Introduction to Biotechnology

What is Biotechnology?
 Any use of biological organisms or processes in industrial,
medical, agricultural and environmental engineering.

 Using scientific methods with organisms to produce new

products or new forms of organisms .

 The application of scientific and engineering principles to

biological agents to provide goods and services to better human
life.
 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 ?

 GMO- genetically modified organisms.

 GEO- genetically enhanced organisms.
 With both, the natural genetic material of the organism has
been altered.
 Yeast bread making, wine brewing, cheese and yogurt
fermentation and classical plant and animal breeding.
 What Is Genetic Engineering ?

 Manipulation of genes is called genetic engineering or

recombinant DNA technology
 Genetic engineering involves taking one or more genes from
a location in one organism and either
◦ Transferring them to another organism
◦ Putting them back into the original organism in different
combinations
What Subjects are involved with Biotechnology?

 Multidisciplinary- involving a number of disciplines that are

coordinated for a desired outcome.
 Science
◦ Life sciences
◦ Physical sciences
◦ Social sciences
 Mathematics
 Applied sciences
◦ Computer applications
◦ Engineering
◦ Agriculture
What Are the Stages of Biotechnology Development

 Ancient biotechnology- early history as related to

food and shelter; Includes domestication.
 Classical biotechnology- built on ancient
biotechnology; Fermentation promoted food
production, and medicine.
 Modern biotechnology- manipulates genetic
information in organism; Genetic engineering.
 Branches of Biotechnology on the Basis of
Rainbow Code (Colors)
 Biotechnology has been divided into different branches or divisions
of referred to using colors.
 Division on the colors makes it easier to remember the whole thing.
 There are basically ten divisions, but sometimes it is hard to define
their borders.
 The most prominent ones include white, red and green
biotechnology, but the others are very interesting as well.
Red Biotechnology 

 Red biotechnology specializes in medicine and human health.

 This includes production of new antibiotics, vaccines,
antibodies, medicaments, as well as genetic engineering for
disease treatment.
 You can just imagine why this particular part of biotechnology
is extremely important for our well being and also quite
profitable.
White Biotechnology
 It also known as industrial biotechnology, involves employment of
microorganisms in chemical production.
 An example is the already mentioned budding yeast in production of wine,
bread or beer.
 White biotechnology also encompasses production of biodegradable polymers,
production of industrially relevant enzymes and microorganisms and
production of fuel made from renewable sources.
 In addition, white biotechnology also aims in designing processes and products
that consume little resources and energy compared to older, more traditional
methods.

 It is considered as the biggest branch of biotechnology.

Green Biotechnology 

 This Biotechnology  focuses on technologies that have positive impact on

agriculture.
 This includes creation of new crops using genetic or traditional approaches as
well as creation of new biofertilizers or biopesticides.
 This branch of biotechnology gives hope that one day food will be a
commodity everyone can have.
 So called “golden rice“, containing genes of daffodil for the production of β-
carotene – precursor of vitamin A, is a good example here. Over 230 millions
people in Asian population suffer night blindness due to deficiency of vitamin
A.
 Golden rice could help fight this problem and increase the quality of their
lives.
 Blue Biotechnology

 Blue biotechnology focuses on marine organisms.

 Basically, it involves use of marine organisms or their
products for creation of new medicaments, cosmetic products,
food or food supplements.
 Considering that the sea presents the greatest biodiversity,
there is potentially a huge range of sectors to benefit from the
use of this kind of biotechnology.
Yellow Biotechnology

 Yellow biotechnology encompasses creation of new ways to

improve certain food products or to obtain more nutrition-rich
products.
 It also tries to eliminate allergens and other components from
food that are the root of various intolerances.
 This is also close relative of green biotechnology as they have
many things in common.
Grey Biotechnology

 Grey biotechnology tries to use living organisms to

improve the environment we live in.
 This includes bioremediation that uses
microorganism or even plants to clean up the
environment from certain pollutants.
 It also tries to maintain biodiversity.
Gold Biotechnology

 Gold biotechnology deals in bioinformatics,

computers science, chip technology as well as nano-
biotechnology.
 This includes search for primers, sequencing of
peptides, search for alternations in DNA.
Brown Biotechnology
 Brown biotechnology centers around treatment of desert-like
soils drawing from species that are highly resistant to dry and
saline soils.
 This involves mainly places such as Africa.
 In this case the use of GMO technology could make a
beneficial impact using improved seeds to grow high-value
commercial crops in low-rainfall areas.
 Basically, something dry resistant with sufficient crop yield.
This branch is quite closely related to grey and green
biotechnology.
Violet Biotechnology 
 Violet biotechnology is quite special.
 It actually centres upon the study of the legal aspects that surround
this science.
 Biotechnology is something quite controversial and also potentially
very dangerous.
 Therefore, it gives rise to heated emotions in almost anyone. Thus, the
need for regulation and formation of a platform for discussion was
necessary.
 This also includes biosecurity and moral impact of certain
technologies (gene therapy, animal testing, etc.)
Dark Biotechnology

 Black or dark biotechnology is sometimes refers to the activities

related to bio-warfare and bioterrorism.
 We belive that every herd has its black sheep.
 Dark biotechnology is not really something that anyone from
science community takes part in, well, at least not in the bad part.
 It includes production of biological warfare and bioterrorism.
 It investigates pathogenic, virulent and resistant microorganisms,
to convert them into biological weapons or counteract their
harmful effects.
What Are the Benefits of Biotechnology?

 Medicine
◦ Human
◦ Veterinary
◦ Biopharming

 Environment
 Agriculture
 Food products
 Industry and manufacturing
What Did These Individuals Contribute to
Biotechnology?
 Anton van
Leeuwenhoek
 Discovered cells

◦ Bacteria
◦ Protista
◦ Red blood
 Gregor Johan Mendel
 Discovered genetics
 Walter Sutton
 Discovered

Chromosomes
 Thomas Hunt Morgan
 Discovered how genes are
transmitted through
chromosomes.
 Ernst Ruska
 Invented the electron
microscope
 Sir Alexander
Fleming
 Discovered

penicillin
 Rosalind Elsie
Franklin
 Research led to the

discovery of the
double helix structure
of DNA
 James Watson and Francis Crick
Discovered DNA

Francis Crick James Watson

 Mary-Claire King
 Mapped human genes

for research of cancer

treatments.
 Ian Wilmut
 Created the first true clone, the
Dorset ewe Dolly
 What is Molecular Biology?

 Molecular biology- study of molecules in cells

 Metabolism- processes by which organisms use nutrients

 Anabolism- building tissues from smaller materials

 Catabolism- breaking down materials into smaller components

 What Is a Cell?

 Cell- a discrete unit of life

 Unicellular organism- organism of
one cell
 Multicellular organism- organism of
many cells
 Prokaryote- cells that lack specific
nucleus
 Eukaryote- cells with well-defined
nucleus
What is a Cell?

 Cells are building blocks:

◦ Tissue- collection of cells with specific functions

◦ Organs- collections of tissues with specific functions

◦ Organ systems- collections of organs with specific functions

What are the Structures in Molecular Genetics?

 Molecular genetics- study of genes and how they are

expressed.
 Chromosome- part of cell nucleus that contains heredity
information and promotes protein synthesis.
 Gene- basic unit of heredity on a chromosome.
 DNA- molecule in a chromosome that codes genetic
information.
 What Are Genetic Engineered Organisms?

 Genetic engineering- artificially changing the genetic

information in the cells of organisms.
 Transgenic- an organism that has been genetically
modified.
 GMO- a genetically modified organism.
 GEO- a genetically enhanced organism.
How can Genetically Engineered Plants be Used?

 Agriculture
 Horticulture
 Forestry
 Environment
 Food Quality
 How Do We Create Transgenic Organisms?

 Donor cell- cell that provides DNA.

 Recipient cell- cell that receives DNA.
 Protocol- procedure for a scientific process
 Three methods used in gene transfer
◦ Agrobacterium gene transfer- plasmid.
◦ Ballistic gene transfer- gene gun.
◦ Direct gene transfer- enzymes.
What Are Methods of Classical Biotechnology?

 Plant breeding- improvement of plants by breeding selected

individuals to achieve desired goals.
 Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the traits of plants in
order to produce desired characteristics.

 Plant breeding methods;

◦ Line breeding- breeding successive generations of plants among themselves.
◦ Crossbreeding-breeding plants of different varieties or species.
◦ Hybridization- breeding individuals from two distinctly different varieties.
Why are Plants Genetically Engineered?

 Resist pests
 Resist herbicides
 Improved product quality
 Pharmaceuticals
 Industrial products
What is a Test Tube Baby?

 In vitro fertilization- fertilization of collected ova outside

the reproductive tract; Usually in a test tube

◦ Semen is collected from males of desired quality

◦ Ova are removed from females

◦ Sperm and ova are placed in a petri dish or test tube.

 What is Embryo Transfer?

 Embryo transfer- removing fertilized ova (embryos) from

donor and implanting in a recipient.

◦ Surgical and nonsurgical methods are used to remove and

implant.

◦ A quality donor female can produce more offspring.

What is Cloning?

 Clone- new organism that has been produced asexually

from a single parent.

 Genotype is identical to parent.

 Cells or tissues are cultured.

What is Bioremediation?

 Bioremediation- using biological processes to solve

environmental problems.
 Biodegradation- natural processes of microbes in breaking
down hydrocarbon materials.
 Biodegradable- capable of being decomposed by microbes.
How Can Bioremediation Be Used?

 Oil spills

 Wastewater treatment

 Heavy metal removal

 Chemical degradation
 What is Phytoremediation?

 Phytoremediation- process of plants being used to solve

pollution problems
◦ Plants absorb and break down pollutants
◦ Used with heavy metals, pesticides, explosives, and
leachate.
 What Are Bioethics?

 Ethics- knowing right from wrong, and then doing the

right idea
 Bio- living organisms
 Bioethics- knowing right from wrong with living
organisms, and then doing the right idea.