Biotechnology

 

What is Biotechnology?

Imagine a world where medicine tailors treatments to your unique genetic code, crops flourish in harsh environments, and renewable energy flows like a river. This is not the stuff of science fiction, but the burgeoning reality of biotechnology, a field poised to revolutionize every facet of our lives. Biotechnology combines various fields of study such as biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and computer science to create innovative technologies and products that benefit society.

At its core, biotechnology is the harmonious blend of biology and technology. It harnesses cells, molecules, and genes to create solutions for some of humanity's most pressing challenges. From fighting pandemics to nourishing a growing population, from cleaning polluted landscapes to crafting sustainable materials, biotechnology's potential is vast.

Biotechnology has a wide range of applications, including agriculture, medicine, environmental science, and industrial processes. For example, biotechnology can be used to develop new pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and diagnostic tools for the treatment and prevention of diseases. It can also be used to improve crop yields, develop new food products, and reduce the environmental impact of industrial processes.

In recent years, biotechnology has played an increasingly important role in the development of new treatments for cancer, genetic disorders, and other diseases. Advances in biotechnology have also led to the development of new diagnostic techniques, personalized medicine, and gene editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9.

The power of biotechnology calls for ethical considerations that harmonize with scientific advancements. The potential misuse of genetic engineering, the widening gap in access to these technologies, and the need for robust biosafety regulations are all critical notes in the ongoing discourse surrounding this field. As we stand at the threshold of a bio-revolution, it is crucial to remember that biotechnology must be guided with safety, fairness, and wisdom.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information web site has plain language introductions to bioinformatics, genome mapping, molecular modeling, SNPs, ESTs, microarray technology, molecular genetics, pharmacogenomics, and phylogenetics.

What are the Pros and Cons of Biotechnology?

Potential benefits of biotechnology

Foods that last longer

Disease and pest resistant crops

Accurate delivery of precise amounts of drugs, e.g., targeting cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells

Regenerative medicine, replacement organs

Designer babies, organisms

Slowing or stopping aging

Biological computing, wearable computers

Biological fabrication of clothing, plastics, and building materials

Environmentally friendly manufacturing processes that minimize waste

Microbial cleansers

Ultra-strength, lightweight materials

Prevent genetic/hereditary disorders

Drought tolerance

Increased food supply with potential to feed all

Potential drawbacks of biotechnology

May prove harmful for the natural plants, animals or environment

GMOs carried by wind or animals causing cross-contamination

Fixing a problem, could cause a problem, when you don't know the whole picture

Super viruses, weeds or pests

Gene manipulation can have unpredictable side effects

Genetic engineering can affect diversity

Gene therapy is not affordable for everyone

Introducing allergens and toxins to food

Designer Babies

New biotechnology research is making designer babies a reality. Embryo screening technology and gene-editing may soon help a parent choose what type of baby they want. The prospect of genetically modified designer babies sparks both excitement and trepidation. Gene editing could do a good thing like eradicate diseases, but it could also enhance abilities that exacerbate existing social inequalities. While the technology is still in its nascent stages, its potential to reshape the future of humanity is undeniable.

Designer Babies

Cloning

There are many moral and ethical concerns associated with cloning. A good understanding of the basic science and processes that lay behind cloning and what they can do will help you make better decisions regarding its use.

Cloning

Agricultural Biotechnology

Agricultural biotechnology is a broad range of tools--including traditional breeding and genetic engineering, that are used to modify plants or animals.

Read more about Agrobiotechnology

Regenerative Medicine

Researchers and medical doctors of today hope to make the legendary concept of regeneration into reality by developing therapies to restore lost, damaged, or aging cells and tissues in the human body.

Regenerative Medicine

Gene Editing Technologies

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) gene editing is a revolutionary tool that has the potential to transform the way we approach genetic diseases. It is a versatile technique that allows scientists to modify and manipulate genetic material with high precision, accuracy, and efficiency. Learn more about CRISPR gene editing.

Synthetic Life

Synthetic biology is an emerging field that applies engineering principles to biology to create new life forms. It aims to design and build new biological systems or redesign existing ones. This can be done by either modifying the genetic makeup of organisms or by creating entirely new organisms from scratch. There are advantages and disadvantages of creating artificial life, and many ethical issues.

Synthetic Biology

Biotechnology Articles and Web Sites

I search the internet daily for new articles from around the world that interest me or I think will interest you. My hope is that it saves you time or helps students with their assignments. Listed by most recent first, dating back to 2005.

Click here for biotechnology web sites

Click here for a biotechnology glossary

• I search the internet daily for new articles from around the world that interest me or I think will interest you. My hope is that it saves you time or helps students with their assignments. Listed by most recent first, dating back to 2005. Hit NEXT button for more articles

• Gene Therapy Transforms Harmful Fats Into Beneficial Omega-3s from SciTechDaily

• MicroRNA is the Nobel-winning master regulator of the genome – researchers are learning to treat disease by harnessing how it controls genes from The Conversation

• Bacterial ‘flipping’ allows genes to assume different forms from Stanford Medicine

• Researchers develop molecular biosensors that only light up upon binding to their targets from Phys.org

• Biotechnology could help improve quality of life – here’s how from University of Sydney

• Researchers developed 'living plastics' by engineering spores from EurekAlert

• DNA replication mechanism in pluripotent stem cells from Science Daily

• ‘Startling Advance’ in Designer Proteins Opens a World of Possibility for Biotech from Singularity Hub

• Researchers develop AI model that predicts the accuracy of protein–DNA binding from USC

• Engineering cells to broadcast their behavior can help scientists study their inner workings from The Conversation

• Gene-Edited Animal Organ Transplants Could Help End the Organ Donor Crisis from Singularity Hub

• CRISPR 2.0: Kinder, Gentler, More Powerful Gene Editing from Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News

• Humans have been altering nature for thousands of years – to shape a sustainable future, it’s important to understand that deep history from The Conversation

• Vanderbilt scientists develop an algae time machine, advancing biomedicine from Vanderbilt University

• The GMO tooth microbe that is supposed to prevent cavities from Ars Technica

• Unlocking the healing potential of dental stem cells from The Varsity

• mRNA drug offers hope for treating a devastating childhood disease from Nature

• Biotechnology: Growing options for natural colors production from Food Business News

• Unlocking mRNA’s cancer-fighting potential from MIT News

• First successful pig-to-human kidney transplant, performed at Mass General, raises ethical questions from WCVB

• CAR T Cells: Engineering Patients’ Immune Cells to Treat Their Cancers from Cancer.gov

• Gene Silencing Slashes Cholesterol in Mice—No Gene Edits Required from Singularity Hub

• Junk DNA in birds may hold key to safe, efficient gene therapy from Berkeley News

• New toolbox allows engineering of genomes without CRISPR from Phys.org

• Scientists develop new biocontainment method for industrial organisms from University of Manchester

• Can you change a chicken into a frog, a fish or a chameleon? from Harvard College

• Researchers Improve On Ability of Bacteria To Efficiently Extract Rare Earth Elements from The Cornell Daily Sun

• Inexpensive Sequencing Is Enabling the Age of Multiomics from Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

• Researchers genetically modify stem cells to evade immunological rejection from University of Arizona

• With heart-on-a-chip, researchers study genetic mutation underlying cardiac muscle disease from University of Toronto

• Pigs With Human Brain Cells and Biological Chips: How Lab-Grown Hybrid Life Forms Are Bamboozling Scientific Ethics from Singularity Hub

• 3D Bioprinting from NASA

• AI generates proteins with exceptional binding strengths from University of Washington

• mRNA COVID vaccines make ‘unintended proteins’ – we’ve discovered how to fix this problem from The Conversation

• Customizing mRNA is easy, and that’s what makes it the next frontier for personalized medicine − a molecular biologist explains from The Conversation

• MicroRNA is the master regulator of the genome − researchers are learning how to treat disease by harnessing the way it controls genes from The Conversation

• Mouse Embryos Grown in Space for First Time from VOA

• New methods for effective transport of large genes in gene therapy from EurekAlert

• How Biotech And AI Are Transforming The Human from Noema

• What is mRNA? from The Conversation

• Scientists spin spider silk from gene-edited silkworms from ZME Science

• New gene-editing tool reduces unintended mutations by more than 70% from New Atlas

• In a First, Scientists Fully Wipe a Cell's Memory Before Turning It Into a Stem Cell from ScienceAlert

• Scientists Unveil the First Complete Sequence of the Y Chromosome from Singularity Hub

• Scientists Discover Dynamite Way To Wipe a Cell’s Memory To Better Reprogram It as a Stem Cell from SciTechDaily

• Stem cell-derived organoids secrete tooth enamel proteins from University of Washington

• DNA breaking process revealed from EurekAlert

• Geneticists Are Finally Hunting For The Mysterious Genes That Still Lurk In Our DNA from Inverse

• Your genetic code has lots of ‘words’ for the same thing – information theory may help explain the redundancies from The Conversation

• Unraveling a protein that may inspire a new biotechnology tool from Ohio State News

• Biotechnology offers holistic approach to restoration of at-risk forest tree species from Purdue University

• Scientists engineer living DNA sensors from Phys.org

• Beyond the Helix: DNA’s Complex Folding Unveils New Functions from SciTechDaily

• Industrial-Scale Stem Cells Are Here from proto.life

• Cell ‘skeletons’ built with strands of DNA from EurekAlert

• Scientists Hacked Human Cells to Make Insulin, And It Reversed Diabetes in Mice from ScienceAlert

• Protein-based nano-'computer' evolves in ability to influence cell behavior from Science Daily

• Quantum Biology Could Revolutionize Our Understanding of How Life Works from Singularity Hub

• What is the difference between DNA and eDNA? from BBC

• Human Pangenome Project website

• Why gene editing is still humanity’s most powerful tool from Big Think

• When stem cells can’t roll on a bumpy road, muscles break down from UCLA

• Improving Crystal Engineering with DNA from Northwestern University

• Scientists Engineered Yeast Cells to Live Longer — Can it Help Humans Too? from Inverse

• What is a genome and why is it valuable to our lives? An expert explains from World Economic Forum

• Researchers develop new tools for precise large DNA insertions from EurekAlert

• Genetically engineered insects: From agricultural pests to entomological warfare from ORF

• Scientists Merge Biology and Technology by 3D Printing Electronics Inside Living Worms from Singularity Hub

• A new technique opens the door to safer gene editing by reducing the mutation problem in gene therapy from EurekAlert

• New mRNA treatment could one day eliminate peanut allergies from ZME Science

• Tiny hybrid robot can identify, capture a single cell from New Atlas

• Breaking bonds: Double-helix unzipping reveals DNA physics from EureAlert

• Small but mighty - the vast potential of RNA nanotechnology from Nanowerk

• How does RNA know where to go in the city of the cell? Using cellular ZIP codes and postal carrier routes from The Conversation

• Why the human genome was never completed from BBC Future

• A Particulate Problem for Cell and Gene Therapies from Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News

• DIY gene editing: This home use kit makes CRISPR accessible to all from Interesting Engineering

• In Bioethics, the Public Deserves More Than a Seat at the Table from Undark

• DNA origami system creates tiny, self-assembling pots and vases from New Atlas

• Rewriting the textbook on gene regulation: It's the big picture that counts from Phys.org

• Phage therapy: Why viruses could be the medicine of the future from BBC Science Focus

• These Engineered Cells Are Super Soldiers That Hunt Down Cancers from Singularity Hub

• Biotech can revolutionize healthcare. Here's how to unlock its potential from World Economic Forum

• Ask a Geneticist from The Tech Interactive

• Biotechnology is creating ethical worries—and we’ve been here before from Ars Technica

• New gene editing strategy could lead to treatments for people born with inherited diseases of the immune system from EurekAlert

• U of T Engineering lab partners with Moderna to develop RNA-based tools to treat and prevent disease from University of Toronto

• Biologists Create a New Type of Human Cells from SciTechDaily

• Genetic techniques like CRISPR are being used to engineer cells to behave like living biosensors from Envirotec

• What on earth is a xenobot? from Aeon

• These Bioengineered Corneas Gave 14 Blind People Their Sight Back from Singularity Hub

• What Do People Who Work in Genetics Think About Gattaca 25 Years After Its Release? from Slate

• Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should: What Genetic Engineers Can Learn From ‘Jurassic World’ from Singularity Hub

• ‘Jurassic World’ scientists still haven’t learned that just because you can doesn’t mean you should – real-world genetic engineers can learn from the cautionary tale from The Conversation

• CRISPR Co-Founder Jennifer Doudna on Future of Biotech Bloomberg video

• Xenotransplantation could save lives and money—but is it ethical? from BioEdge