Add to collection
  • + Create new collection
    • Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
    Published 16 November 2007 Referencing Hub media
    Download

    New Zealand biotechnology is a developing, world-class industry. Find out more about the exciting work being done, and the diversity of different projects in this first of a 4-part series produced by NZBio.

    See below for links to the other videos in this series.

    This clip was produced in conjunction with NZBio.

    Transcript

    Narrator Of all of the fields of science that have helped us learn more about ourselves and our environment over the last century, biotechnology has provided some of the most valuable and far-reaching knowledge.

    Brian Ward (NZBio) Biotechnology is very much about applications, so what biotechnology will deliver is better healthcare, improved foods, better and safer agriculture, lower environmental risk, cleaner industrial processing. So there are a whole lot of technologies that will be beneficial to everyone within the community.

    Narrator The emerging field of genomics, or understanding all the functions and interactions of our genes1, will lead to new medicines, more specific diagnosis2, and greater understanding of our predisposition to disease3. New therapies4 based on a deeper awareness of human biology5 are already improving patient outcomes and will lead to safer and more effective treatments for disease such as cancerheart disease and diabetes.

    For example, a compound6 developed by the Auckland bio-pharmaceutical company, Protemix, has shown promise for treating diabetic heart failure. This condition7 is the leading cause of death in patients with diabetes, and affects over three million people world-wide.

    New Zealand biotechnologists are also contributing to the global fight against AIDS, by providing the building blocks for a gel that may prevent HIV infection

    Richard Furneaux (Industrial Research Ltd.) It’s addressing the issue of AIDS8, the spread of AIDS in third world and first world countries, and providing a tool that women can use to protect themselves during sexual intercourse from getting the AIDS virus. So it’s a preventative measure that really isn’t in existence now. There is no other thing that you could use to do that, and so it’s really tremendous to think that we can contribute to a major initiative.

    1. genes: A segment of a DNA molecule that carries the information needed to make a specific protein. Genes determine the traits (phenotype) of the individual.
    2. diagnosis: The identification of disease through the examination of the symptoms.
    3. diseases: 1. An abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions. 2. In plants, an abnormal condition that interferes with vital physiological processes.
    4. therapies: A range of treatments that can be used to help the body’s natural defences fight off infectious diseases. They strengthen the immune system to do its job. These include medications (drugs), vitamins, healthy eating, exercise and rest.
    5. biology: The science of living things.
    6. compound: A pure substance made up of two or more different elements chemically combined.
    7. condition: An existing state or situation; a mode or state of being.
    8. acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS): A disease that destroys the body’s ability to fight infection. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
      Go to full glossary
      Download all

      genes

    1. + Create new collection

      2. A segment of a DNA molecule that carries the information needed to make a specific protein. Genes determine the traits (phenotype) of the individual.

      therapies

    2. + Create new collection

      3. A range of treatments that can be used to help the body’s natural defences fight off infectious diseases. They strengthen the immune system to do its job. These include medications (drugs), vitamins, healthy eating, exercise and rest.

      condition

    3. + Create new collection

      4. An existing state or situation; a mode or state of being.

      diagnosis

    4. + Create new collection

      5. The identification of disease through the examination of the symptoms.

      biology

    5. + Create new collection

      6. The science of living things.

      acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

    6. + Create new collection

      7. A disease that destroys the body’s ability to fight infection. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

      diseases

    7. + Create new collection

      8. 1. An abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions.

      2. In plants, an abnormal condition that interferes with vital physiological processes.

      compound

    8. + Create new collection

      9. A pure substance made up of two or more different elements chemically combined.

      Email Us

      See our newsletters here.