[New knowledge and aspects in the use of biotechnology]

The clarification of the structure and the function of deoxyribonucleic acids with hereditary properties (genes) has led to the development of methods for their biochemical and chemical synthesis, respectively. Such synthetic genes may be introduced in bacterial cells with the help of carrier-DNA (vectors, e.g. plasmid- or bacteriophage-DNA) and may be used for the production of certain hormones (proinsulin, growth hormone), medicaments (interferons) and vaccines (e.g. covering proteins of viruses and of peptides from such ones respectively. Genes may also be introduced into the pronuclei of the zygote of mammals. Then in the germs, however, appear considerable losses. The creation of descendants with the same hereditary factors is possible in mammals up to now only by the dismemberment of the germ up to the eight-cell-stage. It is referred to ethical aspects of the use of gene-technical methods. Several problems in the application of biotechnical techniques in the reproduction are described.