← Biotechnology syllabus

SingaporeBiotechnology

Applications in Medicine and Health

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How can biotechnology spot a disease or a faulty gene, sometimes before any symptoms appear?

Describe how biotechnology is used in diagnosis and genetic screening, and discuss the implications
A focused answer to the O-Level outcome on diagnostics and screening. Detecting pathogens and faulty genes with PCR, probes and antibodies, and the benefits and concerns of screening.
8 min answer →

Could we treat disease by fixing the faulty gene itself, or by growing fresh, healthy cells?

Outline the principles of gene therapy and the use of stem cells in medicine, and discuss their potential and limitations
A focused answer to the O-Level outcome on gene therapy and stem cells. Replacing faulty genes, what stem cells are, how each could treat disease, and the limitations and concerns.
9 min answer →

How did we go from extracting insulin from animals to brewing pure human insulin in vats of bacteria?

Describe how recombinant DNA technology is used to produce medicines such as human insulin
A focused answer to the O-Level outcome on recombinant medicines. Making human insulin in bacteria step by step, why it beats animal insulin, and other recombinant medicines.
9 min answer →

How do vaccines train the body to fight disease, and how can we make a single, targeted antibody on demand?

Describe how biotechnology is used to produce vaccines and monoclonal antibodies and outline their uses
A focused answer to the O-Level outcome on vaccines and antibodies. How vaccines prime immunity, what monoclonal antibodies are, how each is produced, and their medical uses.
9 min answer →