“Our world is built on biology and once we begin

to understand it, it then becomes technology”

Ryan Bethencourt

Science is a blessing as well a curse which has been showered

upon the humanity. If handled properly it has power to create
wonders, it can extend the human civilization to other planets,
can help us to explore the vast universe, cure the diseases, make
out the way of sustainable living and on the other hand misuse of
science can eliminate the complete humanity in seconds. It
depends on us and our conscience that how to use this fire of
science whether we can use it to lighten up the world or we can
use it to burn ourselves.
One of the latest and most growing fields of science is bio-
technology

Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the

integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order
to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and
molecular analogues for products and services. The term
biotechnology was first used by Károly Ereky in 1919,[2] to refer
to the production of products from raw materials with the aid of
living organisms. The core principle of biotechnology involves
harnessing biological systems and organisms, such as bacteria,
yeast, and plants, to perform specific tasks or produce valuable
substances.

HISTORY
Although not normally what first comes to mind, many forms of
human-derived agriculture clearly fit the broad definition of
"utilizing a biotechnological system to make products". Indeed,
the cultivation of plants may be viewed as the earliest
biotechnological enterprise. These processes also were included
in early fermentation of beer. These processes were introduced
in early Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and India, and still use the
same basic biological methods. In brewing, malted grains
(containing enzymes) convert starch from grains into sugar and
then adding specific yeasts to produce beer. In this process,
carbohydrates in the grains broke down into alcohols, such as
ethanol. Later, other cultures produced the process of lactic acid
fermentation, which produced other preserved foods, such as soy
sauce. Fermentation was also used in this time period to produce
leavened bread. Although the process of fermentation was not
fully understood until Louis Pasteur's work in 1857, it is still the
first use of biotechnology to convert a food source into another
form.

Biotechnology has also led to the development of antibiotics. In

1928, Alexander Fleming discovered the mold Penicillium. His
work led to the purification of the antibiotic compound formed
by the mold by Howard Florey, Ernst Boris Chain and Norman
Heatley – to form what we today know as penicillin.

APPLICATIONS OF BIO-TECHNOLOGY
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 milk products). 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.

Red biotechnology is the use of biotechnology in the medical

and pharmaceutical industries, and health preservation. This
branch involves the production of vaccines and antibiotics,
regenerative therapies, creation of artificial organs and new
diagnostics of diseases.

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
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.

"Yellow biotechnology" refers to the use of biotechnology

in food production (food industry), for example in making wine
(winemaking), cheese (cheesemaking), and beer (brewing) by
fermentation. It has also been used to refer to biotechnology
applied to insect.

Grey biotechnology is dedicated to environmental

applications, and focused on the maintenance of biodiversity and
the remotion of pollutants.

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

Dark biotechnology is the colour associated with

bioterrorism or biological weapons and biowarfare which uses
microorganisms, and toxins to cause diseases and death in
humans, livestock and crops.

Industrial 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. 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.

Synthetic biology
Is considered one of the essential cornerstones in industrial
biotechnology due to its financial and sustainable contribution to
the manufacturing sector. Jointly biotechnology and synthetic
biology play a crucial role in generating cost-effective products
with nature-friendly features by using bio-based production
instead of fossil-based.

Biotechnology also plays a vital role in making medicines and

these two disciplines are so closely interconnected to each other
that none of them can be discussed or researched alone while
ignoring the importance of other one. Now in this section we will
discuss about the medicines and their importance. Medical
biotechnology is a branch of medicine that uses living cells and
cell materials to research and then produce pharmaceutical and
diagnosing products. These products help treat and prevent
diseases.

MEDICINES
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient,
managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment,
palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health.
Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved
to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment
of illness. Contemporary medicine applies biomedical sciences,
biomedical research, genetics, and medical technology to
diagnose, treat, and prevent injury and disease, typically through
pharmaceuticals or surgery, but also through therapies as
diverse as psychotherapy, external splints and traction, medical
devices, biologics, and ionizing radiation, amongst others.

The medical encounter is then documented in the medical record,

which is a legal document in many jurisdictions. Follow-ups may
be shorter but follow the same general procedure, and specialists
follow a similar process. The diagnosis and treatment may take
only a few minutes or a few weeks, depending on the complexity
of the issue.

The components of the medical interview and encounter are:

A) Chief complaint (CC): the reason for the current medical visit.
These are the symptoms. They are in the patient's own words
and are recorded along with the duration of each one. Also
called chief concern or presenting complaint.
B) Current activity: occupation, hobbies, what the patient
actually does.
C) Family history (FH): listing of diseases in the family that may
impact the patient. A family tree is sometimes used.
D) History of present illness (HPI): the chronological order of
events of symptoms and further clarification of each
symptom. Distinguishable from history of previous illness,
often called past medical history (PMH). Medical history
comprises HPI and PMH.
E) Medications (Rx): what drugs the patient takes including
prescribed, over-the-counter, and home remedies, as well as
alternative and herbal medicines or remedies. Allergies are
also recorded.
F) Past medical history (PMH/PMHx): concurrent medical
problems, past hospitalizations and operations, injuries, past
infectious diseases or vaccinations, history of known allergies.
G) Review of systems (ROS) or systems inquiry: a set of additional
questions to ask, which may be missed on HPI: a general
enquiry (have you noticed any weight loss, change in sleep
quality, fevers, lumps and bumps? etc.), followed by questions
on the body's main organ systems (heart, lungs, digestive
tract, urinary tract, etc.).
H) Social history (SH): birthplace, residences, marital history,
social and economic status, habits (including diet,
medications, tobacco, alcohol).
I) The physical examination is the examination of the patient for
medical signs of disease that are objective and observable, in
contrast to symptoms that are volunteered by the patient and
are not necessarily objectively observable. The healthcare
provider uses sight, hearing, touch, and sometimes smell (e.g.,
in infection, uremia, diabetic ketoacidosis). Four actions are
 the basis of physical examination: inspection, palpation (feel),
percussion (tap to determine resonance characteristics), and
auscultation (listen), generally in that order, although
auscultation occurs prior to percussion and palpation for
abdominal assessments.

The clinical examination involves the study of:

1) Abdomen and rectum

2) Cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels)

3) General appearance of the patient and specific indicators of

disease (nutritional status, presence of jaundice, pallor or
clubbing)

4) Genitalia (and pregnancy if the patient is or could be

pregnant)

5) Head, eye, ear, nose, and throat (HEENT)

6) Musculoskeletal (including spine and extremities)

7) Neurological (consciousness, awareness, brain, vision, cranial

nerves, spinal cord and peripheral nerves)

8) Psychiatric (orientation, mental state, mood, evidence of

abnormal perception or thought).

9) Respiratory (large airways and lungs)

10) Skin

11) Vital signs including height, weight, body temperature, blood

pressure, pulse, respiration rate, and haemoglobin oxygen
saturation
History
Prehistoric medicine incorporated plants (herbalism), animal
parts, and minerals. In many cases these materials were used
ritually as magical substances by priests, shamans, or medicine
men. Well-known spiritual systems include animism (the notion
of inanimate objects having spirits), spiritualism (an appeal to
gods or communion with ancestor spirits); shamanism (the
vesting of an individual with mystic powers); and divination
(magically obtaining the truth). The field of medical
anthropology examines the ways in which culture and society
are organized around or impacted by issues of health, health
care and related issues.

Early records on medicine have been discovered from ancient

Egyptian medicine, Babylonian Medicine, Ayurvedic medicine (in
the Indian subcontinent), classical Chinese medicine (predecessor
to the modern traditional Chinese medicine), and ancient Greek
medicine and Roman medicine.

In India, the surgeon Sushruta described numerous surgical

operations, including the earliest forms of plastic surgery.
Earliest records of dedicated hospitals come from Mihintale in Sri
Lanka where evidence of dedicated medicinal treatment facilities
for patients are found.

Notable Islamic medical pioneers include the Persian polymath,

Avicenna, who, along with Imhotep and Hippocrates, has also
been called the "father of medicine".

However, the fourteenth and fifteenth century Black Death

devastated both the Middle East and Europe, and it has even
been argued that Western Europe was generally more effective
in recovering from the pandemic than the Middle East. In the
early modern period, important early figures in medicine and
anatomy emerged in Europe, including Gabriele Falloppio and
William Harvey.

Veterinary medicine was, for the first time, truly separated from
human medicine in 1761, when the French veterinarian Claude
Bourgelat founded the world's first veterinary school in Lyon,
France. Before this, medical doctors treated both humans and
other animals.

Branches
Working together as an interdisciplinary team, many highly
trained health professionals besides medical practitioners are
involved in the delivery of modern health care. Examples include:
nurses, emergency medical technicians and paramedics,
laboratory scientists, pharmacists, podiatrists, physiotherapists,
respiratory therapists, speech therapists, occupational
therapists, radiographers, dietitians, and bioengineers, medical
physicists, surgeons, surgeon's assistant, surgical technologist.

The scope and sciences underpinning human medicine overlap

many other fields. A patient admitted to the hospital is usually
under the care of a specific team based on their main presenting
problem, e.g., the cardiology team, who then may interact with
other specialties, e.g., surgical, radiology, to help diagnose or
treat the main problem or any subsequent
complications/developments.

The main branches of medicine are:

A) Basic sciences of medicine; this is what every physician is

educated in, and some return to in biomedical research.
B) Interdisciplinary fields, where different medical specialties are
mixed to function in certain occasions.
C) Medical specialties

Basic sciences
Anatomy is the study of the physical structure of organisms.
In contrast to macroscopic or gross anatomy, cytology and
histology are concerned with microscopic structures.

Embryology is the study of the early development of

organisms.

Endocrinology is the study of hormones and their effect

throughout the body of animals.

Epidemiology is the study of the demographics of disease

processes, and includes, but is not limited to, the study of
epidemics.

Genetics is the study of genes, and their role in biological

inheritance.

Gynecology is the study of female reproductive system.

Histology is the study of the structures of biological tissues by
light microscopy, electron microscopy and
immunohistochemistry.

Immunology is the study of the immune system, which

includes the innate and adaptive immune system in humans, for
example.

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, including

protozoa, bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

Neuroscience includes those disciplines of science that are

related to the study of the nervous system. A main focus of
neuroscience is the biology and physiology of the human brain
and spinal cord. Some related clinical specialties include
neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry.

Nutrition science (theoretical focus) and dietetics (practical

focus) is the study of the relationship of food and drink to health
and disease, especially in determining an optimal diet. Medical
nutrition therapy is done by dietitians and is prescribed for
diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, weight and eating disorders,
allergies, malnutrition, and neoplastic diseases.

Pathology as a science is the study of disease – the causes,

course, progression and resolution thereof.

Pharmacology is the study of drugs and their actions.

Physiology is the study of the normal functioning of the body
and the underlying regulatory mechanisms.

Radiobiology is the study of the interactions between

ionizing radiation and living organisms.

And many more….

Biotechnology and Medicine are inter-related disciplines and

none of them can be studied alone ignoring the potential and
ideology of other one. Now we will go through the
applications of biotechnology in medication world.

Medical biotechnology is a branch of medicine that uses living

cells and cell materials to research and then produce
pharmaceutical and diagnosing products. These products help
treat and prevent diseases. From the Ebola vaccine to
mapping human DNA to agricultural impacts, medical
biotechnology is making huge advancements and helping
millions of people.

Some of the most recent uses of biological tech is work in

genetic testing, drug treatments, and artificial tissue growth.
With the many advancements in medical biotechnology, there
are new concerns that arise. From funding to ethics, there are
many things to determine and regulate when it comes to this
fast-paced industry. Learn about the many technical biology
advancements and the concerns surrounding them.

Major Medical Biotechnology Advancements

From cancer research to agriculture advancements, medical
biotechnology has many promising avenues of technological
growth that have the potential to help many people.

CRISPR

CRISPR technology or CRISPR-Cas9 utilizes a protein called

Cas9, which acts like a pair of molecular scissors and can cut
DNA. CRISPRs are specialized stretches of DNA and are used in
medical biotechnology as a tool to edit genomes. This allows
scientists to alter DNA and modify gene functions, often called
genetic engineering. There are many applications, like
correcting genetic defects, treating diseases, preventing the
spread of diseases, improving crops, and more. But the science
of altering genomes has many ethical concerns surrounding it.
From the ability to mutate genes and the unknowns
surrounding gene mutation, CRISPR is a controversial area of
biomedical science. Some new studies even show that perhaps
CRISPR technology can create tumors and cancer with DNA
deletions that aren’t controlled or precise. Of course,
pharmaceutical companies and other scientific organizations
that develop and utilize CRISPR technology are trying to
downplay the concerns and issues, so the reality of the
benefits and damage of the technology is somewhat
unknown.

Tissue Nanotransfection

New science may have the ability to heal people with a single
touch. Sound too good to be true? It’s not. Tissue
nanotransfection works by injecting genetic code into skin
cells, which turns those skin cells into the other types of cells
required for treating diseases. In some lab tests, one touch of
TNT completely repaired the injured legs of mice over a period
of a few weeks by turning skin cells into vascular cells. And
reportedly, this biotech can work on other types of tissue
besides skin. The potential for this type of gene therapy is
huge, from helping car crash victims to active duty soldiers.
Medical biotechnology has made this advancement possible,
and the continued research and testing will only help improve
this tech and adopt it across hospitals and medical centers.

Recombinant DNA Technology

Recombinant DNA technology is combining DNA molecules

from two different species and then inserting that new DNA
into a host organism. That host organism will produce new
genetic combinations for medicine, agriculture, and industry.
There are many examples of recombinant DNA technology
being utilized, from biopharmaceuticals and diagnostics to
energy applications like biofuel to agricultural biotechnology
with modified fruits and veggies. The genetically modified
products are able to perform better than the regular medicine
or produce. Recombinant agriculture is able to be more pest
resistant or weather resistant; recombinant medicine like
insulin is able to better work with bodies, etc. Because of the
many benefits that recombinant DNA holds for a variety of
products, researchers are optimistic about the future it has
within biosciences and in other industries as well.
Gene therapy is a genetic engineering technique that may one
day be used to cure certain genetic diseases. In its simplest
form, it involves the introduction of a non-mutated gene at a
random location in the genome to cure a disease by replacing
a protein that may be absent in these individuals because of a
genetic mutation.

Genetic Testing from 23andMe

Genetic and ancestry kits are popular these days, and they are
beneficial for more than just helping people understand their
genetics and heritage. New studies are showing that saliva
kits are able to test for things like breast cancer by looking at
gene mutations. Certain races are also more likely to inherit
certain mutations or human diseases, and knowing what
races make up your genetic material can help you be
prepared. While 23andMe test results shouldn’t be a reason to
make decisions about treatments, understanding your
heritage and how that could impact your health is valuable.
23andMe is also authorized to analyze for a variety of
diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's.

HPV Vaccine and other Vaccinations

You’ve probably heard of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
and how it’s linked to cervical cancer—which is the second
most lethal form of cancer for women, next to breast cancer.
Statistics show that cervical cancer kills 275,000 women
annually, which is why a vaccine for HPV is so important.
Antibiotics kill bacteria and are naturally produced by
microorganisms such as fungi; penicillin is perhaps the most
well-known example. Antibiotics are produced on a large scale
by cultivating and manipulating fungal cells. The fungal cells
have typically been genetically modified to improve the yields
of the antibiotic compound.

Stem Cell Research

Biotechnology plays a big part in supporting stem cell

research, which supports the exploration of growing stem cells
in a lab setting or in vitro. This could help in situations where
patients may be suffering from a disease or disorder where
implanting stem cells could help restore their vitality and give
them a new lease on life. How does it work? Because stem
cells can repeatedly divide and transform into other types of
body cells, biotechnologists can learn how to work with their
unique profiles to encourage growth of specific types of cells.
Though research is ongoing, it’s reported that the results show
hope for the future of this unique medical approach.

Transgenic Animals
Although several recombinant proteins used in medicine are
successfully produced in bacteria, some proteins need a
eukaryotic animal host for proper processing. For this reason,
genes have been cloned and expressed in animals such as
sheep, goats, chickens, and mice. Animals that have been
modified to express recombinant DNA are called transgenic
animals

Several human proteins are expressed in the milk of

transgenic sheep and goats. In one commercial example, the
FDA has approved a blood anticoagulant protein that is
produced in the milk of transgenic goats for use in humans.
Mice have been used extensively for expressing and studying
the effects of recombinant genes and mutations.

Transgenic Plants
 Manipulating the DNA of plants (creating genetically
modified organisms, or GMOs) has helped to create desirable
traits such as disease resistance, herbicide, and pest
resistance, better nutritional value, and better shelf life .Plants
are the most important source of food for the human
population. Farmers developed ways to select for plant
varieties with desirable traits long before modern-day
biotechnology practices were established.

The Organic Insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a bacterium that produces protein
crystals that are toxic to many insect species that feed on
plants. Insects that have eaten Bt toxin stop feeding on the
plants within a few hours. After the toxin is activated in the
intestines of the insects, death occurs within a couple of days.
The crystal toxin genes have been cloned from the bacterium
and introduced into plants, therefore allowing plants to
produce their own crystal Bt toxin that acts against insects. Bt
toxin is safe for the environment and non-toxic to mammals
(including humans). As a result, it has been approved for use
by organic farmers as a natural insecticide. There is some
concern, however, that insects may evolve resistance to the Bt
toxin in the same way that bacteria evolve resistance to
antibiotics.

Medical and Ethical Issues of Biotechnology

While there are great advancements and positives to medical
biotechnology, anything this fast-growing and powerful is
bound to come with some concerns and issues. Medical
biotechnology is a controversial medical topic, with medical
ethical issues associated.
Risk to Human Life in Clinical Trials
A huge risk of medical biotechnology is its impact during
clinical trials. Because it’s such new tech, people can and have
gotten hurt—and even died—during trials of the technology.

High Cost May Exclude the Poor

While medical biotechnology has huge potential to make
medicine more efficient and easy, what’s the cost? This
technology is often hugely expensive compared to traditional
treatments.

Privacy Concerns
Privacy is an ongoing issue in our technology world, but
reading someone’s DNA seems to be a giant privacy breach.
Imagine a doctor looks at a young child’s DNA and finds out
they are likely to develop a heart disease or terminal issue.

Some Groups Oppose Stem Cell Research

Medical biotechnology is kind of a hot-button political issue,
with presidential candidates even being asked about their
position. The idea of working with fetal tissue, or other tissue,
to learn about regrowth conjures images of Frankenstein’s
monster.

Bioterrorism is a National Concern

Medical biotechnology has been used for security measures to
help prevent a large number of people from possible
bioterrorism
Any way you look at it, there are a number of
concerns when it comes to medical biotechnology,
and as we continue to make advancements, these
ethical considerations will have to be made.
Living is never ending learning and creation
process. The thing which aid to the betterment of
life is knowledge, in this project I have researched
and accumulated the knowledge which will help me
to become more efficient and practical in tackling
problems. Knowledge is double ended sword and
can be used as a blessing and a boom, it should be
noteworthy that the betterment of humanity
should be our prime goal.