For a bit of a change from the biopharmaceutical and biofuels angles, I've been writing a piece on different aspects of biotechnology in agriculture, and adding a new list item every couple of days. Being partial to goats, I have yet to include the bit on spider silk protein in goat milk, so for those of you who have already seen the article on agricultural biotech, check back again in the coming week for new points. I'm also open to suggestions.

Most people are familiar with Cystic Fibrosis as a chronic, inherited disease that manifests itself as a thick mucus that lines the lungs and impairs breathing in its victims. What I didn't know until today is that it also affects the pancreas and prevents proper absorption of nutrients from food, because of the effect it has on enzyme production.

Many people who suffer from CF take enzymes to aid their digestion. According to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF), enzyme therapy has played a role in the doubling of the median survival age of CF sufferers over the past 25 years. This information was provided in a notice by the CCFF alerting it's readers that children taking enzymes have been found to have elevated levels of phthalates in their urine as a result. The phthalates originate from the capsules and are included in their manufacture to aid the movement of food from the stomach into the intestines, where nutrients are absorbed. The notice was published in September 2008, in response to study findings, and because of increasing public awareness and concern over the toxicity of phthalates that leach from plastics, oils, detergents and other commercial products. However, the CCFF has stated that there are no known toxic effects on humans from the phthalates used in the pancreatic enzyme coatings, and that the benefits of taking the drugs outweigh the risks i.e. the precautionary principle in reverse.

Scientists are developing a vaccine for drug-resistant bacteria based on the biofilms they produce that protect them from antibiotics. The discovery that these "superbugs" produce a sticky substance which induces an immune response in animals has lead to the concept of producing an antibody for at-risk patients in hospitals, the elderly and anyone else who might come in contact with them. The sticky substance is a complex sugar called PNAG (poly-beta-1,6-N-acetylglucosamine). The sugar alone doesn't induce an immune response, but needs to be chemically altered.

Superbug infections have become a considerable problem in hospitals worldwide, making research into their control and prevention of infections very important. One such microorganism, multiple-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, (MRSA) is a strain of a microbe that occurs naturally on our skin, but can get out of control in immunocompromised people, or if it enters an open wound. Only certain strains are resistant to antibiotics, but those can be lethal, prompting an interest in research on the mechanisms of biofilm production.

Of course, finding a vaccine against superbugs won't eliminate the need for stringent hygenic measures in hospitals, and I agree with the UK charity, MRSA Action, that finding a vaccine isn't necessarily the answer to the problem. Of course, prevention of infection would mean everyone entering the hospital would have to get the shot before undergoing treatment, "just in case", which certainly won't sit well with those opposed to vaccines.

This year's Nobel Prize for Chemistry, awarded yesterday, gives a nod to a discovery that has played an enormous role in biotechnology and become as commonplace as E. coli as a molecular tool. The discovery of green fluorescent protein (GFP) has been acknowledged as "one of the most important tools in contemporary bioscience", according to the Nobel Committee. Discovered in the 1960's, the protein makes jellyfish glow fluorescent green under UV light. The gene for the protein is now used in thousands of laboratories worldwide as a bioindicator of gene transfer and to study gene expression (i.e. localization of genes in tissues, expression of cloned genes, transcription factor binding).

The recipients of the award are Martin Chalfie of Columbia University in New York, Roger Tsien from the University of California, San Diego and Osamu Shimomura from the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, Massachusetts.