Introduction
Biotechnology and its applications is a vast field of study. Biotechnology’s uses are so diverse, and the benefits are so compelling that practically every business employs it. Pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, fabrics, fisheries, forestry, chemicals, household items, environmental cleaning, food processing, and forensics, to name a few, are all still working. Biotechnology is allowing these businesses to create new or improved products at a faster, more efficient, and more flexible pace. We will now learn in detail about biotechnology and its applications study material.
Biotechnology isn’t just one technology, despite its name. Instead, it is a collection of technologies with two (similar) characteristics: they operate with living cells and their molecules, and they have a wide range of practical applications that can help us live better lives. Biotechnology is described as “the commercial use of organisms or their products.”
1.Agriculture
Scientific approaches such as Genetically Modified Organisms, Bt Cotton and Pest Resistant Plants are used in the application of biotechnology in agriculture. It aids in the modification of plants, animals, and microbes to increase agricultural productivity. Vaccines, tissue culture and genetic engineering are also employed.
- a) Genetically Modified Organisms- plants, animals, bacteria and fungus that have had their genes altered through genetic manipulation are known as GMOs. The following are examples of how genetically modified crops, sometimes known as GM crops are used:
These crops are more tolerant towards drought, cold, heat and other challenges.
They are pest-resistant, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.
Crops that have been genetically modified can help reduce post-harvest losses.
- b) Bt Cotton- Genetically engineered and modified cotton is called Bt cotton; Bacillus thuringiensis is the name of a bacteria. This microorganism makes an insecticidal protein or toxin that kills insects like tobacco budworm, flies, mosquitoes and beetles.
Agricultural biotechnology is an important part of the research instruments that scientists use to better understand and control the genetic makeup of species used in agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry, and fisheries. Biotechnology comprises genomics and bioinformatics, markers-assisted selection, micropropagation, tissue culture, cloning, artificial insemination, embryo transfer, etc. However, genetic engineering, primarily in the crop sector, is the sector in which biotechnology has the most direct impact on agriculture in developing nations, as well as the source of the most public concerns.
2.Medicine and Healthcare
This biotechnology application is essential in the healthcare industry because it enables the mass production of safer and more effective drugs. It also prevents immune reactions that are prevalent in medical items derived from non-human sources. Around 30 recombinant therapies have been licenced for human use around the world, with 12 of those now on the market in India. Let’s have a look at a few of the possibilities.
- a) Genetically Engineered Insulin-
Diabetes was previously treated with insulin derived from the pancreas of butchered pigs and calves. Humans developed allergies and other immunological reactions after receiving insulin from animals. This is why human insulin needed to be isolated. Insulin is made up of two short polypeptide chains, A and B, which are connected by disulfide bridges. In mammals, insulin is produced as a ‘prohormone’ (including humans). This prohormone contains an additional peptide, the C peptide, which must be eliminated before mature insulin can be produced. The most difficult aspect of producing human insulin was assembling it into its mature state.
- b) Gene Therapy –
Gene therapy is a biotechnology application that entails a set of techniques for correcting a gene deficiency in a child or embryo. To substitute for the non-functional gene, a normal gene is inserted into the person’s cells or tissues. In gene therapy, the patient’s blood lymphocytes are cultivated in a culture outside of the body. After that, a functioning ADA cDNA is integrated into these cells and the patient is reintroduced to it. This helps to relieve the disorder’s symptoms.
- c) Diagnosis- Procedures such as urine tests do not allow for early detection. Let’s have a glance at some biotechnology applications that aid in disease early detection.
- I) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-Normally, we can discover a virus only after symptoms of the disease begin to develop. By this time, however, the pathogen level in the body is extremely high! A process known as PCR entails amplification of the pathogen’s nucleic acid, allowing us to identify the virus at extremely low concentrations. Today, we employ PCR to identify HIV in probable AIDS patients and gene alterations in suspected cancer patients regularly.
- II) Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)- Antigen-antibody responses are the foundation of ELISA. ELISA can detect the presence of antigens (pathogen proteins) in the patient’s serum or the antibodies generated against the pathogen to diagnose infections.
3.Food Processing
- a) Food shelf life- Biotechnology is important in the food processing industry, particularly in cereals, fruits and vegetables, drinks, fats and oils, dairy, poultry and confectionery processing. Biotechnology can turn inedible and perishable foods into pleasant, longer-lasting foods that are both safe and nutritionally superior.
3.b) Enzymes- Biotechnology is used in the food industry to create a variety of enzymes. Biotechnology-produced enzymes are employed in food production and processing. Genetically engineered organisms are used to make these enzymes.
4.Waste Treatment
Biotechnology is defined as “fermentation employing bioreactors, bio-processing, bio-bleaching, bioleaching and phytoremediation” for the treatment of waste materials. Microbiological techniques break down garbage and turn it into usable forms by utilising living creatures such as bacteria.
4.a) Activated Sludge – A biological floc of bacteria and protozoa is utilised to digest wastewater biologically in the activated sludge process. Aerated tanks are used in the process to maintain the oxygen flow steady.
4.b) Membrane Bioreactors (MBR) — Membrane Bioreactors aid to separate suspended materials by acting as a micro-filtration device. High-quality effluents can be separated using cutting-edge filtration technology. It also can separate nutrients.
Conclusion
Biotechnology is the application of biological processes present in live organisms to make technical improvements and apply those technologies in various industries. Those technologies are used in a variety of fields, ranging from agriculture to medicine.
From the products we buy to how we wash them, the food we consume to how we obtain them, the medication we take to cure our bodies, as well as the fuel we use to propel our vehicles, biotechnology plays a significant role in our daily lives.