Lesson 1

Introduction to
Biotechnology

Dr. AMIE D. MARMOL

Master Teacher,Science
IDENTIFY THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS
Biotechnology
Biotechnology helps to
meet our basic needs.
Food, clothing, shelter,
health and safety
Biotechnology
 Improvements by using science
 Science helps in production of
plants, animals and other
organisms
 Also used in maintaining a good
environment that promotes our well
being
Biotechnology -Definition
One of the broadest definition of
Biotechnology is the one given at the
United Nations Conference on
Biological Diversity in 1992 as “any
technological application that uses
biological systems, living
organisms, or derivatives thereof, to
make or modify products or
processes for specific use.”
Some of these include the use of
microorganisms to make the antibiotic,
penicillin or the dairy product, yogurt;
the use of microorganisms to produce
amino acids or enzymes are also
examples of biotechnology.
Biotechnology
 Using scientific processes to get
new organisms or new products
from organisms.
 Large area
 Includes many approaches and
methods in science and technology
Definitions :

 Any technique that uses living organisms or

substances from those organisms to make or
modify a product, to improve plants or
animals or to develop microorganisms for
specific uses.
What is biotechnology?
Biotechnology = bios (life) + logos (study of or
essence)
Literally „the study of tools from living things‟

CLASSIC: The word "biotechnology" was first used

in 1917 to describe processes using living
organisms to make a product or run a process,
such as industrial fermentations. (Robert Bud, The
Uses of Life: A History of Biotechnology)

LAYMAN: Biotechnology began when humans

began to plant their own crops, domesticate
animals, ferment juice into wine, make cheese,
and leaven bread (Acces Excellence)
What is biotechnology?
• Using scientific methods with organisms
to produce new products or new forms
of organisms

• Any technique that uses living

organisms or substances from those
organisms or substances from those
organisms to make or modify a product,
to improve plants or animals, or to
develop microorganisms for specific
uses
What is biotechnology?
• Using scientific methods with organisms
to produce new products or new forms
of organisms

• Any technique that uses living

organisms or substances from those
organisms or substances from those
organisms to make or modify a product,
to improve plants or animals, or to
develop microorganisms for specific
uses
What is biotechnology?
• Biotechnology is a multidisciplinarian in nature,
involving input from

• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Cell and Molecular Biology
• Microbiology
• Genetics
• Physiology
• Biochemistry
• Immunology
• Virology
• Recombinant DNA Technology 
Genetic manipulation of bacteria,
viruses, fungi, plants and animals, often
for the development of specific products
What are the stages of
biotechnology?
• Ancient Biotechnology
• early history as related to food and shelter,
including domestication, fermentation and
early forms of food preservation: Techniques
like drying, smoking, and salting food to
prevent spoilag
• Classical Biotechnology
• built on ancient biotechnology
• fermentation promoted food production
• Medicine, incorporating a deeper
understanding of selective breeding.
• Modern Biotechnology
• manipulates genetic information in organism
• genetic engineering
Agricultural View
 All of the applied
science based
operations in producing
food, fiber, shelter, and
related products
 Milk production
 New horticultural and
ornamental plants
 Wildlife, aquaculture,
natural resources and
environmental
management
Multidisciplinary
Involves many disciplines
or branches of learning
Includes all areas of Life
Sciences
What are the applications of biotechnology?

• Production of new and improved

crops/foods, industrial chemicals,
pharmaceuticals and livestock
• Diagnostics for detecting genetic diseases
• Gene therapy (e.g. ADA, CF)
• Vaccine development (recombinant
vaccines)
• Environmental restoration
• Protection of endangered species
• Conservation biology
• Bioremediation
• Forensic applications
• Food processing (cheese, beer)
 Transfer of new Anti-cancer drugs
Culture of plants
genes into animal from single cells Diagnostics
organisms

Cell Monoclonal
Culture Antibodies
Crime solving
Molecular
Biology

DNA Tracers
technology Genetic
Engineering
Synthesis of
Banks of Cloning specific DNA
DNA, RNA Synthesis
probes
and proteins of new Mass prodn. of
proteins human proteins
Complete Localisation of
New types of Resource bank
map of the genetic disorders
plants and for rare human
human
animals chemicals
genome
New
New types antibiotics
of food Gene therapy
Organismic Biotech
 Working with complete, intact organisms or
their cells
 Organisms are not genetically changed with
artificial means
Organismic Biotech
Help the organism live better
or be more productive
Goal – improve organisms
and the conditions in which
they grow
Organismic Biotech
Study and use natural
genetic variations
Cloning is an example of
organismic biotech
Cloning
 Process of
producing a new
organism from cells
or tissues of existing
organism.
 1997 cloned sheep –
“Dolly” in Edinburgh
Scotland
Molecular Biotech
 Changing the genetic
make-up of an organism
 Altering the structure and
parts of cells
 Complex!
 Uses genetic engineering,
molecular mapping and
similar processes
Genetic Engineering
Changing the genetic
information in a cell
Specific trait of one organism
may be isolated,cut, and
moved into the cell of
another organism
Transgenic
 Results of Genetic
Eng. are said to be
“transgenic”
 Genetic material in
an organism has
been altered
Biotech examples
 Medicine
 Agriculture
 Environment
 Forestry
 Food and beverage
processing
Medicine
 Some new developments
delve into the hereditary
material of humans known
as gene therapy
Medicine
 Therapeutant - product used to
maintain health or prevent
disease
 Biopharmaceuticals – drug or
vaccine developed through
biotechnology
 Called designer drugs
Medicine
 Biopharming – production of
pharmaceuticals in cultured
organisms
 Combination of the
agriculture and
pharmaceutical industries
Medicine
 Certain blood – derived
products needed in human
medicine can be produced
in the milk of goats
Environment
 Any biotechnological process
that may promote a good
environment
 Organisms developed during
the gulf war to “eat” oil
 Organism used in gold mining
to “eat” contaminants
Environmental
 Problems naturally solved
by microorganisms such
as bacteria, fungi break
down contaminant into a
form less harmful or not
harmful
Ag and Forestry
 Plant biotech
 Animal biotech
Plant biotech
 Improve plants and the
products produced from them
 Insect and disease resistance
 Engineered to have desired
characteristics
Plant biotech
 Corn plant produced with
high levels of the amino
acid Lysine
Animal Biotech
 Improve animals or the
products they produce
 Animals may be used to
produce products that
promote human health
Animal Biotech
 Increase productivity
 Pigs engineered to
produce human
hemoglobin
Food and Beverages
 Use of technology in production
and processing
 Some biotech principles have been
employed for hundreds of years
(Yeast in baking bread)
 Genetically altered crops
 rBGH milk
Biotechnology
 Helps meet human needs -Food,
clothing and shelter
 Plants and animals are used in
manufacturing food, clothing and
materials for shelter.
 Used to make products more useful or
desirable
 Ex: conversion of milk into cheese or
yogurt
Efficiency
 Must keep the cost of improving
products as low as possible
 Biotech results in greater efficiency.
 Inoculating legume seeds with bacteria
that allow the plant to pull nitrogen out
of the air and put it into the soil - Saves
the producer the cost of applying N
fertilizer.
 Results in trees that grow faster and
produce wood that is more desirable.
Greater Production
 Increases yields
 bST use in cows to produce
more milk
 Higher crop yields from
drought, disease & insect
resistant crops
Health Promoting Foods

 Food with unique traits

 Some contain therapeutants
 Some designed with nutrient
enrichment
Safety
 Consumers want foods to
provide needed nutrients and
in some cases, enhanced
foods
 Do not want side effects from
those enhanced foods
Easy preparation
 Flavr-Savr Tomato
 Reached the market in early 1990‟s
 Engineered to have a longer shelf
life
 Flavr-Savr - No soft spots ;
No rotten spots; Tomato resists
spoilage.
Synthetic biology
 Creating lifelike characteristics
through the use of chemicals
 Based on creating structures
similar to those found in living
organisms
 Need for synthetic cells lead to the
development of the vesicle
 Vesicle – tiny rounded structure
with cell like traits
Vesicle
 Tiny structures similar to soap
bubbles were created to serve as
the cell membrane
 Visible only with powerful
microscope
 Once the cell membrane has been
successfully developed,
development of the materials within
the cell is initiated.
Synthetic biology
 Is important because it
brings science closer to
creating life in the lab
 Cells and tissues may be
developed to treat human
injury and disease