About Biotechnology

Biotechnology has rapidly emerged as an area of activity having a marked realized as well as potential impact on virtually all domains of human welfare, ranging from food processing, protecting the environment, to human health (Table 1.2).

As a result, it now plays a very important role in employment, production and productivity, trade, economics and economy, human health, and the quality of human life throughout the world. This is clearly reflected in the emergence of numerous biotechnology companies throughout the world, including India, and the movement of noted scientists, including Nobel Laureates, to some of these companies.

The total volume of trade in biotechnology products is increasing sharply every year, and it is expected to soon become the major contributor to world trade. Many commentators are confident that the 21st century will be the century of biotechnology, just as the 20th century is the era of electronics.

Table 1.2. A list of some of the important areas in which biotechnology is making marked contributions:

1	Human health	1	Agriculture
2	Medicines	2	Forestry
3	Animal health	3	Horticulture and floriculture
4	Animal husbandry	4	Environment
5	Dairy	5	Renewable energy and fuels
6	Chemicals and biochemical’s	6	Population control
7	Food processing and beverages	7	Mining
8	Crimes and parentage disputes	8	Fisheries and aquaculture

The importance of biotechnology to human welfare would become obvious from a perusal of some selected examples . For the protection of human health, production of monoclonal antibodies, DNA and RNA probes (for disease diagnosis), artificial vaccines (for inoculation), rare and highly valuable drugs, such as, human interferon, insulin, etc. (for disease treatment), and the technology for gene therapy (for treatment of genetic diseases) are some of the notable achievements (Medical Biotechnology).

Micro-organisms are being employed, since several decades for the large scale production of a variety of bio-chemical’s ranging from alcohol to antibiotics, and in processing of foods and feeds (Industrial Biotechnology).

But enzymes, isolated mainly from micro-organisms and immobilized in suitable polymers (called matrices) are preferred over the whole organisms for a variety of reasons; they are becoming increasingly popular in many commercial ventures, e.g., for the production of high fructose corn syrup using immobilized enzyme glucose isomerase (Enzyme Technology).

Techniques for remodeling of existing proteins/enzymes in order to enhance their efficiency and/or alter their specificity have been developed, and some notable successes have already been achieved (Protein/Enzyme Engineering).

Several Biological agents, such as, viruses, fungi, amoebae, bacteria, etc., are being exploited for the control of plant diseases and insect pests (Bio-control). Bacteria are being utilized for detoxification of industrial effluents (wastes), for treatment of sewage and for biogas production (Environmental Biotechnology). Microbes are also being employed for the extraction of metals from such low grade ores the conventional extraction from which would be uneconomical (Microbial Mining).

In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer techniques have permitted childless couples, suffering from one or the other kind of sterility, to have their own babies (test tube babies). Hormone-induced super ovulation and/or embryo splitting coupled with embryo transfer can be used for rapid multiplication of farm animals, particularly cattle.

Genetic engineering is being employed to develop transgenic animals resistant to certain diseases, capable of faster growth rates and more efficient feed conversion, and with capacity to produce certain valuable bio-chemical’s and to excrete them in milk, urine or blood from which they can be isolated and purified (Animal Biotechnology, the last case is also called molecular farming).

In agriculture, rapid and economic clonal multiplication of fruit and forest trees, production of virus-free stocks of clonal crops, creation of novel genetic variations through soma-clonal variations, and transfer of novel and highly valuable genes (e.g., for disease and insect resistance) through genetic engineering have opened up exciting possibilities in crop production, protection and improvement (Agricultural Biotechnology).

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