants Are Here Comments. N.p., 18 May 2015. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.<http://3dprintingindustry.com/2015/05/18/move-over-titanium-3d-printed-bone-implants-are-here/>

"Pros & Cons - 3D Bioprinting." Pros & Cons - 3D Bioprinting. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <https://sites.google.com/site/gsse2014b2/pros-cons>.

Picture:
<http://www.3ders.org/images2015/bone-printing-project-at-southern-medical-university-4.jpg>

Unit 6 Reflection

In unit 6, we learned about biotechnology and how it benefits people around the world. The themes and essential understandings are about different examples of biotech. Biotechnology uses advanced technology, such as genetic engineering, to manipulate living things and bring positive impacts to people’s lives. One example of genetic engineering that we learned is recombinant DNA, which involves replacing defective genes with effective ones so that the organism can inherit certain trait that is helpful and benefitial. We also learned about the process of gel electrophoresis, which is the separation of DNA strands based on their lengths. Another concept we talked about is bacteria transformations, which is the transferring of plasmid into the bacteria.

When learning this unit, my strength is understanding the benefits and importance of biotech. My weakness is understanding how the process of genetic engineering works because I was a little confused about the steps in each experiment. In the end, everything went well and was successful without any major drawbacks. I was able to get most of my answers questioned, which cleared up the confusion.

Our group did the following labs:

1. “Recombinant DNA Lab”

 http://meganlinbio.blogspot.com/2016/01/recombinant-dna-lab.html,

2. “Candy Electrophoresis Lab” 

http://meganlinbio.blogspot.com/2016/01/candy-electrophoresis-lab.html

3. “pGLO Lab”

http://meganlinbio.blogspot.com/2016/01/pglo-lab.html

By doing these lab, I was able to learn about the steps that scientists go through in order to produce the  desired result from the experiment. I also learned about how the process of genetic engineering works and how simple some procedures are.

            I want to learn more about how bacteria transformation can be applied to benefit the society. I want to ask questions about how scientists discovered these methods of genetic engineering. I also wonder if scientists can develop technologies that can improve cancer treatment.

           In the past few weeks, I have been working hard to reach my goals. I am using my planners and accomplishing all my tasks. I am also improving my tone and tuning on my flute. I will continue to work on being productive and will continue to practice flute everyday. 

Sources:

Genetic Engineering. Digital image. Genetic Engineering or Genetic Modification (GM). N.p., n.d. Web.   24 Jan. 2016. <http://biologyboom.com/genetic-engineering/>.

Slack, Jonathan. PGLO Animal. Digital image. How a Jellyfish Protein Transformed Science. Allison                           MacLachlan, 27 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Jan. 2015. <http://www.livescience.com/16752-gfp-protein-fluorescent-nih-nigms.html>.

What Is Genetic Engineering. Perf. Eco-Wise Video. N.p., 28 Mar. 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IsQ92KiBwM>.

pGLO Lab

pGLO Observations , Data Recording & Analysis

1.

Plate Number of Colonies Color of colonies under room light Color of colonies under   UV light - pGLO LB 150 yellow darker yellow and green - pGLO LB/amp none no colony  no colony + pGLO LB/amp 190 yellow darker yellow and green + pGLO LB/amp/ara 220 yellow glowing green

2.	What two new traits do your transformed bacteria have?

The two traits are that the bacteria can glow and that they are resistant to ampicillin.

3.	Estimate how many bacteria were in the 100 uL of bacteria that you spread on each plate. Explain your logic.

There were about 250 bacteria because bacteria divide to double or triple the amount of the colonies of bacteria.

4.	What is the role of arabinose in the plates?

The role of arabinose is to help the bacteria glow and show the presence of green fluorescent protein in the bacteria.

5.	List and briefly explain three current uses for GFP (green fluorescent protein) in research or applied science.

GFP’s ability to glow can be used as an indicator that shows scientists if a certain gene is inserted into the DNA and if it is present in the organism. This helps scientists produce a successful experiment that would later benefit the society. Another use of GFP is to make the cancer cells glow in the organism that they are implanted in. This would help scientists monitor and observe the cancer cells in the organism and produce useful data for cancer research. The third use of GFP is that it could be attached to insulin-producing cells, which would help scientists observe the process in which they are made. This could then improve the treatment for diabetic patients.

6.	Give an example of another application of genetic engineering.

 An application of genetic engineering includes replacing defective genes with the effective ones 

                                               
so that the cells can function properly.
                                                

Candy Electrophoresis Lab

1. One of our sample dyes produces a different color than any of the reference dye. It has a color of brown mixed with a little purple.  The color is different because the M&M candy uses the artificial dye that produces its brown color.

2. The fast green FCF would migrate similarly to the dye I examined because it is negatively charged, just like the reference dye, and would move toward the positively charged cathode. Its structure also looks very similar to Blue 1.

3. Dog manufacturers put artificial colors in dog food to enhance the look of the food and attract people to buy it.

5. The two factors that control the distance the colored dye migrate are the length of the DNA of the colored dye solutions and the charge of the electric current.

6. The positive charge of the electric current helps move the dyes through the gel.

7. The small pores in the gel and the electric current causes the dyes to migrate with different speed and be separated based on their sizes.

8. The molecules with molecular weight of 600 daltons would travel the furthest because it is the lightest and can travel the fastest. The molecule that goes after with the weight of 1000 daltons would be the second furthest, followed by 2000 daltons molecule. The molecule with the heaviest weight of 5000 daltons would travel the least range of distance.