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Biotechnology is not a new advancement in the
area of science. It actually has been utilized for years,
but was not significantly described as biotechnology.
In its simple form, biotechnology means utilizing living
organisms or their products to revise or change human health
or the environment, or to run a process.
Biotechnology itself is the combination of biology and other
sciences to create new, innovative products in the agricultural
sector, industrial sector and environmental industries. |
The products include medicines, vaccines, growth hormones for
plants and food additives.
There are nine major areas of this technology and its applications
in the field of biotechnology. These nine major areas are bioprocessing
technology, monoclonal antibodies, cell culture, recombinant DNA
technology, cloning, protein engineering, biosensors, nanobiotechnology
and microarrays.
Bioprocessing technology refers
to use of living cells to produce preferred products. This
method has been utilized for thousands of years without knowing
the actual scientific implications of it, such as in beer
brewing, winemaking and even for making bread and pickles!
Microorganisms were first discovered in the mid-1800s, and
people came to realize that their biochemical machinery was
the substance for these useful products.
In-depth research and further experiments have led us today
to the production of amino acids, birth control pills, pesticides,
antibiotics and also vitamins, just to name a few.
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Monoclonal antibody technology uses the cells from the immune system
to make antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are extremely useful to
locate any pollutants found in the environment, detect microorganisms
that may be harmful in food, differentiate between normal cells
and cancer cells, and also diagnose in a more precise manner any
infectious diseases that may be present in humans, animals or plants.
Cell culture simply means growing cells outside of a living organism.
There are 3 areas in this study, which include plant cell culture,
insect cell culture and mammalian cell culture. Recombinant DNA
technology, in the plain sense of the word, means recombining 2
pieces of DNA from 2 different species. This is used to produce
new medicines and vaccines, slow down the process of food spoilage,
control viral diseases and hamper inflammation, just to name a few.
Cloning became well-known after the cloning of Dolly the sheep
years back. Cloning technology actually allows for the generation
of genetically identical molecules, plants, cells or animals. Protein
engineering is a DNA recombinant technique that is meant to improve
existing proteins to create new proteins that do not exist in nature.
These proteins may then be used in food processing, drug development
and industrial manufacturing.
Biosensors are a combination of biology and the advances in microelectronics.
Biosensors are detecting devices that rely on the specificity of
cells and molecules to identify and measure substances at extremely
low concentrations, which is why they are highly used to measure
the nutritional value, safety and freshness of food, detect explosives,
toxins and bio-warfare agents, locate and measure pollutants, and
also to provide emergency room physicians with bedside measurements
of vital blood components.
Nano-biotechnology refers to the study, manipulation and manufacture
of ultra-small structures and machines that can consist of only
a single molecule. This field of study enables us to improve the
specificity and timing of drug delivery, increase the speed and
power of diagnosing diseases, and also encourage the development
of green manufacturing practices.
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