BIO-TECHNOLOGY
Biotechnology is the field that exploits living organisms to make technological advances in
various fields for the sustainable development of mankind. It has its applications in the
medical as well as agricultural sectors. The biological processes of living organisms have
been used for more than 6000 years to make essential products such as bread, cheese,
alcohol, etc.
History of biotechnology
People have been harnessing biological processes to improve their quality of life for some
10,000 years, beginning with the first agricultural communities. Approximately 6,000
years ago, humans began to tap the biological processes of microorganisms in order to
make bread, alcoholic beverages, and cheese and to preserve dairy products. But such
processes are not what is meant today by biotechnology, a term first widely applied to the
molecular and cellular technologies that began to emerge in the 1960s and ’70s. A
fledgling “biotech” industry began to coalesce in the mid- to late 1970s, led by Genentech,
a pharmaceutical company established in 1976 by Robert A. Swanson and Herbert W.
Boyer to commercialize the recombinant DNA technology pioneered by Boyer, Paul Berg,
and Stanley N. Cohen. Early companies such as Genentech, Amgen, Biogen, Cetus, and
Genex began by manufacturing genetically engineered substances primarily for medical
and environmental uses.
For more than a decade, the biotechnology industry was dominated by recombinant DNA
technology, or genetic engineering. This technique consists of splicing the gene for a useful
protein (often a human protein) into production cells—such as yeast, bacteria, or
mammalian cells in culture—which then begin to produce the protein in volume. In the
process of splicing a gene into a production cell, a new organism is created. At first,
biotechnology investors and researchers were uncertain about whether the courts would
permit them to acquire patents on organisms; after all, patents were not allowed on new
organisms that happened to be discovered and identified in nature. But, in 1980, the U.S.
Supreme Court, in the case of Diamond v. Chakrabarty, resolved the matter by ruling that
“a live human-made microorganism is patentable subject matter.” This decision spawned
a wave of new biotechnology firms and the infant industry’s first investment boom. In
1982 recombinant insulin became the first product made through genetic engineering to
secure approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since then, dozens of
genetically engineered protein medications have been commercialized around the world,
including recombinant versions of growth hormone, clotting factors, proteins for
stimulating the production of red and white blood cells, interferons, and clot-dissolving
agents.
, The four main types of biotechnology are:
Medical biotechnology (red): This type of biotechnology uses living cells and cell
materials to produce pharmaceutical and diagnostic products that help treat and prevent
human diseases.
Industrial biotechnology (white): This type of biotechnology uses enzymes and
microorganisms to make bio-based products in sectors such as chemicals, food and feed,
detergents, paper and pulp, textiles and biofuels.
Environmental biotechnology (green): This type of biotechnology applies to the
protection of the environment and the remediation of contaminated components such as
air, water and soil.
Marine biotechnology (blue): This type of biotechnology explores and uses marine
resources to create products and applications in areas such as health, cosmetics, food,
aquaculture and bioremediation
Applications Of Biotechnology
Following are the important applications of biotechnology:
Nutrient Supplementation
Nutrients can be infused into food in situations of aid. e.g., Golden rice is prepared by the
infusion of beta-carotene into the rice.
Abiotic Stress
Biotechnology helps in the production of crops that can handle abiotic stress such as cold,
drought, salinity, etc. In the regions with extreme climatic conditions, such crops have
proved beneficial in withstanding the harsh climate.
Industrial Biotechnology
Biotechnology involves the production of alcohol, detergents, cosmetic products, etc. It
involves the production of biological elements and cellular structures for numerous
purposes.
Strength Fibres
Spider webs have materials with the strongest tensile strength. The genes from the
spiders have been picked up through biotechnological techniques and infused in goats to
produce silk proteins in their milk. This helps in the production of silk easily.
Biofuels
Biotechnology is widely used in energy production. Due to the depletion of natural
resources, there is a need to find an alternative source. Such fuels are produced by using
Biotechnology is the field that exploits living organisms to make technological advances in
various fields for the sustainable development of mankind. It has its applications in the
medical as well as agricultural sectors. The biological processes of living organisms have
been used for more than 6000 years to make essential products such as bread, cheese,
alcohol, etc.
History of biotechnology
People have been harnessing biological processes to improve their quality of life for some
10,000 years, beginning with the first agricultural communities. Approximately 6,000
years ago, humans began to tap the biological processes of microorganisms in order to
make bread, alcoholic beverages, and cheese and to preserve dairy products. But such
processes are not what is meant today by biotechnology, a term first widely applied to the
molecular and cellular technologies that began to emerge in the 1960s and ’70s. A
fledgling “biotech” industry began to coalesce in the mid- to late 1970s, led by Genentech,
a pharmaceutical company established in 1976 by Robert A. Swanson and Herbert W.
Boyer to commercialize the recombinant DNA technology pioneered by Boyer, Paul Berg,
and Stanley N. Cohen. Early companies such as Genentech, Amgen, Biogen, Cetus, and
Genex began by manufacturing genetically engineered substances primarily for medical
and environmental uses.
For more than a decade, the biotechnology industry was dominated by recombinant DNA
technology, or genetic engineering. This technique consists of splicing the gene for a useful
protein (often a human protein) into production cells—such as yeast, bacteria, or
mammalian cells in culture—which then begin to produce the protein in volume. In the
process of splicing a gene into a production cell, a new organism is created. At first,
biotechnology investors and researchers were uncertain about whether the courts would
permit them to acquire patents on organisms; after all, patents were not allowed on new
organisms that happened to be discovered and identified in nature. But, in 1980, the U.S.
Supreme Court, in the case of Diamond v. Chakrabarty, resolved the matter by ruling that
“a live human-made microorganism is patentable subject matter.” This decision spawned
a wave of new biotechnology firms and the infant industry’s first investment boom. In
1982 recombinant insulin became the first product made through genetic engineering to
secure approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since then, dozens of
genetically engineered protein medications have been commercialized around the world,
including recombinant versions of growth hormone, clotting factors, proteins for
stimulating the production of red and white blood cells, interferons, and clot-dissolving
agents.
, The four main types of biotechnology are:
Medical biotechnology (red): This type of biotechnology uses living cells and cell
materials to produce pharmaceutical and diagnostic products that help treat and prevent
human diseases.
Industrial biotechnology (white): This type of biotechnology uses enzymes and
microorganisms to make bio-based products in sectors such as chemicals, food and feed,
detergents, paper and pulp, textiles and biofuels.
Environmental biotechnology (green): This type of biotechnology applies to the
protection of the environment and the remediation of contaminated components such as
air, water and soil.
Marine biotechnology (blue): This type of biotechnology explores and uses marine
resources to create products and applications in areas such as health, cosmetics, food,
aquaculture and bioremediation
Applications Of Biotechnology
Following are the important applications of biotechnology:
Nutrient Supplementation
Nutrients can be infused into food in situations of aid. e.g., Golden rice is prepared by the
infusion of beta-carotene into the rice.
Abiotic Stress
Biotechnology helps in the production of crops that can handle abiotic stress such as cold,
drought, salinity, etc. In the regions with extreme climatic conditions, such crops have
proved beneficial in withstanding the harsh climate.
Industrial Biotechnology
Biotechnology involves the production of alcohol, detergents, cosmetic products, etc. It
involves the production of biological elements and cellular structures for numerous
purposes.
Strength Fibres
Spider webs have materials with the strongest tensile strength. The genes from the
spiders have been picked up through biotechnological techniques and infused in goats to
produce silk proteins in their milk. This helps in the production of silk easily.
Biofuels
Biotechnology is widely used in energy production. Due to the depletion of natural
resources, there is a need to find an alternative source. Such fuels are produced by using
