The technology which is based on biology, agriculture, food science and medicine is known as Biotechnology. The term 'Biotechnology' is generally referred to as Genetic Engineering as well as Cell and Tissue Culture Technology. However, it is much more than just genes and cells. It includes a wide range of fields like chemical engineering, bioprocess engineering, information technology, bio-robotics and other entwined and dependent life sciences. Though Biotechnology is applicable to various fields, it is majorly used in four industrial areas which include medical, agriculture, non-food (industrial) uses of crops and other products (e.g. biodegradable plastics, vegetable oil, biofuels) and environmental uses.
Main Branches of Biotechnology
- Bioinformatics: It is an interdisciplinary field which is concerned with biological problems using computational techniques, rapid organization and analysis of biological data. It is also referred to as computational biology as it is a conceptualizes biology in terms of molecules and then applying informatics techniques to understand and organize the information associated with these molecules, on a large scale. Bioinformatics is especially useful in functional genomics, structural genomics, and proteomics. It is also an important component in the pharmaceutical sector.
- Blue Biotechnology: It is a field whose main activity is to describe the marine and aquatic applications of biotechnology.
- Green Biotechnology: It is a field of biotechnology which is applied to agricultural processes. It is used in the designing of transgenic plants to grow under specific environmental in the presence or absence of chemicals. Green Biotechnology has the potential to produce more environmentally friendly solutions than traditional industrial agriculture.
- Red Biotechnology: It is a field whose main area of work involves medical processes. It is used in the designing of organisms to produce antibiotics and the engineering of genetic cures through genomic manipulation.
- White Biotechnology: It is a field whose area of speciality lies in industrial processes. It is also known as Industrial Biotechnology. It is used in the designing of an organism to produce a useful chemical. It is more economically viable than others as it consumes fewer resources than traditional processes used to produce industrial goods.
Biotechnological Advances/Developments
In the Field of Agriculture
- High Yielding Crops: Biotechnology has proved its prowess in increasing crop yield. Modern Biotechnology has the potential to transfer one or two genes into a highly developed crop variety so as to enable it to increase its yield.
- Resistant Crops: Drought, excessively salty soil and pests are three main factors which limit the crop production. Biotechnologists study plants which can cope with extreme conditions and try to find the genes that enable them to do so. And eventually, they can transfer these genes to the more desirable crops. Transgenic rice plants that are resistant to 'Rice Yellow Mottle Virus' (RYMV) have already been developed.
- Crops with Improved Quality: Proteins in foods can be modified to increase their nutritional qualities. Proteins in legumes and cereals may be transformed to provide the amino acids needed by human beings for a balanced diet. The work of Professors 'Ingo Potrykus' and 'Peter Beyer' on the crop called 'Golden Rice' prove the improvement in quality.
- Modified Crops: Biotechnology can be used to slow down the process of spoilage so that fruit can ripen longer on the plant and then be transported to the consumer with a still reasonable shelf life. Bread stays fresh for a longer time when an enzyme called 'Maltogenic Amylase' is added to the flour, this can easily save a lot of wastage of food.
- Reduced Dependency on Agro-Chemicals: To reduce the dependence on agrochemicals to protect crops, herbicide tolerant and insect resistant varieties of soybean, corn, and cotton have been developed. Crop plants are being engineered to contain and express the genes for Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxin which is a soil bacterium that produces a protein with insecticidal qualities. These crops produce it in its active form. When a susceptible insect ingests the transgenic crop cultivar expressing the Bt protein, it stops feeding and soon thereafter dies as a result of the Bt toxin binding to its gut wall.
- Crops with Novel Substances: Potatoes, tomatoes, rice, tobacco, lettuce, safflowers, and other plants have been genetically engineered to produce insulin and certain vaccines. Even edible vaccines could be provided through this system. Such crops will save a lot of money which is spent on transportation, injection, preparation and storing.
In the Field of Medicine
- Tailor Made Medicines: Using Pharmacogenomics (the study of the relationship between pharmaceuticals and genetics) drugs based on the proteins, enzymes and RNA molecules that are associated with specific genes and diseases can be produced. These tailor-made drugs can, not only maximize therapeutic effects but can also decrease damage to nearby healthy cells.
- Easily Available and Cheap Medicines: It can be used to manufacture existing medicines relatively easily and cheaply. Human growth hormone, fertility drugs, erythropoietin and other drugs are more affordable and easily available owing to the research in this area.
- Gene Testing: Genetic testing is the direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. A scientist scans a patient’s DNA sample for mutated sequences. These tests can detect mutations associated with rare genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anaemia, and Huntington’s disease. They can also detect the mutation in more complex conditions like breast, ovarian, and colon cancers. It is useful in the Confirmational diagnosis of symptomatic individuals, determining sex, forensic/identity testing, newborn screening, prenatal diagnostic screening, presymptomatic testing for estimating the risk of developing adult-onset cancers and presymptomatic testing for predicting adult-onset disorders.
- Gene Therapy: The therapy which involves the insertion of genes into an individual's cells and tissues to treat a disease is known as Gene Therapy. It can be used for treating or curing, genetic and acquired diseases like cancer and AIDS by using normal genes to supplement or replace defective genes or to bolster a normal function such as immunity. It can be used to target certain cells. The use of Gene Therapy is limited as of now.
- Human Genome: Human Genome refers to the full DNA sequence of Humans. It is a project initiated by U.S. Department of Energy and it aims to generate a high-quality reference sequence for the entire human genome and identify all the human genes. It can have pinpoint genes associated with disorders or diseases. 30 such genes have been already identified.
- Cloning: Cloning in general means making multiple identical copies of a cell or a gene. It is used for both therapeutic and reproductive purposes. It is especially useful for those who cannot conceive and for treating certain medical conditions.
Biotechnology has a lot of potentials and some of its potentials are already being utilized. Recombinant DNA techniques can be used for producing Monoclonal Antibodies which will be helpful in medical diagnosis. New developments in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering have made possible the total cure of several hereditary diseases. With the use of Chelating techniques, the heart patients can avoid undergoing heart surgery. American researchers have successfully developed a vaccine against group B Streptococcus which can save the lives of several infants when administered to expectant mothers. Aspiring mothers have been able to realize their dream when impregnated with frozen embryos. Biotechnology has been successful in the production of several vital substances like insulin, growth hormones interferon. Many hereditary diseases can now be eliminated. A number of diseases - genetic or those caused by external sources have also been eliminated.
Efforts are also on, to control the body's biological clock. Bacteria that can biologically remove toxic chemicals and oil spills have been created. Therefore Biotechnology has helped in relieving human sufferings to a certain extent. But Biotechnology does have it's ugly side too, which is used can cause unknown consequences. Nature is not to be tampered with and efforts should be made to use it wisely and ethically. Biotechnology must be used only for the betterment of the society. It can be done by eradicating diseases and nurturing the environment. It is only then that the true potential of this revolutionary technology can be realized.
