What is Biotechnology?

Biotechnology is the use of biological systems found in organisms or the use of the
living organisms themselves to make technological advances and adapt those
technologies to various different fields. These include applications in various fields from
agricultural practice to the medical sector. It does not only include applications in fields
that involve the living, but any other field where the information obtained from the
biological aspect of an organism can be applied.

Biotechnology is particularly vital when it comes to the development of miniscule and

chemical tools as many on the tools biotechnology uses exist at the cellular level. In a
bid to understand more regarding biotechnology, here are its types, examples and its
applications.

“Biotechnology is technology based on biology – biotechnology harnesses cellular and

biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives
and the health of our planet. We have used the biological processes of microorganisms
for more than 6,000 years to make useful food products, such as bread and cheese, and
to preserve dairy products.”

Types of Biotechnology

1. Medical Biotechnology

Medical biotechnology is the use of living cells and other cell materials for the purpose
of bettering the health of humans. Essentially, it is used for finding cures as well as
getting rid of and preventing diseases. The science involved includes the use of these
tools for the purpose of research to find different or more efficient ways of maintaining
human health, understanding pathogen, and understanding the human cell biology.
Here, the technique is used to produce pharmaceutical drugs as well as other chemicals
to combat diseases. It involves the study of bacteria, plant and animal cells to first
understand the way they function at a fundamental level.

It heavily involves the study of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) to get to know how to
manipulate the genetic makeup of cells to increase the production of beneficial
characteristics that humans might find useful such as the production of insulin. The field
usually leads to the development of new drugs and treatments, novel to the field.

Examples

Vaccines

Vaccines are chemicals that stimulate the body’s immune system to better fight
pathogens when they attack the body. They achieve this by inserting attenuated
(weakened) versions of the disease into the body’s bloodstream. This causes the body to
react as if it was under attack from the non-attenuated version of the disease. The body
combats the weakened pathogens and through the process takes note of the cell structure
of the pathogens and has some cell ‘remember’ the disease and store away the
information within the body.

When the individual becomes exposed to the actual disease, the body of the individual
immediately recognizes it and quickly forms a defense against it since it already has
some information on it. This translates to quicker healing and less time being
symptomatic.

The attenuated disease pathogens are extracted using biotechnological techniques such
as growing the antigenic proteins in genetically engineered crops. An example is the
development of an anti-lymphoma vaccine using genetically engineered tobacco plants
made to exhibit RNA (A similar chemical to DNA) from malignant (actively cancerous)
B-cells.
Antibiotics

Strides have been made in the development of antibiotics that combat pathogens for
humans. Many plants are grown and genetically engineered to produce the antibodies.
The method is more cost effective than using cells or extracting these antibodies from
animals as the plants can produce these antibodies in larger quantities.

2. Agricultural Biotechnology

Agricultural biotechnology focuses on developing genetically modified plants for the

purpose of increasing crop yields or introducing characteristics to those plants that
provide them with an advantage growing in regions that place some kind of stress factor
on the plant namely weather and pests.

In some of the cases, the practice involves scientists identifying a characteristic, finding
the gene that causes it, and then putting that gene within another plant so that it gains
that desirable characteristic, making it more durable or having it produce larger yields
than it previously did.

Examples

Pest Resistant Crops

Biotechnology has provided techniques for the creation of crops that express anti pest
characteristics naturally, making them very resistant to pests, as opposed to having to
keep dusting them and spraying them with pesticides. An example of this would be the
fungus Bacillus thuringiensis genes being transferred to crops.

The reason for this is that the fungus produces a protein (Bt) which is very effective
against pests such as the European corn borer. The Bt protein is the desired characteristic
scientist would like the plants to have and for this reason, they identified the gene
causing Bt protein to express in the fungus and transferred it to corn. The corn then
produces the protein toxin naturally, lowering the cost of production by eliminating the
cost of dusting the crop with pesticide.

Plant and Animal Breeding

Selective breeding has been a practice humans have engaged in since farming began.
The practice involves choosing the animals with the most desirable characteristics to
breed with each other so that the resulting offspring would also express these traits.
Desirable characteristics included larger animals, animals more resistant to disease and
more domicile animals, all geared to making the process of farming as profitable as
possible.

This practice has been transferred to the molecular level with the same purpose.
Different traits are selected among the animals and once the genetic markers have been
pointed out, animals and plants with those traits are selected and bred for those traits to
be transferred. A genomic understanding of those traits is what informs the decisions on
whether the desired traits will express or get lost as recessive traits which do not express.

Applications of Biotechnology

1. Nutrient Supplementation

One of the biggest uses of biotechnology is the infusion of nutrients into food in
situations such as aid. Therefore, it provides food with heavy nutrients that are necessary
in such situations. An example of this application is the production Golden Rice where
the rice is infused with beta-carotene. The rice has Vitamin A, which the body can easily
synthesise.

2. Abiotic Stress Resistance

There is actually very little land on earth that is arable with some estimates place it at
around 20 percent. With an increase in the world’s population, there is a need for the
food sources available to be as effective as possible to produce as much food in as little
space as possible. There is also need to have the crops grown to be able to make use of
the less arable regions of the world.

This means that there is a need to develop crops that can handle these abiotic stresses
such as salinity, drought and frost from cold. In Africa and the Middle East, for instance,
where the climate can be unforgiving, the practice has played a significant role in the
development of crops that can withstand the prevailing harsh climates.

3. Industrial Biotechnology

The industrial applications of biotechnology range from the production of cellular

structures to the production of biological elements for numerous uses. Examples include
the creation of new materials in the construction industry, and the manufacture of beer
and wine, washing detergents, and personal care products.

4. Strength Fibres

One of the materials with the strongest tensile strength is spider webs. Amongst other
materials with the same cross sectional width, spider webs can take more tensional force
before breaking than even steel. This silk has created a lot of interest with the possible
production of materials made from silk including body armour such as bullet proof
jackets. Silk is used because it is stronger than Kevlar (the material most commonly used
to make body armour).

Biotechnological techniques have been used to pick the genes found in spiders and their
infusion in goats to produce the silk proteins in their milk. With this initiative, it make
production easier as goats are much easier to handle compared to spiders and the
production of silk via milk also help make the processing and handling much easier
compared to handling the actual silk strands.

5. Biofuels

One of the biggest applications of biotechnology is in the energy production sector. With
fears over the dwindling oil resources in the world and their related environmental
impacts, there is a need to protect the globe’s future by finding alternative
environmentally friendly fuel sources. Biotechnology is allowing this to happen with
advances such as using corn to produce combustible fuel for running car engines. These
fuels are good for the environment as they do not produce the greenhouse gases.

6. Healthcare

Biotechnology is applied in the healthcare sector is the development of pharmaceuticals

that have proven problematic to produce though other conventional means because of
purity concerns.
Based on application, the five main branches are:

(2) Medical Biotechnology

(3) Industrial Biotechnology

(4) Environmental Biotechnology and

These are briefly discussed below:

(1) Animal Biotechnology:
It deals with the development of transgenic animals for increased milk or meat
production with resistance to various diseases. It also deals with in vitro fertilization of
egg and transfer of embryo to the womb of female animal for further development.

(2) Medical Biotechnology:

It deals with diagnosis of various diseases; large scale production of various drugs and
hormones such as human insulin and interferon; vaccines for chicken pox, rabies, polio
etc. , and growth hormones, such as bovine. In the field of medical science, genetic
engineering has helped in the large scale production of hormones, blood serum proteins;
in the development of antibiotics, and other medically useful products.

(3) Industrial Biotechnology:

It deals with commercial production of various useful organic substances, such as acetic
acid, citric acid, acetone, glycerine, etc., and antibiotics like penicillin, streptomycin,
mitomycin, etc., through the use of microorganisms especially fungi and bacteria.

(4) Environmental Biotechnology:

 It deals with detoxification of waste and industrial effluents, treatment of sewage water,
and control of plant diseases and insects through the use of biological agents, such as
viruses, bacteria, fungi etc.

(5) Plant Biotechnology:

Plant Biotechnology is a combination of tissue culture and genetic engineering. It deals
with development of transgenic plants with resistance to biotic and abiotic stress;
development of haploids, embryo rescue, clonal multiplication, cryopreservation etc.

The main features of plant biotechnology are briefly given below:

1. Plant biotechnology consists of the application of two basic techniques, viz.,

(i) Tissue culture,

(ii) Recombinant DNA technology:

2. It bypasses sexual process in the development of new crop cultivars.

3. It makes distant crosses (interspecific and inter-generic) practically feasible.

4. It helps in the development of transgenic plants (plants with foreign DNA) with
resistance to biotic stress.

5. It is a rapid method of crop improvement. For example, tetraploid plants can be

developed in a single step through protoplast fusion.

Related Articles:

1. Biotechnology: Introduction, Scope and Applications of Biotechnology

2. Plant Biotechnology: Areas and Scope
Biotechnology has applications in four major industrial areas, including health care
(medical), crop production and agriculture, non-food (industrial) uses of crops and other
products (e.g. biodegradable plastics, vegetable oil, biofuels, and environmental uses).

For example, one application of biotechnology is the directed use of microorganisms for
the manufacture of organic products (examples include beer and milkproducts). Another
example is using naturally present bacteria by the mining industry in bioleaching.
Biotechnology is also used to recycle, treat waste, clean up sites contaminated by
industrial activities (bioremediation), and also to produce biological weapons.

A series of derived terms have been coined to identify several branches of

biotechnology, for example:

 Bioinformatics (also called "gold biotechnology") is an interdisciplinary field that

addresses biological problems using computational techniques, and makes the rapid
organization as well as analysis of biological data possible. The field may also be
referred to as computational biology, and can be defined as, "conceptualizing biology
in terms of molecules and then applying informatics techniques to understand and
organize the information associated with these molecules, on a large
scale."[17] Bioinformatics plays a key role in various areas, such as functional
genomics, structural genomics, and proteomics, and forms a key component in the
biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector.[18]
 Blue biotechnology is based on the exploitation of sea resources to create products
and industrial applications.[19] This branch of biotechnology is the most used for the
industries of refining and combustion principally on the production of bio-oils with
photosynthetic micro-algae.[19][20]
 Green biotechnology is biotechnology applied to agricultural processes. An example
would be the selection and domestication of plants via micropropagation. Another
example is the designing of transgenic plants to grow under specific environments in
the presence (or absence) of chemicals. One hope is that green biotechnology might
 produce more environmentally friendly solutions than traditional industrial
agriculture. An example of this is the engineering of a plant to express a pesticide,
thereby ending the need of external application of pesticides. An example of this
would be Bt corn. Whether or not green biotechnology products such as this are
ultimately more environmentally friendly is a topic of considerable debate.[19] It is
commonly considered as the next phase of green revolution, which can be seen as a
platform to eradicate world hunger by using technologies which enable the
production of more fertile and resistant, towards biotic and abiotic stress, plants and
ensures application of environmentally friendly fertilizers and the use of
biopesticides, it is mainly focused on the development of agriculture. [19] On the other
hand, some of the uses of green biotechnology involve microorganisms to clean and
reduce waste.[21][19]
 Red biotechnology is the use of biotechnology in the medical
and pharmaceutical industries, and health preservation.[19] This branch involves the
production of vaccines and antibiotics, regenerative therapies, creation of artificial
organs and new diagnostics of diseases.[19] As well as the development
of hormones, stem cells, antibodies, siRNA and diagnostic tests.[19]
 White biotechnology, also known as industrial biotechnology, is biotechnology
applied to industrial processes. An example is the designing of an organism to
produce a useful chemical. Another example is the using of enzymes as
industrial catalysts to either produce valuable chemicals or destroy
hazardous/polluting chemicals. White biotechnology tends to consume less in
resources than traditional processes used to produce industrial goods. [22][23]
 "Yellow biotechnology" refers to the use of biotechnology in food production, for
example in making wine, cheese, and beer by fermentation.[19] It has also been used to
refer to biotechnology applied to insects. This includes biotechnology-based
approaches for the control of harmful insects, the characterisation and utilisation of
 active ingredients or genes of insects for research, or application in agriculture and
medicine and various other approaches.[24]
 Gray biotechnology is dedicated to environmental applications, and focused on the
maintenance of biodiversity and the remotion of pollutants.[19]
 Brown biotechnology is related to the management of arid lands and deserts. One
application is the creation of enhanced seeds that resist extreme environmental
conditions of arid regions, which is related to the innovation, creation of agriculture
techniques and management of resources.[19]
 Violet biotechnology is related to law, ethical and philosophical issues around
biotechnology.[19]
 Dark biotechnology is the color associated with bioterrorism or biological
weapons and biowarfare which uses microorganisms, and toxins to cause diseases
and death in humans, livestock and crops.[25][19]
Medicine[edit]

In medicine, modern biotechnology has many applications in areas such

as pharmaceutical drug discoveries and production, pharmacogenomics, and genetic
testing (or genetic screening).

DNA microarray chip – some can do as many as a million blood tests at once

Pharmacogenomics (a combination of pharmacology and genomics) is the technology

that analyses how genetic makeup affects an individual's response to
drugs.[26] Researchers in the field investigate the influence of genetic variation on drug
responses in patients by correlating gene expression or single-nucleotide
polymorphisms with a drug's efficacy or toxicity.[27] The purpose of pharmacogenomics
is to develop rational means to optimize drug therapy, with respect to the
patients' genotype, to ensure maximum efficacy with minimal adverse effects.[28] Such
approaches promise the advent of "personalized medicine"; in which drugs and drug
combinations are optimized for each individual's unique genetic makeup. [29][30]

Computer-generated image of insulin hexamers highlighting the threefold symmetry,

the zinc ions holding it together, and the histidineresidues involved in zinc binding.

Biotechnology has contributed to the discovery and manufacturing of traditional small

molecule pharmaceutical drugs as well as drugs that are the product of biotechnology –
biopharmaceutics. Modern biotechnology can be used to manufacture existing
medicines relatively easily and cheaply. The first genetically engineered products were
medicines designed to treat human diseases. To cite one example, in
1978 Genentech developed synthetic humanized insulin by joining its gene with
a plasmid vector inserted into the bacterium Escherichia coli. Insulin, widely used for
the treatment of diabetes, was previously extracted from the pancreas of abattoir animals
(cattle or pigs). The genetically engineered bacteria are able to produce large quantities
of synthetic human insulin at relatively low cost.[31][32] Biotechnology has also enabled
emerging therapeutics like gene therapy. The application of biotechnology to basic
science (for example through the Human Genome Project) has also dramatically
improved our understanding of biology and as our scientific knowledge of normal and
disease biology has increased, our ability to develop new medicines to treat previously
untreatable diseases has increased as well.[32]
Genetic testing allows the genetic diagnosis of vulnerabilities to inherited diseases, and
can also be used to determine a child's parentage (genetic mother and father) or in
general a person's ancestry. In addition to studying chromosomes to the level of
individual genes, genetic testing in a broader sense includes biochemical tests for the
possible presence of genetic diseases, or mutant forms of genes associated with
increased risk of developing genetic disorders. Genetic testing identifies changes
in chromosomes, genes, or proteins.[33] Most of the time, testing is used to find changes
that are associated with inherited disorders. The results of a genetic test can confirm or
rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person's chance of developing
or passing on a genetic disorder. As of 2011 several hundred genetic tests were in
use.[34][35] Since genetic testing may open up ethical or psychological problems, genetic
testing is often accompanied by genetic counseling.

Agriculture[edit]

Genetically modified crops ("GM crops", or "biotech crops") are plants used
in agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified with genetic engineeringtechniques.
In most cases, the main aim is to introduce a new trait that does not occur naturally in the
species. Biotechnology firms can contribute to future food security by improving the
nutrition and viability of urban agriculture. Furthermore, the protection of intellectual
property rights encourages private sector investment in agrobiotechnology. For example,
in Illinois FARM Illinois (Food and Agriculture RoadMap for Illinois) is an initiative to
develop and coordinate farmers, industry, research institutions, government, and
nonprofits in pursuit of food and agriculture innovation. In addition, the Illinois
Biotechnology Industry Organization (iBIO) is a life sciences industry association with
more than 500 life sciences companies, universities, academic institutions, service
providers and others as members. The association describes its members as "dedicated to
making Illinois and the surrounding Midwest one of the world’s top life sciences
centers."[36]
Examples in food crops include resistance to certain pests,[37] diseases,[38] stressful
environmental conditions,[39] resistance to chemical treatments (e.g. resistance to
a herbicide[40]), reduction of spoilage,[41] or improving the nutrient profile of the
crop.[42] Examples in non-food crops include production of pharmaceutical
agents,[43] biofuels,[44] and other industrially useful goods,[45] as well as
for bioremediation.[46][47]

Farmers have widely adopted GM technology. Between 1996 and 2011, the total surface
area of land cultivated with GM crops had increased by a factor of 94, from 17,000
square kilometers (4,200,000 acres) to 1,600,000 km2 (395 million acres).[48] 10% of the
world's crop lands were planted with GM crops in 2010.[48] As of 2011, 11 different
transgenic crops were grown commercially on 395 million acres (160 million hectares)
in 29 countries such as the US, Brazil, Argentina, India, Canada, China, Paraguay,
Pakistan, South Africa, Uruguay, Bolivia, Australia, Philippines, Myanmar, Burkina
Faso, Mexico and Spain.[48]

Genetically modified foods are foods produced from organisms that have had specific
changes introduced into their DNA with the methods of genetic engineering. These
techniques have allowed for the introduction of new crop traits as well as a far greater
control over a food's genetic structure than previously afforded by methods such
as selective breeding and mutation breeding.[49] Commercial sale of genetically modified
foods began in 1994, when Calgene first marketed its Flavr Savr delayed ripening
tomato.[50] To date most genetic modification of foods have primarily focused on cash
crops in high demand by farmers such as soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil.
These have been engineered for resistance to pathogens and herbicides and better
nutrient profiles. GM livestock have also been experimentally developed; in November
2013 none were available on the market,[51] but in 2015 the FDA approved the first GM
salmon for commercial production and consumption.[52]
There is a scientific consensus[53][54][55][56][57][58][59] that currently available food derived
from GM crops poses no greater risk to human health than conventional
food,[60][61][62][63][64][65][66] but that each GM food must be tested on a case-by-case basis
before introduction.[67][68][69] Nonetheless, members of the public are much less likely
than scientists to perceive GM foods as safe.[70][71][72][73] The legal and regulatory status
of GM foods varies by country, with some nations banning or restricting them, and
others permitting them with widely differing degrees of regulation. [74][75][76][77]

GM crops also provide a number of ecological benefits, if not used in

excess.[78] However, opponents have objected to GM crops per se on several grounds,
including environmental concerns, whether food produced from GM crops is safe,
whether GM crops are needed to address the world's food needs, and economic concerns
raised by the fact these organisms are subject to intellectual property law.

Industrial[edit]

Industrial biotechnology (known mainly in Europe as white biotechnology) is the

application of biotechnology for industrial purposes, including industrial fermentation. It
includes the practice of using cells such as microorganisms, or components of cells
like enzymes, to generate industrially useful products in sectors such as chemicals, food
and feed, detergents, paper and pulp, textiles and biofuels.[79] In the current decades,
significant progress has been done in creating genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) that enhance the diversity of applications and economical viability of industrial
biotechnology. By using renewable raw materials to produce a variety of chemicals and
fuels, industrial biotechnology is actively advancing towards lowering greenhouse gas
emissions and moving away from a petrochemical-based economy.[80]

Environmental[edit]

The environment can be affected by biotechnologies, both positively and adversely.

Vallero and others have argued that the difference between beneficial biotechnology
(e.g.bioremediation is to clean up an oil spill or hazard chemical leak) versus the adverse
effects stemming from biotechnological enterprises (e.g. flow of genetic material from
transgenic organisms into wild strains) can be seen as applications and implications,
respectively.[81] Cleaning up environmental wastes is an example of an application of
environmental biotechnology; whereas loss of biodiversity or loss of containment of a
harmful microbe are examples of environmental implications of biotechnology