10/19/2017 Biomedicine - Wikipedia

Biomedicine
Biomedicine (i.e. medical biology) is a branch of medical science that applies biological and physiological
principles to clinical practice.[1] The branch especially applies to biology and physiology.[2] Biomedicine also can relate
to many other categories in health and biological related fields. It has been the dominant health system for more than
a century.[3][4][5][6]

It includes many biomedical disciplines and areas of specialty that typically contain the "bio-" prefix such as:

molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, cell biology, embryology,

nanobiotechnology, biological engineering, laboratory medical biology,
cytogenetics, genetics, gene therapy,
bioinformatics, biostatistics, systems biology, neuroscience,
microbiology, virology, immunology, parasitology,
physiology, pathology, anatomy,
toxicology, and many others that generally concern life sciences as applied to medicine.

Contents
1 Overview
2 Molecular biology
3 Biochemistry
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Overview
Medical biology[7] is the cornerstone of modern health care and laboratory diagnostics. It concerns a wide range of
scientific and technological approaches: from an in vitro diagnostics[8][9] to the in vitro fertilisation,[10] from the
molecular mechanisms of a cystic fibrosis to the population dynamics of the HIV virus, from the understanding
molecular interactions to the study of the carcinogenesis,[11] from a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) to the gene
therapy.

Medical biology based on molecular biology combines all issues of developing molecular medicine[12] into large-scale
structural and functional relationships of the human genome, transcriptome, proteome, physiome and metabolome
with the particular point of view of devising new technologies for prediction, diagnosis and therapy [13]

Biomedicine involves the study of (patho-) physiological processes with methods from biology and physiology.
Approaches range from understanding molecular interactions to the study of the consequences at the in vivo level.
These processes are studied with the particular point of view of devising new strategies for diagnosis and
therapy.[14][15]

Depending on the severity of the disease, biomedicine pinpoints a problem within a patient and fixes the problem
through medical intervention. Medicine focuses on curing diseases rather than improving one's health.[16]

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Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the a process of synthesis and regulation of a cell’s DNA, RNA, and protein. Molecular biology
consists of different techniques including Polymerase chain reaction, Gel electrophoresis, and macromolecule blotting
to manipulate DNA.

Polymerase chain reaction is done by placing a mixture of the desired DNA, DNA polymerase, primers, and nucleotide
bases into a machine. The machine heats up and cools down at various temperatures to break the hydrogen bonds
binding the DNA and allows the nucleotide bases to be added onto the two DNA templates after it has been
separated.[17]

Gel electrophoresis is a technique used to identify similar DNA between two unknown samples of DNA. This process is
done by first preparing an agarose gel. This jelly-like sheet will have wells for DNA to be poured into. An electric
current is applied so that the DNA, which is negatively charged due to its phosphate groups is attracted to the positive
electrode. Different rows of DNA will move at different speeds because some DNA pieces are larger than others. Thus
if two DNA samples show a similar pattern on the gel electrophoresis, one can tell that these DNA samples match.[18]

Macromolecule blotting is a process performed after gel electrophoresis. An alkaline solution is prepared in a
container. A sponge is placed into the solution and an agaros gel is placed on top of the sponge. Next, nitrocellulose
paper is placed on top of the agarose gel and a paper towels are added on top of the nitrocellulose paper to apply
pressure. The alkaline solution is drawn upwards towards the paper towel. During this process, the DNA denatures in
the alkaline solution and is carried upwards to the nitrocellulose paper. The paper is then placed into a plastic bag and
filled with a solution full of the DNA fragments, called the probe, found in the desired sample of DNA. The probes
anneal to the complementary DNA of the bands already found on the nitrocellulose sample. Afterwards, probes are
washed off and the only ones present are the ones that have annealed to complementary DNA on the paper. Next the
paper is stuck onto an x ray film. The radioactivity of the probes creates black bands on the film, called an
autoradiograph. As a result, only similar patterns of DNA to that of the probe are present on the film. This allows us
the compare similar DNA sequences of multiple DNA samples. The overall process results in a precise reading of
similarities in both similar and different DNA sample.[19]

Biochemistry
Biochemistry is the science of the chemical processes which takes place within living organisms. Living organisms
need essential elements to survive, consisting of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, calcium, and phosphorus. These
elements make up the four big macromolecules that living organisms need to survive- carbohydrates, lipids, proteins,
and nucleic acids.[20]

Carbohydrates, made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, are energy storing molecules. The simplest one of
carbohydrates is glucose, C6H12O6, is used in cellular respiration to produce ATP, adenosine triphosphate, which
supplies cells with energy.[20]

Proteins are chains of amino acids that function to contract skeletal muscle, function catalysts, transport molecules,
and storage molecules. Proteins can facilitate biochemical processes, by lowering the activation energy of a reaction.
Hemoglobins are also proteins, that carry oxygen to the cells in an organisms body.[20]

Lipids, also known as fats, also serve to store energy, but in the long term. Due to their unique structure, lipids provide
more than twice the amount of energy that carbohydrates do. Lipids can be used as insulation, as it is present below
the layer of skin in living organisms. Moreover, lipids can be used in hormone production to maintain a healthy
hormonal balance and provide structure to your cell walls.[20]

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Nucleic acids are used to store DNA in every living organism. The two types of nucleic acids are DNA and RNA. DNA is
the main genetic information storing substance found oftentimes in the nucleus, which controls the processes that the
cell undergoes. DNA consists of two complimentary antiparallel strands consisting varying patterns of nucleotides.
RNA is a single strand of DNA, which is transcribed from DNA and used for DNA translation, which is the process for
making proteins out of RNA sequences.[20]

See also
Cardiophysics The Cancer Genome Atlas[21]
Laboratory diagnostics The Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine
Medicinal chemistry The Human Genome Project[22][23]
Medical physics The Human Physiome Project

References
1. "biomedicine (applies biological, physiological) – Memidex dictionary/thesaurus" (http://www.memidex.com/biome
dicine+applies-biological-physiological). memidex.com. 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
2. "biomedicine – The Free Dictionary" (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/biomedical). 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
3. Medicine's paradigm shift: An opportunity for psychologyBy Dr. Suzanne Bennett Johnson, APA
PresidentSeptember 2012, Vol 43, No. 8Print version: page 5, [1] (http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/pc.aspx)
4. "Do biomedical models of illness make for good healthcare systems?" (http://www.bmj.com/content/329/7479/139
8). BMJ. 329 (09 December 2004). 2004. PMID 15591570 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15591570).
doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7479.1398 (https://doi.org/10.1136%2Fbmj.329.7479.1398).
5. George L. Engel (1977). "The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine" (http://www.dranneje
nsen.com/PDF/publications/The%20need%20for%20a%20new%20medical%20model%20-%20A%20challenge%
20for%20biomedicine.pdf) (PDF). Science. 196 (4286 (Apr. 8, 1977)): 129–136,.
6. Vital Notes for Nurses: Principles of Care By Hilary Lloyd, Helen Hancock, Steven Campbell, p. 6, [2] (https://book
s.google.com/books?id=02pQLW24ncIC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=The+biomedical+model+of+illness,+which+has+
dominated+health+care+for+the+past+century&source=bl&ots=J34Ls1kCmb&sig=gd6zEM0ShkZ6TV1ImNquW_
mcDs4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TV1wVZLLKoaOyAShgIPoCQ&ved=0CDwQ6AEwBA#v=snippet&q=%22biomedical%2
0model%22&f=false)
7. Principles of Medical Biology (http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/BS_PMBO/description
#description)
8. In vitro diagnostics (http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/InVitroDiagnostics/defaul
t.htm)
9. In vitro Diagnostics – EDMA (http://www.edma-ivd.be/index.php?id=6) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2013
1111180712/http://www.edma-ivd.be/index.php?id=6) November 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
10. In vitro fertilization (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/sci;260/5110/932?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RES
ULTFORMAT=&fulltext=%22in+vitro+fertilisation%22&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT)
11. Master A, Wójcicka A, Piekiełko-Witkowska A, Bogusławska J, Popławski P, Tański Z, Darras VM, Williams GR,
Nauman A. "Untranslated regions of thyroid hormone receptor beta 1 mRNA are impaired in human clear cell
renal cell carcinoma". Biochim Biophys Acta. 1802: 995–1005. PMID 20691260 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub
med/20691260). doi:10.1016/j.bbadis.2010.07.025 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.bbadis.2010.07.025).
12. Molecular medicine – magazine (http://www.molmed.org/)
13. Gene Therapy – New Challenges Ahead (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/sci;302/5644/400?max
toshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=%22gene+therapy%22&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcety
pe=HWCIT)
14. "University of Würzburg Graduate Schools: Biomedicine" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120716101044/http://ww
w.graduateschools.uni-wuerzburg.de/life_sciences/research/sections/biomedicine/). graduateschools.uni-
wuerzburg.de. 2011-10-14. Archived from the original (http://www.graduateschools.uni-wuerzburg.de/life_science
s/research/sections/biomedicine/) on 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2012-10-20.

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15. Monocolonal Antibodies to Migraine: Witnesses to Modern Biomediceine, An A-Z: Ed. E M Jones and E M
Tansey. Publisher Queen mary University, University of London, 2014
16. Greenhalgh. UNDER THE MEDICAL GAZE (http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=kt5x0nc6st;br
and=ucpress). California Digital Library. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-59734-971-0.
17. "Polymerase chain reaction" (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/probe/docs/techpcr/).
18. "Gel electrophoresis" (http://www.geneticseducation.nhs.uk/laboratory-process-and-testing-techniques/gel-electro
phoresis).
19. "Southern blot" (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/glossary=southernblot).
20. Schopf, J. William. Life's Origin (http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?
docId=kt9v19q7jz;brand=ucpress). University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23391-1.
21. The Cancer Genome Atlas – projekt opracowania atlasu genomu raka (http://cancergenome.nih.gov/)
22. Human Genome Project (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml)
23. Human Genome Organization (http://www.hugo-international.org/)

External links
Institute of Medical Biology in Singapore (http://www.i
mb.a-star.edu.sg/)
Medical Biology at the University of Amsterdam (htt
p://www.uva.nl/en/home)
Medical Biology at the University of Warmia and
Mazury (http://www.uwm.edu.pl/wnm/biologia-medyc
zna/en/)
Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy at Lund
University (http://www.med.lu.se/labmedlund/molekyl
aer_medicin_och_genterapi)
Clinical and Translational Science, a Wiley journal (ht
tp://www.ctsjournal.com/)
Molecular Medicine, a Feinstein Institute journal (htt
p://www.molmed.org/)

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