Written by: Aiza Tanveer Hassan
Email: aizatanveer005@gmail.com
Biotechnology
The utilization of biological processes, organisms, or systems to produce products that are anticipated to improve human lives is termed biotechnology. Broadly, this can be defined as the engineering of organisms for human usage. It can also be defined as the skill set required for the utilization of living systems or the influencing of natural processes to produce products, systems, or environments to help human development.
History
People have been harnessing biological processes to improve their quality of life for some 10,000 years, beginning with the first agricultural communities. Approximately 6,000 years ago, humans began to tap the biological processes of microorganisms to make bread, alcoholic beverages, and cheese and to preserve dairy products and selective breeding of animals.
Currently, biotechnology emphasizes the establishment of hybrid genes followed by their transfer into organisms in which some, or all, of the gene is not usually present.
Types of Biotechnology
Non-gene biotechnology: It works with whole cells, tissues, or even individual organisms. It is the most popular practice, involving plant tissue culture, hybrid seed production, microbial fermentation, production of hybridoma antibodies, and immunochemistry.
Gene biotechnology: It deals with genes, the transfer of genes from one organism to another, and genetic engineering.
Branches of Biotechnology
Red Biotechnology: This area includes medical procedures such as utilizing organisms for the production of novel drugs or employing stem cells to replace or regenerate injured tissues and possibly regenerate whole organs. It could simply be called medical biotechnology.
It deals with many major and minor aspects of human life, from making medicines more effective in terms of cost and efficiency to tackling one of the most difficult branches of medicine, curing genetic diseases. It can further be divided into four main areas: biopharmaceuticals, gene therapy, pharmacogenomics, and genetic testing.
The use of biotechnology in medicine utilizes techniques in living systems to produce therapeutic proteins, which are usually called biopharmaceuticals or recombinant proteins. Products such as monoclonal antibodies, and DNA and RNA probes are produced for the diagnosis of various diseases. Additionally, therapeutic protein-based drugs such as insulin and interferon have been synthesized with bacteria for the treatment of human diseases. The second major field of red biotechnology is gene therapy, which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of genetic diseases and some other diseases such as cancer. During this process genes are inserted, deleted, or modified. Pharmacogenomics and genetic testing both use techniques of red biotechnology that are individual-specific.
Figure 1. A biotechnologist checking for bacteria in a blood test
2. Green Biotechnology: Green biotechnology applies to agriculture and involves such processes as the development of pest-resistant grains and the accelerated evolution of disease-resistant animals.
Currently, plant tissue culture is widely utilized for the rapid and economic clonal multiplication of fruit and forest trees, the production of virus-free genetic stock and planting material, as well as the creation of novel genetic variations through somaclonal variation. With the aid of rDNA technology, it has now become possible to produce transgenic plants with desirable genes such as herbicide resistance, disease resistance, increased shelf life, etc. Techniques such as molecular breeding have been employed to accelerate the process of crop improvement.
Figure 2. Growing plants with the help of biotechnology
3. Blue Biotechnology: Blue biotechnology, rarely mentioned, encompasses processes in the marine and aquatic environments, such as controlling the proliferation of noxious water-borne organisms. It seeks to explore and use marine biodiversity as a source of new products, bioprospecting the environment and using molecular biology and microbial ecology in marine organisms to obtain beneficial advances for humanity.
The proteins and enzymes from marine organisms are extremely important for industrial biotechnology, with the potential to contribute to the development of new processes in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In 2010, the global market for marine biotechnology was estimated at 2.8 billion euros, with an annual growth rate of 4% to 5%.
Environmental problems such as pollution control, the depletion of natural resources for non-renewable energy, conservation of biodiversity, etc, are being dealt with using biotechnology. For example, bacteria are being utilized for the detoxification of industrial effluents, to combat oil spills, for treatment of sewage, and for biogas production. Biopesticides offer an environmentally safer alternative to chemical pesticides for the control of insect pests and diseases.
4. White Biotechnology: White biotechnology involves industrial processes such as the production of new chemicals or the development of new fuels for vehicles. Industrial biotechnology was established for the large-scale production of alcohol and antibiotics by microorganisms. Currently, various pharmaceutical drugs and chemicals such as lactic acid and glycerine are being produced by genetic engineering for better quality and quantity. Protein engineering is another important area where existing proteins and enzymes are remodeled for a specific function or to increase the efficiency of their function.
Uses of Biotechnology
Increases the income of marginal farmers by increasing crop yield and making them climate and pest-resilient.
The development of medicines reduces healthcare expenditure. E.g.; The cost of insulin has decreased.
Conversion of waste into assets. E.g.; Bio-composting turns waste into valuable fertilizer.
Reduces pollution. E.g.; Bioremediation techniques help clean landfills around slums.
Increases the shelf life of food products which in turn keeps their price in check.
Helped reduce the global famine by increasing the availability of food, allowing different crop species to be grown in conditions that weren’t previously possible.
Increased the lifespan of food supplies.
Allows more efficient detection of genetic abnormalities by making it easier to genetically screen vulnerable and high-risk groups for the threat of developing inherited diseases.
rDNA Technology: In rDNA technology, restriction enzymes are used to cut DNA at specific sequences, generating gene fragments suitable for cloning. These fragments can be combined to form recombinant DNA (rDNA), laying the foundation for modern molecular biology.
Figure 3. Example of Recombinant DNA Technology
Disadvantages of Biotechnology
Lack of Genetic Diversity: Although beneficial in terms of crop yield and production, biotechnology offers no genetic diversity within populations which is very crucial in the long-term survival of plant and animal species. If we keep on changing the genes of humans to what we prefer them to be, eventually there will be no such thing as genetic diversity as we will be eradicating it. This will reduce the gene pool of humans in various populations and these populations will become susceptible to dangerous diseases that may cause extinction.
Loss of Soil Fertility: Bio-enhanced crops can soak out a lot of nutrients and vitamins from the soil. This high amount of activity can threaten the fertility of the soil making it difficult for future crops to be properly grown and harvested. The soil needs ample time to regain its fertility, otherwise, it can have detrimental effects on the production of food. The excessive drain of nutrients from the soil leads to farmers opting for fertilizers which may be very detrimental in the long run.
Human Life May Become a Commodity: Complementary DNA, also known as cDNA which is genetically engineered, is an entity that can be patented. Obtaining such DNA and altered DNA sequences that can be sold for a profit opens the door to many ethical questions concerning human life. It also highlights the immorality associated with making money off of human lives, like ‘playing god’.
Gene Manipulation: The knowledge that genes can be manipulated to produce enhanced animals, humans, and plants has led to humans using such methods more frequently out of greed. The use of biotechnology to make children better with the parent’s preferred phenotype has become common, even if they are not at risk of developing any underlying diseases. This has led to the banning of ‘designer babies’ in countries such as the United Kingdom.
Costs: Biotechnology is very costly in the world of medicine and it can be very tricky to balance out the benefits and costs of biotechnology.
Power: Inadequate patent laws and biotechnology regulations ensure that large corporations, rather than rural communities and developing nations involved in the production of biomass raw materials, will disproportionately control and benefit from the development of bioproduct technologies.
Used for Destruction: It can easily be used as a weapon of mass destruction by making poisonous crops, developing harmful and toxic medicines, and even weaponizing existing pathogens to become more infectious and considerably more dangerous. Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill, harm, or incapacitate humans, animals, or plants as an act of war. Several bacterial agents, viral agents, and toxins can pose public health risks in the event of a bioterrorist or biological warfare attack. These agents, if used in any such attacks, can pose a difficult public health challenge cause a large number of casualties, and will be difficult to contain. The alleged use of biological agents is a serious problem and the risk of using these agents in a bioterrorist attack is increasing.
Fig 4. Preparation of bioweapons
Conclusion
In conclusion, biotechnology is a dynamic field with immense potential. It has the power to address global challenges, from curing genetic diseases to revolutionizing agriculture. Yet, as we stride forward, ethical considerations must remain paramount. The responsibility lies with scientists, policymakers, and society to ensure biotechnology's responsible and ethical use. Together, we can harness biotechnology to create a better, healthier, and more sustainable world. The future is ours to shape, and with it comes the promise of remarkable progress and global betterment.
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