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BIOTECHNOLOGY; ITS IMPORTANCE & APPLICATIONS



What is the Biotechnology?

Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts of them, and molecular analogs for products and services. The word "biotechnology" is the combination of two distinct words: "bio" means "life" and "technology" means "the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes."

In 1919, Karoly Ereky coined the term "biotechnology," which refers to the process of making products from raw materials using living organisms. Basic biological sciences like molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, genetics, and microbiology are the foundation of biotechnology, which also provides tools for supporting and carrying out fundamental research in biology. 

By means of biochemical engineering, high-value-added products can be planned, forecasted, formulated, developed, manufactured, and marketed for the purpose of sustainable operations and obtaining durable patent rights in biotechnology, which is research and development carried out in the laboratory using bioinformatics for exploration, extraction, exploitation, and production from any living organisms and any source of biomass. 



What is the Importance of Biotechnology?

The most significant aspect of biotechnology is its impact on medicine and health. Scientists have been able to create new medicines, such as interferon for cancer patients, synthetic human growth hormone, and synthetic insulin, among others, through genetic engineering, which is the controlled alteration of genetic material. 

Scientists have also attempted to use genetic engineering techniques to correct inherited conditions and have made significant progress in their ability to manipulate genetic materials in recent years. These developments raise the possibility of gaining control over human genetics and, consequently, the power to alter our inherited characteristics. 

The immense and ever-increasingly immediate effects of man's growing control over genetics are immense. Numerous observers have suggested that biotechnology will emerge in the early 21st century in the same way that computer technology did in the late 20th century. 



Application of Biotechnology in the Field of Medicine

Biotechnology has truly brought a revolution in the field of medicine and pharmaceutical drugs. Similarly, biotechnology has made possible the development of various vaccines, diabetic insulin, gene therapy, hormones, and molecular diagnosis. Similarly, in recent years, the rapidly expanding field of medical biotechnology has resulted in the creation of a number of novel approaches to disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. 



The sequencing of the human genome, the use of stem cells for regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, the creation of antibiotics, and the generation of monoclonal antibodies for therapy have all been made possible by cutting-edge techniques like a polymerase chain reaction, gene sequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization, microarrays, cell culture, and gene silencing with interference RNA. 


Application of Biotechnology in the Field of Agriculture

Agritech, or agricultural biotechnology, is a subfield of agricultural science that deals with the modification of living things through the use of scientific tools and methods like genetic engineering, molecular markers, molecular diagnostics, vaccines, and tissue culture. Microorganisms, animals, and plants one area of agricultural biotechnology that has undergone significant development in recent years is crop biotechnology. 




The desirable trait is transferred to a different crop species from one species. The flavor, flower color, growth rate, harvest size, and resistance to diseases and pests of these transgene crops are all desirable characteristics. In an effort to meet the requirements of an expanding population, agricultural biotechnology has been utilized to enhance the nutritional content of a variety of crops. 

Vitamin-rich crops can be produced through genetic engineering.


Application of Biotechnology in the Field of Industry

The use of biotechnology for industrial purposes, such as industrial fermentation, is known as industrial biotechnology. Utilizing cells, such as microorganisms, or cell components, such as enzymes, to produce industrially useful products in industries like chemicals, food and feed, detergents, paper and pulp, textiles, and biofuels are all examples of this practice. 




In recent decades, significant progress has been made in the creation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), which have increased the variety of industrial biotechnology applications and their economic viability. Industrial biotechnology is actively advancing toward lowering greenhouse gas emissions and shifting away from a petrochemical-based economy by producing a variety of chemicals and fuels from renewable raw materials.


Application of Biotechnology in the Field of Environment

Diverse fields of environmental biotechnology contribute significantly to the reduction of environmental waste and the development of environmentally safe processes like biofiltration and biodegradation. Biotechnologies have the potential to have both positive and negative effects on the environment. 

According to Vallero and others, the difference between beneficial biotechnology (like bioremediation, which is used to clean up oil spills or dangerous chemical leaks) and harmful biotechnological endeavors (like the transfer of genetic material from transgenic organisms into wild strains) can be viewed as applications and implications, respectively. 




Environmental biotechnology can be used to clean up waste from the environment, for example. Biotechnology, on the other hand, has negative effects on the environment in the form of the loss of biodiversity or the inability to contain a harmful microbe.


Application of Biotechnology in the Field of Biofuels

The production of energy is one of biotechnology's most significant applications. There is a growing need to find alternative environmentally friendly fuel sources to safeguard the world's future in light of concerns about the global depletion of oil resources and their associated environmental effects. 




This is made possible by advances in biotechnology, like the use of corn to make combustible fuel for car engines. Because they do not produce greenhouse gases, these fuels are good for the environment.


Application of Biotechnology in the Field of Health Care

In the healthcare industry, biotechnology is used to develop pharmaceuticals that are difficult to produce using other traditional methods due to purity concerns. The strategy for maturation utilizing microbial organic entities and their subsidiaries is applied by which natural substances that are non-satisfactory and effectively short-lived are switched over completely to consumable and consumable food varieties and refreshments, which have a more extended time span of usability. 


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