1.1 Definition and scope of biotechnology

Biotechnology blends biology with tech to create products that improve lives and protect the planet. It spans industries like agriculture, healthcare, and energy, using tools like genetic engineering and bioprocessing to tackle big challenges.

From medical breakthroughs to eco-friendly farming, biotech's reach is vast. It's split into color-coded branches: red for health, green for agriculture, white for industry, and blue for marine applications. New fields like bioinformatics are pushing the boundaries even further.

Definition and Fundamentals

Biotechnology Basics

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• Biotechnology involves the use of living systems and organisms to develop or create products
• Combines biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and engineering to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health of our planet
• Applications span many industries including agriculture, healthcare, energy production, and environmental conservation
• Key technologies include genetic engineering, DNA sequencing, cloning, protein engineering, biomaterials, bioremediation (using biological processes to clean up environmental pollutants), and biofuels

Genetic Engineering and Recombinant DNA

• Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of an organism's genes using biotechnology
• Recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology involves combining genetic material from multiple sources to create sequences that would not otherwise be found in biological organisms
• rDNA is created by molecular cloning methods in which a DNA sequence is inserted into a DNA vector such as a plasmid, cosmid, or virus which can be propagated in a host organism (commonly bacteria or yeast)
• Allows genes to be transferred from one organism to another, including genes from unrelated species
• Used to mass-produce insulin, human growth hormone, follistim (fertility treatments), vaccines, and other drugs

Bioprocessing Fundamentals

• Bioprocessing is a specific type of processing that uses complete living cells or their components (e.g. bacteria, enzymes, chloroplasts) to obtain desired products
• Involves the use of biological processes such as fermentation, cell culture, and bioseparation
• Fermentation uses microorganisms like bacteria and yeast to produce pharmaceuticals, food additives, and other chemical products (beer and yogurt)
• Cell culture grows cells under controlled conditions, often to manufacture biological compounds like vaccines and monoclonal antibodies
• Bioseparation is the scientific method of separating a liquid mixture into its individual components using physical, chemical, or biological processes

Branches of Biotechnology

Red Biotechnology

• Red biotechnology is applied to medical processes and health care
• Involves the use of organisms to improve medical processes and develop new diagnostic tools, drugs, and therapies
• Pharmaceutical drug development and production is a key application area
• Gene therapy techniques are being developed to treat diseases by manipulating genes (introducing a non-mutated gene at a random location or substituting a mutated gene with a healthy copy)
• Pharmacogenomics studies how the genetic makeup of an individual affects their response to drugs in order to develop safer medications and doses tailored to a person's genetic makeup

Green Biotechnology

• Green biotechnology applies to agriculture and involves developing genetically modified (GM) crops or using molecular biology techniques to reduce reliance on fertilizers, pesticides and water
• Genetic modification of plants enhances desired traits such as increased resistance to pests, herbicides or harsh environmental conditions, improved shelf life, increased nutritional value, or production of valuable goods such as antibodies or vaccines
• Molecular breeding uses genetic markers to select plants or animals with desirable traits to be bred (marker-assisted selection)
• Reduces reliance on fertilizers, pesticides and water while improving yields
• Environmental biotechnology uses biological processes to clean up contaminated environments (bioremediation) and produce clean energy (biofuels)

White Biotechnology

• White (also called gray) biotechnology involves industrial processes such as the production of chemicals, materials, and energy
• Uses living cells like molds, yeasts, or bacteria and/or enzymes to synthesize products that are biodegradable, require less energy to produce, and create less waste
• Biopolymers produced from renewable resources are used to make biodegradable plastics
• Specially designed microorganisms are used to produce pharmaceuticals and biofuels
• Enzymes added to detergents allow for more efficient, lower temperature washing that reduces energy use

Blue Biotechnology

• Blue biotechnology encompasses applications in aquatic environments like oceans, seas, and lakes
• Explores the biodiversity found in marine environments to develop novel products and applications
• Marine organisms are used as sources for developing new enzymes, biopolymers, biosurfactants, and other biochemicals
• Aquaculture uses knowledge of the biology of aquatic species to farm-raise fish and shellfish for food
• Potential applications include using marine organisms and their metabolites for skin and wound care, anti-viral medications, and anti-cancer drugs

Emerging Fields

Bioinformatics

• Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that uses computer science, statistics, mathematics, and engineering to process and analyze biological data
• Involves the computational management of all kinds of biological information, whether it's genes, proteins, or entire genomes
• Essential for management of data in modern biology and medicine as the amount of data being produced (by genome sequencing for example) is overwhelming and growing exponentially
• Used to identify genes, establish their functions, and develop gene-based strategies for preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease
• Key aspect of the field is developing databases and algorithms for processing and analyzing genomic information as well as developing software tools to generate useful biological knowledge

Nanobiotechnology

• Nanobiotechnology is the application of nanotechnology (the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale) to biological systems and living organisms
• Operates at the nanoscale (1-100 nm) to understand, modify, and control biological systems
• Nanodevices are used as biosensors to monitor and control biological processes at the molecular level (medical nanorobotics)
• Nanomedicine involves the use of nanobiotechnology for medical applications like drug delivery, biosensors, and diagnostic imaging
• Nanoparticles are being developed to selectively deliver drugs to diseased tissues, detect disease biomarkers, and aid in medical imaging