Introduction to Biotechnology

Biotechnology Overview

• Biotechnology is the manipulation of living organisms and organic material to serve human needs.
• Examples: yeast in bread making and alcohol production, use of beneficial bacteria to kill harmful organisms, cloning of plants and animals, and artificial insemination.

Biotechnology Industry

• Research is conducted by small companies, large corporations, and public universities.
• Funding comes from public (government) and private (companies and foundations) sources.
• California passed a $300 billion referendum for research in stem cells in 2004.
• Focuses on various research areas, including health/medicine, food science, environmental science, and agriscience.

Impact of Biotechnology

• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are consumed by millions of people every day.
• Almost 56% of all soybean plantings worldwide are genetically engineered.
• Genetically modified crops were produced on more than 167 million acres in 18 countries in 2003, a 15% increase from 2002.
• The US was the largest single producer with more than 60% of the total acreage in production.
• The NC Biotechnology Center predicts that the biotechnology industry in the state will contribute more than $25 billion in annual income each year within the next 25 years.

Pioneers in Biotechnology

• Antony van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria using a simple microscope in 1675.
• Gregor Mendel conducted the first genetics experiments using pea plants in the mid-1800s and is considered the founder of genetics.
• Louis Pasteur disproved the notion of spontaneous generation, described the role of bacteria in spoilage, and created the rabies vaccine in the 1870s.
• Robert Hooke invented the compound light microscope and observed cells in cork in 1665.
• James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA using X-ray photographs in 1953.
• Paul Berg developed recombinant DNA technology, a method for inserting genetic material from one organism into another, in 1972.

Historical Development of Biotechnology

• The concept of biotechnology emerged in ancient times through food production, plant and animal breeding, and the use of bacteria to produce cheese.
• DNA was discovered in trout sperm by German Miescher in 1869.
• The word "biotechnology" was first used by a Hungarian agricultural engineer in 1919.
• Widespread work was undertaken to investigate the structure and function of DNA in the 1940s-1950s.
• The U.S. Supreme Court approved the patenting of genetically altered organisms in 1980.
• GMOs and biotechnology techniques were introduced in fields from agriculture to medicine in the 1980s-1990s.
• The first transgenic organisms (GMOs) were introduced in widespread agricultural production, particularly in crops, in the 1990s.
• Human cloning was outlawed in the US, and concerns over human stem cell research began to arise in the late 1990s-early 2000s.
• The COVID-19 vaccine was developed using biotechnology techniques in 2020-2021.

Biotechnology and Agriscience

• There has been increased activity and research between different agricultural areas with common research techniques and goals, including plant science, animal science, environmental science, and health/agri-medicine.

Problems with Biotechnology

• Transfer of genes found in transgenic organisms to natural populations.
• Unexpected impacts of genetically modified organisms and biotechnology processes on other organisms and the environment.
• Expense of utilizing many biotechnology techniques.
• Concerns over the safety and ethics of incorporating GMOs into food for human consumption, including allergens.
• Lack of education among consumers and producers concerning biotechnology processes and products.

Biotechnology Overview

• Biotechnology is the manipulation of living organisms and organic material to serve human needs.
• Examples: yeast in bread making and alcohol production, use of beneficial bacteria to kill harmful organisms, cloning of plants and animals, and artificial insemination.

Biotechnology Industry

• Research is conducted by small companies, large corporations, and public universities.
• Funding comes from public (government) and private (companies and foundations) sources.
• California passed a $300 billion referendum for research in stem cells in 2004.
• Focuses on various research areas, including health/medicine, food science, environmental science, and agriscience.

Impact of Biotechnology

• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are consumed by millions of people every day.
• Almost 56% of all soybean plantings worldwide are genetically engineered.
• Genetically modified crops were produced on more than 167 million acres in 18 countries in 2003, a 15% increase from 2002.
• The US was the largest single producer with more than 60% of the total acreage in production.
• The NC Biotechnology Center predicts that the biotechnology industry in the state will contribute more than $25 billion in annual income each year within the next 25 years.

Pioneers in Biotechnology

• Antony van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria using a simple microscope in 1675.
• Gregor Mendel conducted the first genetics experiments using pea plants in the mid-1800s and is considered the founder of genetics.
• Louis Pasteur disproved the notion of spontaneous generation, described the role of bacteria in spoilage, and created the rabies vaccine in the 1870s.
• Robert Hooke invented the compound light microscope and observed cells in cork in 1665.
• James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA using X-ray photographs in 1953.
• Paul Berg developed recombinant DNA technology, a method for inserting genetic material from one organism into another, in 1972.

Historical Development of Biotechnology

• The concept of biotechnology emerged in ancient times through food production, plant and animal breeding, and the use of bacteria to produce cheese.
• DNA was discovered in trout sperm by German Miescher in 1869.
• The word "biotechnology" was first used by a Hungarian agricultural engineer in 1919.
• Widespread work was undertaken to investigate the structure and function of DNA in the 1940s-1950s.
• The U.S. Supreme Court approved the patenting of genetically altered organisms in 1980.
• GMOs and biotechnology techniques were introduced in fields from agriculture to medicine in the 1980s-1990s.
• The first transgenic organisms (GMOs) were introduced in widespread agricultural production, particularly in crops, in the 1990s.
• Human cloning was outlawed in the US, and concerns over human stem cell research began to arise in the late 1990s-early 2000s.
• The COVID-19 vaccine was developed using biotechnology techniques in 2020-2021.

Biotechnology and Agriscience

• There has been increased activity and research between different agricultural areas with common research techniques and goals, including plant science, animal science, environmental science, and health/agri-medicine.

Problems with Biotechnology

• Transfer of genes found in transgenic organisms to natural populations.
• Unexpected impacts of genetically modified organisms and biotechnology processes on other organisms and the environment.
• Expense of utilizing many biotechnology techniques.
• Concerns over the safety and ethics of incorporating GMOs into food for human consumption, including allergens.
• Lack of education among consumers and producers concerning biotechnology processes and products.