What is Biotechnology?

 What is Biotechnology?

 

Biotechnology has been around since the dawn of civilization and was originally referred to as biotechnology, not to be confused with genetic engineering, which was developed in the 1970s. Biotechnology involves using living systems to create products or services that improve society and the environment. With continued improvements in biotechnology, the world may soon be at an inflection point where we can no longer tell what’s natural and what’s man-made. Let’s take a closer look at what biotechnology is and how it impacts our daily lives.

 

The Definition of Biotechnology

Some definitions of biotechnology include modifications to existing life forms such as plants, bacteria, and animals. A simple definition of biotechnology is any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof to make or modify products or processes for specific use. By either definition, biotechnology has been used for thousands of years. Examples are found in such ancient practices as fermentation (altering food for better taste) and herbalism (using natural resources to cure illnesses). Modern biotechnology includes industrial applications such as genetic modification of crops and pharmaceutical production using bacteria that have been genetically altered to produce the desired compound faster than an unmodified bacterium could.

 

Applications of Biotechnology

There are many applications of biotechnology in our day-to-day lives. For example, everyone uses cosmetics that have been produced using biotechnological methods, often without knowing it. This could mean anything from hair color to lipstick to toothpaste. Many of these products have probiotic properties or antimicrobial effects on top of their intended cosmetic effects and these same techniques can be used for agriculture as well. When was the last time you ate cheese from unpasteurized milk or drank a beer with active yeast cultures? All of these processed foods are made possible through microbiology and fermentation—two fields that make heavy use of biotechnology in producing safe and tasty food products!

 

Growing Demand

The biotechnology industry is growing as we speak. From 2000 to 2012, it grew by 20% and with an aging population and an interest in new health options, that number is expected to keep growing. What's more, biotech companies are at an advantage due to their enormous potential—with a relatively low amount of competition and high demand for their services, there’s little reason not to get involved in biotechnology today. Whether you want to work in medicine or research at a company such as Monsanto or Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, you’ll find that there are plenty of jobs available with competitive pay and great benefits. Interested? See if you qualify for one of our bachelor’s degree programs in biotechnology today!

 

The Future

This year, $166.3 billion was invested in biopharmaceutical research and development, according to a recent report from Transparency Market Research. The industry has been rapidly growing over time and is expected to continue growing in global revenue each year through 2021.

 

Key Takeaways

Biotechnology can be defined as using organisms, cells, or parts of cells in a laboratory for useful purposes. In biotechnology laboratories around the world, researchers are engineering microbes to help clean up oil spills and air pollution. They’re also developing vaccines for deadly diseases like dengue fever and malaria. We have engineered life forms to create new sources of fuel, foods, and medicines. These life forms contain complex combinations of DNA from different species that wouldn’t otherwise naturally occur in nature.