Biotechnology Basics Quiz

Innovation and Creation of Businesses in Bioengineering

• Débora Ferreira & Salomé Duarte
• Department of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga
• [email protected] ; [email protected]

Program

• The program outlines weekly topics and activities for a course on innovation and business creation in bioengineering.
• It details theoretical classes and practical class challenges.
• The schedule covers topics from introduction to the class, to intellectual property, market analysis, business models, and financial analysis.
• Practical exercises and discussions are part of the course.

BioBusinesses Regulation

• The slides emphasize the range of topics related to biobusinesses regulation, from DNA-manipulation, to genetic engineering, and plants and bacterial cultivation
• The word cloud includes concepts like: disorders, monoclonal, DNA, organisms, resistance, cells, manipulation, treatments, problems, diseases and genetico

Biotechnology

• Biotechnology is a science-driven industry sector
• It uses living organisms and their derivatives to produce products and processes.
• It is a multidisciplinary field
• It marshals concepts and methodologies across disciplines to develop beneficial products and/or services to human welfare

Biotechnology Industry

• One of the most research-intensive industries worldwide
• Requires extensive skills and technical knowledge
• Strong linkages with universities, and other companies in biotechnology
• Capital-intensive, with significant resources needed throughout an organization's life cycle
• Medium to very long product development times
• Necessitates ethical clearance, especially for animal or human testing
• Subject to strict regulations
• Intellectual property protection is crucial for success in biotechnology.

Biotechnology Timeline

• Summarizes significant breakthroughs, discoveries, inventors, and historical milestones in the field of biotechnology.
• Chronological milestones are presented on a timeline that includes major milestones from antiquity to the present era.

Biotech Startups & Emerging Companies

• A list of startups and emerging companies in biotechnology
• Includes companies in sectors like artificial intelligence, big data, gene editing, precision medicine, gene sequencing, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, bioprinting, microfluidics, and tissue engineering

Top 10 BioTech Trends in 2025

• Lists the trending areas in biotechnology, based on predicted importance in 2025.
• Shows the percentage for each area
• The leading trends seem to be Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Gene editing, Precision Medicine, etc

Biotechnology Types

• Categorizes different types of biotechnology activities/applications
• Classifies by the colors red, yellow, blue, green, dark, white, gold, and orange

Four Colors of Biotechnology

• Categorizes biotechnology into different areas via color-coding
• Red is for health and diagnostics
• White relates to industrial processes, like chemicals and products, or agriculture/environmental uses.
• Blue for aquaculture and marine biotech
• Green relating to agricultural biotechnology

Red Biotechnology

• Specializes in medicine and human health
• Including vaccines, medications, antibodies, genetic engineering for disease treatment
• Categorized as a heavily regulated sector.
• It includes high up-front development costs,
• FDA/EMA approval prior to market entry long time to market.
• High post-approval profit margins.

Market Red Biotechnology

• Dominated by Biopharmaceutical production
• Genetic engineering is expected to grow significantly
• APAC region predicted significant growth
• The market is concentrated with few key players
• The growth drivers are the rising need for biologic drugs, and personalized medicine

Humulin

• Human Insulin used to treat diabetes.
• Developed from recombinant DNA rather than solely from pig or cow pancreatic sources.
• Important historical step in biotechnology

Human Insulin Production

• A summary of how human insulin is produced using recombinant DNA technology.
• The process involves inserting human insulin-producing genes into bacteria.
• The bacteria then produce and secrete human insulin.

Genentech

• A biotech firm that partnered with Eli Lilly for the production of their product.
• Became the first biological company to do an IPO
• Developed and produced the first genetically-engineered drug.
• Its first drug release was human insulin
• Acquired by Roche in 2009

Green Biotechnology

• Focuses on agricultural processes.
• Seeks environmentally sound solutions.
• Involves plant genetic engineering (transgenic plants)
• Aims to mitigate climate change.

Global Agricultural Biotechnology Market

• Market growth will accelerate by 10% CAGR
• North America segment predicted the highest revenue contribution.
• Market is concentrated by a few large players

White Biotechnology

• Focuses on industrial processes.
• Uses enzymes and microorganisms to create products or processes.
• Produces a broad range of items, from chemicals to materials and fuels.
• Aims to reduce environmental impact and is an alternative to fossil fuels.

White Biotechnology Market

• Market size in 2023 and a predicted market size for 2030.
• Regional and application-wise breakdowns
• Key products such as foods and feeds, biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, biofuels, textiles, and biochemicals are highlighted
• Revenue contribution in 2023 for each segment

Blue Biotechnology

• The exploration and valorization of marine organisms
• Uses resources like algae, bacteria, fungi and invertebrates as raw materials.
• Involved in food production, energy, medicine, cosmetics, aquaculture, bioremediation and the chemical industry
• Characterized by high research & development costs

Blue Biotechnology Market

• Market will accelerate at 7% CAGR
• Health care predicted as a major driver of growth
• The growth is predicted to come largely from the Americas.
• Market is highly fragmented.

Colors of Biotechnology

• Categorizes biotechnology by its spectrum of application and practice
• Provides a breakdown of the 4 colors in biotechnology (red, blue, white and green).
• Demonstrates the variety of industries and applications involved in the field.

Patent for Invention vs Utility Model

• A comparison of patent types
• Shows how they differ based on novelty, inventive steps, and industrial aplicability
• Identifies the aspects of each patent that would give advantages or disadvantages depending on the goal.

Patents and the Idea of Property Protection

• Definitions associated with intellectual property (IP): concepts and types that are the foundation for ideas.
• Legal definitions associated with the concept, protection and exclusivity of ideas.
• Information on different forms of IP, such as copyright, trademarks, and patents

Intangible Assets

• A breakdown of tangible goods and intangible goods
• Categorizes intellectual property as a type of intangible asset.
• Covers the topic of legal protection of original creations in the form of copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial secrets, and geographical indications.

Patents: These are not patentable

• A list of various aspects that aren’t patentable, such as scientific theories, mathematical methods, presentations, aesthetic creations, or projects related to gambling.

Regulation-Drugs

• FDA (Food and Drug Administration) / EMA guidelines and functions
• Testing guidelines and processes for pharmaceuticals and other drugs
• Overview of the three testing phases for drug candidates

New Drug Approvals

• A list of FDA and EMA drug approvals.
• A figure that shows the estimated sales in US Dollars of new drugs

Regulation-Food

• Rules for novel foods and ingredients in the EU
• Overview of how the safety of novel-foods is assessed to permit market entry.

Other Heavily Regulated Sectors

• A breakdown of other heavily regulated sectors
• Examples such as automobiles, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals and construction.

University-Industry Interactions

• Role of universities in economic development, particularly in technology
• Mechanisms of knowledge generation, exploitation (transfer/sharing) within a social, political and financial/economic context.
• Access to scientific breakthroughs and how this contributes to development and activities
• Issues like risk sharing, access to resources and equipment are also noted

Technology Transfer

• Role and workings of technology transfer entities
• The functions of universities’ research organizations, licensing, and the creation of new companies to leverage research findings and IP
• The relationship between R&D, Technology transfer, and the market.

TecMinho

• Organization and ecosystem, including the University of Minho’s Innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

National Framework

• The framework of initiatives underlining the Portuguese GAPI Network, and underlying organizations supporting industrial property.
• The partnership with 22 national entities for GAPI's work.
• The role of universities, technology centers, science and technology parks, and business associations.

European Framework

• The structure of the PATLIB network in Europe.
• The number of countries participating and the list of countries in the EU, as well as countries that partner with the EU system

Technology Transfer Offices

• These entities/organizations promote the transfer of knowledge, inventions, creations, discoveries, innovations, and processes from research environments to commercial environments.
• Their role includes identifying technologies, marketing and technology-based assets , collaborating between universities and industry, facilitating IP and supporting negotiation, and managing licensing agreements

Anatomy of a Patent

• Detailed explanation of the parts and importance of the different sections and aspects of a patent.
• A detailed breakdown of the information included in each page and section, from title to diagrams and claims. This includes background, summary, detailed description, and drawings.