BIOTECHNOLOGY

Definition

The concept of biotechnology encompasses a wide range of procedures for modifying living organisms according to human purposes, going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants, and "improvements" to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and hybridization. Modern usage also includes genetic engineering as well as cell and tissue culture technologies. 

The American Chemical Society defines biotechnology as the application of biological organisms, systems, or processes by various industries to learn about the science of life and the improvement of the value of materials and organisms such as pharmaceuticals, crops, and livestock. As per the European Federation of Biotechnology, biotechnology is the integration of natural science and organisms, cells, parts thereof, and molecular analogs for products and services. Biotechnology is based on the basic biological sciences (e.g., molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, genetics, microbiology) and conversely provides methods to support and perform basic research in biology

Application of biotechnology

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.

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". 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.

Blue biotechnology is based on the exploitation of sea resources to create products and industrial applications. This branch of biotechnology is the most used for the industries of refining and combustion mainly in the production of bio-oils with photosynthetic micro-algae.

Green biotechnology is biotechnology applied to agricultural processes. An example would be the selection and domestication of plants via micropropagation. Another example is the design 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 for the 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. It is commonly considered the next phase of the green revolution, which can be seen as a platform to eradicate world hunger by using technologies that enable the production of more fertile and resistant, biotic and abiotic stress, plants and ensures the application of environmentally friendly fertilizers and the use of biopesticides, it is mainly focused on the development of agriculture. On the other hand, some of the uses of green biotechnology involve microorganisms to clean and reduce waste.

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, the creation of artificial organs, and new diagnostics of diseases. As well as the development of hormones, stem cells, antibodies, siRNA and diagnostic tests.

White biotechnology, also known as industrial biotechnology, is biotechnology applied to industrial processes. An example is the design of an organism to produce a useful chemical. Another example is the use of enzymes as industrial catalysts to either produce valuable chemicals or destroy hazardous/polluting chemicals. White biotechnology tends to consume fewer resources than traditional processes used to produce industrial goods

Medicine

• 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 analyzes how genetic makeup affects an individual's response to drugs. 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. The purpose of pharmacogenomics is to develop rational means to optimize drug therapy, concerning the patient's genotype, to ensure maximum efficacy with minimal adverse effects. Such approaches promise the advent of "personalized medicine"; in which drugs and drug combinations are optimized for each individual's unique genetic makeup
• A computer-generated image of insulin hexamers highlighting the threefold symmetry, the zinc ions holding it together, and the histidine residues 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 – biopharmaceuticals. 
• 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 slaughtered animals (cattle or pigs). Genetically engineered bacteria can produce large quantities of synthetic human insulin at a relatively low cost. 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.

Agriculture

genetically modified crops ("genetically modified plants" or "biotech crops") are agricultural crops in which DNA is modified using genetic engineering techniques. in most cases, The main goal is to introduce new traits that do not occur naturally in the species. Biotechnology companies can contribute to future food security by improving the nutrition and feasibility of urban agriculture. Protection of intellectual property rights also encourages private sector investment in agricultural technology.

Examples of food plants are Resistance to certain pests, diseases, stressful environments, and resistance to chemical treatments (eg herbicide resistance reduced spoilage or better nutrient content of crops Examples of non-food crops include manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and other commodities. of industrial utilities including biological therapy

Farmers have widely adopted GM technology. Between 1996 and 2011, total area planted with GM crops increased 94 times, from 17,000 square kilometers (4,200,000 acres) to 1,600,000 square kilometers (395 acres). a million acres) 10% of the world's arable land was planted with GM crops in 2010. In 2011, 11 GM crops were commercially grown on 395 million acres (160 million hectares) in 29 countries, including the United States, Brazil, and Argentina. India, Canada, China, Paraguay, Pakistan, South Africa, Uruguay, Bolivia, Australia, Philippines, Myanmar, Burkina Faso, Mexico, and Spain.

Genetically modified food is food produced by living organisms that have a specific change in their DNA using genetic engineering methods. These techniques allow the introduction of new mating traits. as well as better control over food genetics than previously permitted methods such as selective breeding and mutation breeding. Commercial sales of genetically modified foods began in 1994 when Calgene first marketed the slow-ripening Flavr Savr tomato. The vast majority of food genetic modifications are primarily focused on commercial crops that are in high demand by farmers, such as soybeans, corn, canola, and cottonseed oil. These are designed to resist pathogens and herbicides and have better nutrient profiles. Transgenic cows have also been developed experimentally as of November 2013. They are not commercially available, but in 2015 the FDA approved the first genetically modified salmon for commercial production and consumption.

There is scientific consensus that today's diets derived from GM crops do not pose a greater risk to human health than conventional diets. But each genetically modified food must be tested on a case-by-case basis before being imported. However, people are less likely than scientists to consider genetically engineered food to be safe. The legal and regulatory status of genetically modified foods varies from country to country. Some countries prohibit or restrict these foods. And some countries allow very different levels of control.

Genetically modified crops also provide several ecological benefits. However, opponents have opposed the self-cultivation of GM crops in many areas. including environmental concerns about Whether food produced from GM crops is safe or not Are GM crops necessary for the world's food? Economic needs and concerns stem from the fact that these entities are subject to copyright law.

Industrial

industrial biotechnology (known in Europe as white biotechnology) is the industrial application of biotechnology. including industrial fermentation This includes training in using cells such as microorganisms or cellular components such as enzymes to create industrially useful products in sectors such as chemicals, food and feed, detergents, paper and pulp, textiles, and biofuels. in the present decade, Significant advances have been made in the creation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that improve the diversity, applications, and economic viability of industrial biotechnology. By using renewable raw materials to produce a wide variety of chemicals and fuels. Industrial biotechnology is moving towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and moving away from the petrochemical-based economy.