My first blog

What is biotechnology….???

Biotechnology may be as old as human civilization but modern biotechnology is less than three decades old. Traditional Biotechnology that led to the development of processes for producing products like yogurt, Vinegar, alcohol and cheese was entirely empirical and bereft of any understanding of the mechanisms that led to the product. There was no possibility of a deliberate design to produce a desired new product.

In modern biotechnology, we use the in- depth understanding we have gained in the last five decades. The mechanisms that underlie the variety of functions performed by living organisms, to produce a desired new or old product. In the case of an established product, the new biotechnological process is cheaper and better in many respects than the earlier processes. Modern biotechnology has been, infact, an historical imperative. Its emergence on the world scene was predicted at least four decades ago.

Scope of Biotechnology-

Genetic engineering

Gene Therapy

Immunotechnologies

Tissue culture

Stem cell techniques

Enzyme engineering and technology

Photosynthetic efficiency

New DNA technologies

Plant-based drugs

Peptide synthesis

Assisted reproductive technologies

Organ transplantation

New drug-delivery systems

Production of useful materials

Production of new materials using new ideas

DNA vaccines

Biosensor

Use of microbes

Bioremediadtion

Processing of low-grade ores using microorganisms

Bioinformatics, including genomics and proteomics

Nanobiotechnology

Food technology