Biotechnology: Angiogenesis, Necrosis and Apoptosis - Essay Example

In females, angiogenesis also occurs during the monthly reproductive cycle (to rebuild the uterus lining, to mature the egg during ovulation) and during pregnancy (to build the placenta, the circulation between mother and fetus).”Angiogenesis is considered to be a form of tissue engineering since it meets the definition when it is used either synthetically or naturally to repair the damage. That definition is, “Tissue engineering uses synthetic or naturally derived, engineered biomaterials to replace damaged or defective tissues, such as bone, skin, and even organs” (ATP, 2005).

Diseases could be treated by turning angiogenesis “on” in the case of a severe injury or in the case of coronary artery disease. The disease could be treated by turning angiogenesis “off” in the case of cancer or diabetic blindness (The Angiogenesis Foundation, 2008).

b. Describe how we could take advantage of apoptosis in the treatment of the disease? What would be the advantage(s) compared to the traditional approach? Hint: Think cancer, hepatitis, etc.According to MedicineNet (2008, pg. 1), necrosis is “The death of living cells or tissues.

Necrosis can be due, for example, to ischemia (lack of blood flow).” According to CancerTherapy.net, “the P53 gene causes the abnormal cells to commit suicide.  This is called apoptosis.” The main difference between these two is that necrosis is not planned and that apoptosis is programmed by the body. Apoptosis is a necessary part of human life and is not a bad thing, whereas necrosis is very negative. Both occur naturally but may be influenced by external factors. Apoptosis may be used to treat diseases such as cancer or hepatitis since it is programmed cell death.

It could kill off the diseased and bad cells without harming the good cells. c. Come up with your own “simple” definition of cancer. Cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the body begin to grow out of control. It is caused by DNA damage. There are many different types of cancer, and they can grow all throughout the body. Cancer cells do not grow, divide, and then die like normal cells, but instead rapidly and uncontrollably continue to grow and divide, creating a wealth of abnormal cells.

The typical manifestation of cancer is a tumor that may or may not be removable, but this is not always the case. Some types of cancers occur in the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body’s organs. One example of this type of cancer would be leukemia.