Bio-Technology

Biotechnology - “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use”. 

And “Biological resources” includes genetic resources, organisms or parts thereof, populations, or any other biotic component of ecosystems with actual or potential use or value for humanity. India has become the world’s 12th biggest biotechnology economy having the second-highest number of USFDA-approved plants. Biotechnology will help developing countries accomplish things that they could never do

Conventional biotechnology is a biotechnology practice conducted by using simple methods and instruments, without genetic manipulation. It has been done since thousands of years ago to produce many kinds of products, such as beer, wine, tuak, sake, yogurt, bread, cheese, soy sauce, tempe,tapai, and oncom.

Modern biotechnology is a biotechnology practice developed with genetic manipulation technique, in which the transfer of genetic material(transfer of gene) from one living organism to the other occurs. Through this technique, humans can control production according to their desire. For example, the production of pest and disease-resistant plants, imperishable fruits, and cattle can produce more milk.

In the genetic manipulation process, organisms whose bodies contain foreign genes are called transgenic organisms. They can be transgenic plants, transgenic animals, and transgenic bacteria.

• Principles of Biotechnology:

1. Genetic Engineering: techniques to alter the chemistry of genetic material to introduce it into the host organism and thus change the phenotype of an organism

(NOTE: The genotype is a set of genes in DNA responsible for unique traits or characteristics while the phenotype is the physical appearance or characteristic of an organism.)

2. BIOPROCESS Engineering: Maintenance of sterile (microbial contamination-free) ambiance in chemical engineering processes to enable the growth of only the desired microbe/eukaryotic cell in large quantities for the manufacture of biotechnological products like antibiotics, vaccines, enzymes, etc.

• Concept:

To attain a phenotype, the desired gene should be sent to the host but this gene can not replicate by itself. so it must be integrated with the recipient DNA to replicate, once it integrates with the host or recipient DNA it will reproduce itself and also transfer to future generations. This replication of identical copies is also called cloning.

• What is Recombinant DNA?

Recombinant DNA technology is the joining together of DNA molecules from two different species. The recombinant DNA molecule is inserted into a host organism to produce new genetic combinations that are of value to science, medicine, agriculture, and industry.

Steps involved in Recombinant DNA

(i) identification of DNA with desirable genes;

(ii) introduction of the identified DNA into the host;

(iii) maintenance of introduced DNA in the host and transfer of the DNA to its progeny.

Recombinant DNA Technology requires various tools like vectors, hosts, and enzymes such as restriction enzymes, ligases, polymerases, etc.

Process involved

1. Cut the desired sequence of DNA through an Enzyme called Restriction Enzyme

2. Use another Enzyme called Ligase to join DNA with a plasmid(vector which can transfer to host DNA)

3. Plasmid reaches to host DNA,integrates, and then creates multiple copies

• Types of Biotechnology:

Like the stripes of the rainbow, the different biotechnology applications are grouped into seven colors or research and development areas. In this section, we highlight the most relevant of each of them.

Red biotechnology: This is the health branch responsible, according to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), for the development of more than 250 vaccines and medications such as antibiotics, regenerative therapies, and the production of artificial organs.

Green biotechnology: It is used by more than 13 million farmers worldwide to fight pests and nourish crops and strengthen them against microorganisms and extreme weather events, such as droughts and frosts.

White biotechnology: The industrial branch works to improve manufacturing processes, the development of biofuels, and other technologies to make the industry more efficient and sustainable.

Yellow biotechnology: This branch is focused on food production and, for example, it carries out research to reduce the levels of saturated fats in cooking oils.

Blue biotechnology: This exploits marine resources to obtain aquaculture, cosmetics, and health care products. In addition, it is the branch most widely used to obtain biofuels from certain microalgae.

Grey biotechnology: Its purpose is the conservation and restoration of contaminated natural ecosystems through, as mentioned above, bioremediation processes.

Gold biotechnology: Also known as bioinformatics, it is responsible for obtaining, storing, analyzing and separating biological information, especially that related to DNA and amino acid sequences.