Biotechnology: An Overview

• Biotechnology is a broad field of biology that uses living systems and organisms to develop or create products.
• Biotechnology is a technology using living organisms for human benefit and other life forms.
• Biotechnology is primarily used in agriculture, food science, and medicine, where organisms are used to create chemicals and products or perform industrial tasks.

Biotechnology History

• Fermentation has been used for centuries with microorganisms like yeast and bacteria to produce beer, bread, yogurt, and cheese.
• Bread making, beer brewing, and pickling use naturally occurring microorganisms for food and drink production.
• Fermentation converts glucose (sugar) into alcohol and carbon dioxide or lactic acid via enzymes.

Biotechnology Increases

• Rising biotechnology use in the food industry is influenced by market competition.
• There are attempts to increase efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of production.
• Biotechnology use is driven by consumer demand for convenient, high-quality products at reasonable costs.

Traditional Biotechnology

• Traditional biotechnology mainly involves producing foods like cheese, bread, yogurt, and wine.
• Fermentation Process
  • Preservation method: acid production lowers pH, extending shelf life of perishable foods.
  • Allows for changes to the nutritional value of food products; converting milk to cheese
  • Sensory improvements to foods through flavour, aroma, and texture.

Modern Biotechnology

• Modern biotechnology emphasizes raw material and food ingredient production.
• Focuses on changing the characteristics of plants, animals, and microorganisms, including fungi.
• Work has primarily been conducted in plants to date.

Emerging Technologies

• A prominent emerging technology is "synthetic biology," described as "the engineer's approach to biology."
• Genetic engineering is considered the pioneer of synthetic biology.
• Nanotechnology was marked by the 1986 publication of "Engines of Creation".
• Information technology includes the 1958 invention of the microchip and the 1947 invention of the transistor.
• Molecular biology refers to the 1953 discovery of DNA.
• Developments in gene technology include the first genetically modified organism (E. coli) in 1972.
• Genomics includes the publication of the Human Genome in 2001.

Genetic Engineering

• Genetic engineering inserts DNA fragments into the chromosomes of cells.
• It uses tissue culture to regenerate cells into a whole organism with a different genetic composition.
• Genetic engineering is also known as rDNA technology.
• Transgenic organisms are a product of genetic engineering.

Biotechnology Applications

• Biotechnology has applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries.
• Medical biotechnology fields include diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.
• Agricultural biotechnology involves plant agriculture and farms, and food processing.
• Industrial biotechnology includes energy and new material production.
• Environmental biotechnology applications cover cleaning through bioremediation and prevention of environmental problems.
• Forensic biotechnology includes paternity testing and scientific investigations.

Biotechnology Classifications

• Red biotechnology is medical biotechnology applied to manufacture pharmaceuticals like enzymes, antibiotics, and vaccines, and its use for molecular diagnostics.
• White biotechnology, or industrial biotechnology, is applied to industrial and other production processes.
• Green biotechnology, or agricultural biotechnology, is applied to agricultural processes and products.
• Blue biotechnology, or marine biotechnology, is marine and aquatic applications of biotechnology.

Biotechnology Pillars

• Pillars of biotechnology include scientific abilities.
• Intellectual property is a pillar of biotechnology.
• Regulations are a pillar of biotechnology.
• Commercial factors are a pillar of biotechnology.

Biotech Applications

• Agriculture includes GM planting mats and hybrids, micro-propagation, bio-fertilizers and pesticides, and animal improvement.
• Healthcare includes r-DNA products, vaccines and diagnostics, monoclonal antibodies, stem cells, and tissue-specific delivery methods.
• Environmental includes soil and water remediation, and biosafety and GMOs.
• Industry includes enzymes, fermentation based products and food, biotech instruments and equipment, bio-energy and fuel, and bioinformatics and mining.

Industrial Biotechnology

• Industrial biotechnology involves cells from sources like plants, bacteria, and yeast.
• Industrial biotechnology creates products that require fewer resources and produces less waste.

Industrial Biotechnology Benefits

• Industrial biotechnology benefits include sustainability of profit, people, and planet.
  • Profit is economically viable and has drivers like cost reduction and novel products, with hurdles such as regulations, technology development, feedstock prices, and investments.
  • People are socially responsible with drivers like knowledge-based quality jobs, with hurdles like unawareness and acceptance.
  • Planet is environmentally sound with drivers like less energy and waste, and hurdles like further technology development and waste management.

Medical Biotechnology

• Medical biotechnology uses living cells and materials to research and produce pharmaceuticals and diagnostic products to treat and prevent human diseases.
• Medical biotechnology applications include pharmacology, gene therapy, stem cells, and tissue engineering.
• Efforts with biotechnology are made in different areas of medicine.

DNA Fingerprinting

• DNA fingerprinting is used for identifying individuals by analyzing sections of DNA that vary widely.

Protein-Based Therapeutics

• Insulin is used for diabetes.
• Somatostatin is used for growth disorders.
• Somatotropin is used for growth disorders. Factor VIII is used for hemophilia.
• Factor IX is used for Christmas disease.
• Interferon α is used for leukemia and other cancers.
• Interferon β is used for cancers, AIDS.
• Interferon γ is used for cancers, rheumatoid arthritis.
• Interleukins are used for cancers, immune disorders.
• Granulocyte colony stimulating factor is used for cancers.
• Tumour necrosis factor is used for cancers.
• Epidermal growth factor is used for ulcers.
• Fibroblasts growth factor is used for ulcers.
• Erythropoietin is used for anaemia.
• Tissue plasminogen activator is used for heart attack.
• Superoxide dismutase is used for free radical damage in kidney transplants.
• Lung surfactant protein is used for respiratory distress.
• α1-antitrypsin is used for emphysema.
• Serum, albumin is used as a plasma supplement.
• Relaxin is used to aid child birth.

Blue Biotechnology

• Blue biotechnology applies molecular biological methods to marine and freshwater organisms.
• Research areas focuses on food and energy.
• Health focuses on finding novel bioactives from algae, sponge, and microorganisms.
• The environment focuses on biosensing technologies for marine environments.
• Industrial products include producing marine biopolymers for food, cosmetics, and health.