IGCSE Biology
2026 - 2028
Syllabus Checklist
Topic 21: Biotechnology and Genetic Modification
1 Biotechnology and Genetic Modification
State that bacteria
are useful in biotechnology and genetic modification because they reproduce rapidly and can make complex molecules.
Discuss why bacteria are useful in biotechnology, including:
▪ Few ethical concerns
about manipulation and growth.
▪ Presence of plasmids
that allow gene transfer.
2 Biotechnology
Describe the role of anaerobic respiration
in yeast during the production of ethanol
for biofuels.
Describe the role of anaerobic respiration
in yeast during bread-making
.
Describe the use of pectinase
in fruit-juice production.
Investigate and describe the use of biological washing powders
containing enzymes.
Explain the use of lactase
to produce lactose-free milk.
Describe how fermenters
are used for large-scale production of products by bacteria and fungi, including insulin
, penicillin
, and mycoprotein
.
Describe and explain the conditions that must be controlled in a fermenter, including: temperature
, pH
, oxygen
, nutrient supply
, and waste removal
.
3 Genetic Modification
Define genetic modification
as changing an organism’s genetic material by removing, changing, or inserting genes.
Outline examples of genetic modification:
▪ Inserting human genes into bacteria to make human proteins
.
▪ Inserting genes into crops for herbicide resistance
.
▪ Inserting genes into crops for insect-pest resistance
.
▪ Inserting genes into crops to improve nutrition
.
Outline the process of genetic modification using bacterial production of a human protein:
▪ Isolation of human gene DNA with restriction enzymes
, forming sticky ends.
▪ Cutting bacterial plasmid DNA
with the same enzymes.
▪ Insertion of human DNA using DNA ligase
to form a recombinant plasmid.
▪ Insertion of recombinant plasmids into bacteria.
▪ Multiplication of modified bacteria.
▪ Expression of the human gene to make the protein.
Discuss advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified crops
such as soya, maize, and rice.
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