BIOTECHNOLOGY

DEVELOPMENT AND
CHALLENGES PRESENTATION
-CONTEMPORARY ISSUES-

What is Biotechnology?
Biotechnology is the application of scientific

and engineering principles to the processing of

materials by biological agents to provide goods
and services.
Depending on the tools and applications, it is
often related to fields of bioengineering,
biomedical engineering, bio manufacturing etc.

ORIGIN OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
Biotechnology arose from the field of zymotechnology or

zymurgy, which began as a search for a better understanding of

industrial fermentation, particularly beer.
The Zymotechnic Institute, was established in Chicago by the
German-born chemist John Ewald Siebel.
The heyday and expansion of zymotechnology came in World
War I in response to industrial needs to support the war.
The industrial potential of fermentation was outgrowing its
traditional home in brewing, and "zymotechnology" soon gave
way to "biotechnology."

EVOLUTION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
In the 1940s, penicillin was discovered in England, it was

produced industrially in the U.S. using a deep fermentation

process originally developed in Peoria, Illinois.
In 1953 the structure of DNA was discovered by Watson and
Crick.
In 1973 ;Cohen and Boyer discovered a recombinant DNA
technique by which a section of DNA was cut from the plasmid
of an E. coli bacterium and transferred into the DNA of another.

EVOLUTION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY (continues)

Beginning in the 1950s, fermentation technology also became

advanced enough to produce steroids on industrially significant scales

In the period 1975 to 1977, the invention of synthetic human
insulin signifies the evolution biotech.
Microbial production of synthetic human insulin was finally
announced in September 1978 and was produced by a startup
company, Genentech
By 1988, five proteins from genetically engineered cells had been
approved as drugs by the United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA): synthetic insulin, human growth hormone,
hepatitis B vaccine, alpha-interferon, and tissue plasminogen
activator (TPa), for lysis of blood clots.

BIOTECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

2001 Celera Genomics and the Human Genome Project create a

draft of the human genome sequence.

2002 Rice becomes the first crop to have its genome decoded.
2003 The Human Genome Project is completed, providing
information on the locations and sequence of human genes on all 46
chromosomes.
2008 Japanese astronomers launch the first Medical Experiment
Module called "Kibo", to be used on the International Space Station.
2009 Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute uses modified SAN heart genes to
create the first viral pacemaker in guinea pigs, now known as iSANs.
2012 Thirty-one-year-old Zac Vawter successfully uses a nervous
system-controlled bionic leg to climb the Chicago Willis Tower.

TYPES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
Medical biotechnology - Cloning, Artificial insemination, In-

vitro fertilization and Genetic engineering.

Industrial biotechnology - Enzyme catalysts
Environmental biotechnology - Bioremediation to clean up an
oil spill at sea.
Agricultural biotechnology crop micro propagation to be
resistant to different environments and diseases.

CAREERS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
Biotechnology has a wide variety of career opportunities ranging
from :
Sales and marketing
Research and development,
Manufacturing
Quality control and assurance.

ADVANTAGES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
Genetically altered mammalian cells helps to manufacture certain

pharmaceuticals.
Treating or even curing of genetic and acquired diseases like cancer
and AIDS by using normal genes to supplement or replace defective
genes.
Use of enzymes as industrial catalysts to either produce valuable
chemicals or destroy hazardous/polluting chemicals.
Biotechnology produces plants that are resistance to drought etc.
Investment in applied biotechnologies to increase economic output
of the Nation.
Marine and aquatic applications of biotechnology, used to improve
cleanup of toxic spills, improve yields of fisheries.

CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
Loss of privacy. Medical and genetic information is more likely to be

stored and shared.

Discrimination. Private insurers, employers, and governmental entities
are more likely to discriminate against people who have genetic or
medical abnormalities, especially if such information is available in
databases.
Therapeutic cloning is regarded as unethical by some groups, primarily
religious organizations.
Exposure of wild species to genetically modified crops or domestic
livestock could cause "super species" to evolve with resistance to
pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides.
Loss of biodiversity. Development of genetically modified crops or
domestic livestock could reduce genetic variety among both
domesticated and wild species.
Harmful chemicals; some chemicals with unknown or damaging
environmental impacts are likely to be developed.