INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

AlimannaoHills, Peñablanca/Atulayan Sur, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan
Email address: isaphsdept@isap.edu.ph / isaptuguegaraocitygmail.com| contact number: 0936-193-1278
Learning Area BIOTECHNOLOGY Year Level GRADE 8

Subject Teacher LARRAINE BERNICE G. CABILDO, No. of Hours: 4 HOURS

LPT

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO BIOTECHNOLOGY

Lesson 1: Definition and Scope of Biotechnology

DEFINITION, IMPORTANCE AND SCOPE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY:

Introduction

What is biotechnology? What is the history of this amazing life science? Nowadays a huge
progress in this domain of technology can be observed. This chapter provides the most relevant
facts and figures on the origins of biotech. What does biotech mean? What are the advantages
and disadvantages of biotechnology? Is it possible that this domain will attain the position of the
world’s leader of technology? Are there many obstacles for this area (ethical issues)? An analysis
of all these points is undertaken in the chapter, aiming to offer some clear conclusions.

Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary science which includes different techniques and

processes, and is today perhaps, together with information sciences, the most state-of-the-art
emerging technology, and indeed the technology which promises the brightest future. Moreover,
this situation has been accelerated by the major breakthroughs experienced in the field of
molecular biology in recent years, which has opened the door to obtaining new organisms and
designer proteins. Faced with increasing pollution of the planet, biotechnology is considered as
being a solution in many fields of pollution prevention, the treatment of waste and the new
technologies which pollute less.

WHAT IS BIOTECHNOLOGY?

He was the one who

coined the term
Biotechnology
http://slideplayer.com/slide/17730185/

It is a difficult task to establish an unequivocal definition of biotechnology given that it

encompasses different scientific and production activities. Moreover, biotechnology covers a broad
range of concepts, from technological to scientific. However, the lack of an agreed definition has
not halted the advance of biotechnological development. Some definitions of biotechnology which
appear in the bibliography are:

 “Biotechnology is a set of powerful tools that uses live organisms (or part of these
organisms) in order to obtain or modify products, improve plant and animal species or to
develop microorganisms for specific uses”.
 “Biotechnology is the technique of manipulating life forms (organisms) in order to obtain
products that are useful for humanity”.
  “Biotechnology is the application of the principles of science and engineering to the
processing of materials by means of biological agents in order to obtain products and
services”.
 “Biotechnology is the integration of natural science and engineering in order to manage to
apply organisms and cells —or parts thereof— as well as molecular analogues in the
production of goods and services”.
 “Biotechnology is the industrial use of live organisms or biological techniques developed in
basic research. Biotechnological products include: antibiotics, insulin, interferon,
recombinant DNA and monoclonal antibodies. Biotechnological techniques include: genetic
engineering, cell cultures, tissue cultures, bioprocesses, protein engineering, biocatalysis,
biosensors and bioengineering”.
 “Biotechnology is not one sole technology, rather it groups together several techniques
whose common denominator is the manipulation of living cells and their molecules, and the
practical application of these processes to improve life”.
 “In general terms, biotechnology is the use of biological processes in order to obtain useful
products, which include modified organisms, substances and apparatus”.
 “Biotechnology is the name given to those biological processes that produce beneficial
substances for agriculture, industry, medicine and the environment”.
 According to the United States Government Press Office’s Office of Technology Assessment,
there are two definitions of biotechnology. One broad definition encompasses old and new
biotechnology.
 “Biotechnology refers to all techniques that use living organisms (or part thereof) in order to
create or develop micro-organisms for specific uses.” The other, more restricted definition is
specifically applied to modern biotechnology: “Biotechnology is the industry that uses
recombinant DNA, cell fusion and new bioprocess techniques”. “Biotechnology is the
application of science and engineering to the direct or indirect use of living organisms, parts
of organisms or products of living organisms, in their natural or modified state” .
 The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) describes
biotechnology as: “The application of science and technology to both living organisms and
parts thereof, products and molecules in order to modify living or non-living matter to
produce knowledge, goods and services.” To this end, other definitions exist:
“Biotechnology simply consists of the use of micro-organisms and vegetable and animal
cells to produce materials, such as foods, medicines and chemical products which are useful
to mankind”.
 “Biotechnology is the use of living organisms or compounds obtained from living organisms
in order to obtain products which are valuable to mankind”.

In its broadest definition, biotechnology is the application of biological techniques and

engineered organisms to make products or modify plants and animals to carry desired traits.
This definition also extends to the use of various human cells and other body parts to produce
desirable products.

Scope and Importance of Biotechnology

Importance of Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field well developing these days. It provides better ways for food production,
pollution control, controlling diseases, to improve sanitary conditions as well as to grow crops with
better as well as desired qualities. With the increasing population, the need of food is continuously
increasing. Biotechnology can provides better options to combat the hunger in the developing
world. The use of chemical fertilizers is polluting the environment, so here we get the option of
using Biofertilizers obtained through Biotechnology. Moreover, Biopesticides can be used to replace
the chemicals pesticides which are toxic for living organisms and also pollute the environment.
Biotechnology is being used for production of many drugs by using bacterial or fungal cells. In
addition to all above, Biotechnology is being used to produce economical products on commercial
scale. In a nut shell, Biotechnology techniques and products are providing better alternative to the
existing ones. Future perspectives Biotechnology is benefiting the humans in various ways but
there are still many biotechnologies which need to be explored. Recombinant DNA technology can
be used to combat different needs of living organisms. Population is increasing at an alarming rate
day by day. To meet the food requirements, feeding crops can be modified, animals can be made
to produce required amount of meat and milk. Water reserves are being polluted now, these can
be maintained by using water treating biotechnologies involving modified bacterial strains.
Biotechnology can be used in developing Bio-robotics. Bio-robots would manufactured using living
tissues. These bio-robots will be able to handle situation according to their skills & understanding
which is not possible in the case of artificial robots. In a nut shell, we can say that Biotechnology
has a wide horizon unexplored, which will be explored in coming years.
Biotechnology is the technologies applied to biology, molecular biology, genetics, and many
other subfields of biology. Biotechnology utilizes cellular and biomolecular processes to create
technologies and products that help improve our lives and the nature. By making useful food, such
as bread and cheese, and preserving dairy products, we have done these for many years by now.
Recent biotechnology develops breakthrough products and technologies to fight diseases, reduce
our environmental harm, feed the hungry, and use less and cleaner energy, and have safer,
cleaner and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes.

  Biotechnology is most important for its implications in health and medicine. Through genetic
engineering – the controlled alteration of genetic material – scientists have been able to create
new medicines, including interferon for cancer patients, synthetic human growth hormone and
synthetic insulin, among others. In recent years, scientists have also attempted to employ the
methods of genetic engineering to correct certain inherited conditions, and have been making
great strides in their ability to manipulate genetic materials. These advances suggest the prospect
of human control over the very genetic makeup of man, and thus the ability to manipulate our
inherited traits.

Biotechnology is the science of the controlled application of biological agents for beneficial use.
Since biotechnology is not an independent discipline, its well-known integration with allied fields
such as biochemistry, molecular biology and microbiology facilitates the technological application
of biological agents. Therefore, modern biotechnology has developed as a science with enormous
potential for human welfare in areas ranging from food processing to human health and
environmental protection. The major significance of this field of science in different fields will be
evident from the following examples.

 Biotechnology in medicine
One of the major areas in biotechnology is the medical sector. This is the field in which
most of the research is taking place and several breakthroughs have been made. It is also the
area that raises the highest number of ethical and legal issues. The scope of biotechnology in
medicine is to utilize techniques in living systems to produce therapeutic proteins, which are
usually called biopharmaceuticals or recombinant proteins. Products such as monoclonal
antibodies, DNA and RNA probes are produced for the diagnosis of various diseases. Additionally,
therapeutic protein-based drugs such as insulin and interferon have been synthesized with bacteria
for the treatment of human diseases. As previously mentioned, the use of biotechnology in the
field of medicine is also known as 'red' biotechnology. It deals with many major and minor aspects
of human life, from making medicines more effective in terms of cost and efficiency, to tackling
one of the most difficult branches of medicine, curing genetic diseases. Red biotechnology covers
various potential medicines for diseases such as cancer and AIDS. It can be divided into four main
areas: biopharmaceuticals, gene therapy, pharmacogenomics and genetic testing.

As described above, red biotechnology deals with production of medicinal drugs that can be
proteins (including antibodies that fight infection) or nucleic acids (DNA or RNA). There is no
involvement of chemicals in the synthesis process since they are derived from micro-organisms
which synthesize them naturally. The first approved product for therapeutic use was biosynthetic
'human' insulin made via rDNA technology. Human insulin replaced the pig insulin that had been
previously used and revolutionized the industry with its success. This human insulin, sometimes
called rHI, or the trade name Humulin, was developed by Genentech but licensed to Eli Lilly and
Company, which manufactured and marketed the product starting in 1982.

The second major field of red biotechnology is gene therapy, which deals with the diagnosis
and treatment of genetic diseases and some other diseases such as cancer. This therapy
encompasses the manipulation of genes and the correction of defective genes. During this process
genes are inserted, deleted or modified. One of the most common forms of gene therapy is the
incorporation of functional genes into an unspecified genomic location in order to replace a
mutated and dysfunctional gene.

Pharmacogenomics and genetic testing both use techniques of red biotechnology that are
individual-specific. In pharmacogenomics the genetic information of the individual is derived, and
drugs are developed that can be inserted into that particular individual, whereas in genetic testing
different tests are conducted among family members to determine genetic diseases, sex and
carrier screening. It can also be used in paternity disputes. Monoclonal antibodies, DNA and RNA
probes are used for the diagnosis of various diseases and valuable drugs such as insulin and
interferon have been synthesized by bacteria for the treatment of human diseases. DNA
fingerprinting is utilized for the identification of parents and criminals. The development of
recombinant vaccines for diseases such as human hepatitis B using genetically engineered
microbes is one of the list of notable achievements.

Industrial biotechnology
Industrial biotechnology was established for the large-scale production of alcohol and
antibiotics by micro-organisms. Currently, various pharmaceutical drugs and chemicals such as
lactic acid, glycerine, etc., are being produced by genetic engineering for better quality and
quantity. Biotechnology has provided us with a very efficient and economical technique for the
production of a variety of biochemicals, e.g. immobilized enzymes. Protein engineering is another
important area where existing proteins and enzymes are remodeled for a specific function or to
increase the efficiency of their function.

Biotechnology and the environment

Environmental problems such as pollution control, the depletion of natural resources for
non-renewable energy, conservation of biodiversity, etc., are being dealt with using biotechnology.
For example, bacteria are being utilized for the detoxification of industrial effluents, to combat oil
spills, for treatment of sewage and for biogas production. Biopesticides offer an environmentally
safer alternative to chemical pesticides for control of insect pests and diseases.

Biotechnology and agriculture

Currently the potential of plant tissue culture is widely utilized for the rapid and economic
clonal multiplication of fruit and forest trees, for the production of virus-free genetic stock and
planting material, as well as in the creation of novel genetic variations through somaclonal
variation. With the aid of rDNA technology, it has now become possible to produce transgenic
plants with desirable genes such as herbicide resistance, disease resistance, increased shelf life,
etc. Techniques such as molecular breeding have been employed to accelerate the process of crop
improvement. For instance, molecular markers, such as restriction fragment length polymorphism
(RFLP), and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) provide potential tools for the indirect selection of
both qualitative and quantitative traits, and also for studying genotypic diversity.
Biotechnology has rapidly emerged as an area of activity having marked impact on almost all
domains of human welfare ranging from:

 Plant sciences, Food processing, protecting environment, protection, production

and productivity, trade, economics and economy
 Human health
 Employment: being new and emerging field require huge infrastructure and
Human Resource

Lesson 2

REVIEW BETWEEN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

Science from the Latin scientia (knowledge) is a system of acquiring knowledge based on

the scientific method, as well as the organized body of knowledge gained through such research.
Science as defined here is sometimes termed pure science to differentiate it from applied science,
which is the application of scientific research to specific human needs.
Technology is a broad concept that deals with a species' usage and knowledge of tools and
crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. In human
society, it is a consequence of science and engineering, although several technological advances
predate the two concepts.

The word science is explained as a system of obtaining knowledge, through experimentation and
observation, so as to elucidate natural phenomena. It is a methodical and rational approach to
exploring. What are the objects present in the universe? How do they work? etc. It is a discipline
that has several branches like physics, chemistry, biology, geology, botany, psychology and so on.

In simple terms, science is the set of knowledge gained by way of analysis about all the things
existing around us. The knowledge is based on facts and evidence, relating to the subject, rather
than opinions and personal choices. And so, the statements and laws generated by science cannot
be challenged, as they are well observed and tested.

Science can be used in the development of latest technology, cure diseases and solve many
other problems. Research is continuously made, to expand our scientific knowledge, which leaves
a room of question for further investigation.

Definition of Technology

Technology is a combination of technique, skills, processes, design, products, etc. which is

dedicated to creating instruments or gadgets or to complete scientific investigation. It is a set of
knowledge that has practical application in the creation, designing and utilization of products for
industrial, commercial or everyday use.

We are surrounded by things that are created with the help of certain technology, i.e. whether we
work, communicate, travel, manufacture, and secure data, business and almost everywhere. Most
people use technology, to simplify their work and also to extend their abilities. It also ensures a
solution to various scientific problems.
 Photo Reference: https://keydifferences.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/science-vs-technology.jpg

Key Differences between Science and Technology

The points given below, explain the basic differences between science and technology:

1. Science can be defined as an organized way of gathering knowledge on a subject, through

various observations and experiments. Technology is the practical usage of the laws of
science for different purposes.
2. Science is nothing but a process of exploring new knowledge, whereas technology is putting
scientific knowledge into practice.
3. Science is very useful to gain knowledge about a natural phenomenon, and their reasons.
On the contrary, technology can be useful or harmful, i.e. technology is both a boon and
bane, such that if it is used in the right way, it can help humans in solving a number of
problems, however, if it is put to wrong uses, it can cause destruction of the whole world.
4. Science remains unchangeable; only additions are made to further knowledge. Conversely,
technology changes at a rapid pace, in the sense that, improvement in previous technology
is made constantly.
5. Science stresses on discovery, like facts and laws of nature. Unlike technology, focuses on
the inventions, such as the development of latest technique, to ease the work of humans.
6. Science is the study of structure and behavior of natural and physical world, to create
premises. In contrast, technology deals with putting those premises into practice.
7. Science is concerned with analysis, deduction and theory development. On the other hand,
technology is based on analysis and synthesis of design.
8. Science is used to make predictions whereas technology simplifies the work and fulfil the
needs of people.
Lesson 3

INTERLINK BETWEEN BIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY:

Traditionally, we think of scientific discovery as driving technology development; but

frequently the opposite is true. In fact, there is a close symbiosis between the two. Especially
today, with the seeming proliferation of multidisciplinary research groups and centers, it is
common for groups of investigators to pursue basic science and tools development at the same
time. Researchers in all disciplines are accustomed to the fact that they must capitalize on the
latest technological advances in order to remain at the forefront of their field. Thus, technology
today plays a key role in the advancement of biological science, a role that contrasts sharply with
its traditionally low status in the scientific enterprise.

The revolution occurring in the biological sciences is based on the fact that, today, biological
information can be deciphered and manipulated at exponentially increasing rates. Biological
information falls into three general categories that represent increasing levels of complexity: (1)
the one-dimensional information of DNA - the digital information archive - with its four-letter
language; (2) the three-dimensional information of proteins, the molecular machines of life, with
their twenty-letter language; and (3) the most challenging of all, the four-dimensional information
of living systems - the interplay of complex systems including molecules, cells, tissues, organs,
organisms, populations, and communities - with its as-yet only partially de fined language. This
last category integrates the first two and encodes the most fascinating of traits of microbes,
plants, and animals, including individual humans and populations of living systems.

Technology is a process and a body of knowledge as much as a collection of artifacts. Biology is no

different—and we are just beginning to comprehend the challenges inherent in the next stage of biology as
a human technology. It is this critical moment, with its wide-ranging implications, that Robert
Carlson considers in Biology Is Technology. He offers a uniquely informed perspective on the endeavors
that contribute to current progress in this area—the science of biological systems and the technology used
to manipulate them.

Technologies for biological research arise in multiple ways—through serendipity, through

inspired insights, and through incremental advances—and they are tightly coupled to progress in
engineering. Underlying the complex dynamics of technology and biology are the different
motivations of those who work in the two realms. Consideration of how methodologies emerge has
implications for the planning of interdisciplinary centers and the training of the next generation of scientists.

Biologists now operate in a time when technology is not merely appreciated, but acclaimed.
Research not based on specific hypotheses and carried out by using methods to analyze a complete set of
genes or proteins has been termed “discovery science,” a moniker that comes uncomfortably close to
suggesting that traditional research is incapable of discoveries. Funding agencies actively solicit proposals
to develop techniques, especially those that will assist the analysis of the vast quantities of DNA sequence
that are accumulating. Universities seek to build institutes that bring biologists into contact with
mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists, and engineers.
Because technology provides the tools and biology the problems, the two should enjoy a happy
marriage. But this relationship is complicated: methods may develop adventitiously and independent of the
needs of the biological community; settings conducive to the advancement of technology are formidable to
establish; and the ability to generate novel methodology may require training in multiple disciplines. Those
who want answers to biological questions may not be concerned with the engineering and machinery that
are necessary to reach them, and those who like to tinker with methods may not care about the answers at
all.
Technology development is unlike most other research in the biological sciences—so much so that
one of the first postdoctoral fellows in my laboratory told me that it was not science at all. For one thing,
technology development is totally unconstrained by the exigencies of billions of years of evolution. It
presents none of the surprising quirks of cellular processes that must be painstakingly deduced from a
succession of clues, or suddenly glimpsed in a fragment of data. The technologist is free to imagine the use
of tools that do not conform to those used by cells at any time in the earth's history. Another difference is
that technology can be an all-or-nothing affair: because half of a novel method is not a method, this type of
research may not be rewarded in the same way as progress in biological understanding. Yet another
contrast is that critical incremental improvements in technology may be due as much to the acumen of
engineers as to the cleverness of biologists.
With the current widespread efforts to foster the development and application of technologies, it is
instructive to consider how methodologies for biology have arisen in the past. No universal pattern holds:
discoveries emerge from varying venues, from contrasting personalities, and from distinct sources of
inspiration. These variables should be kept in mind when planning for scientific enterprises, research
funding, and student training.
References:

Washington Biotechnology and Medical Technology Online (http://www.wabio.org/definition_biotech.htm). 3 Web site:

http://www.miracosta.cc.ca.us/mcbc/pw/b2bglossary.htm 4 Matthew Herwig (http://www.engr.umbc.edu/~mherwi1/proj1.html). 5 EFB General

Assembly, 1989 (http://www.eurodoctor.it/biotech.html). 6 The Biotech Life Sciences Dictionary (http://www.eurodoctor.it/biotech.html). 7 North

Carolina Biotechnology Center (http://www.ncbiotech.org/).

https://fbns.ncsu.edu//extension_program/documents/biotech_applications.pdfhttp://www.hillagric.ac.in/edu/coa/ppath/lect/plpath604/Lect.

%201%20Biotechnlogy-Introduction.pdf

https://iopscience.iop.org/book/978-0-7503-1299-8/chapter/bk978-0-7503-1299-8ch1#bk978-0-7503-1299-8ch1s1-4

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Science_vs_Technology

https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-science-and-technology.html#