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What does biotechnology mean?

A general description of biotechnology is using living things to create products or to do tasks for human beings. Biotechnology is the practice of using plants, animals and micro-organisms such as bacteria, as well as biological processes - such as the ripening of fruit or the bacteria that break down compost - to some benefit. For example, biotechnology is used in industry, medicine and agriculture to produce foods, medicines, and test for diseases and remove waste.

Examples of industry, medicine, agricultural?
Industry: Some examples that are used in biotechnology industries is most laundry detergents produced in the United States contain biotechnology-based enzymes. The other example in industry biotechnology has also led to the creation of a wide range of materials, such as biodegradable plastics, biopolymers and bio-pesticides, novel fibres and even timbers. Some are used as fabric softeners, corrosion inhibitors, ink carriers, solvents, hair conditioners and perfumes.
Medicine: one example of medicine in biotechnology is making vaccines and drugs to determining genetic origins of disease, producing organs for xenotransplant and developing nonmedical diagnostic methods. The other example in the use of medicine in biotechnology has made new therapies and vaccines, including products to treat cancer, diabetes, HIV/ AIDS and autoimmune disorders.
Agriculture: Agricultural biotechnology benefits farmers, consumers and the environment. By increasing yields and farm income, decreasing pesticide applications and improving soil and water quality, and providing healthful foods for consumers. The other example is Genetic engineering can be used to modify the genetic compositions of plants, animals, and microorganisms. The number of genes that have been isolated and are available for transfer is growing daily. Currently, the technology is used primarily to modify crops, although a number of other applications are in the wings.

Industry detailed example:
Traditional use of enzymes in laundry detergents involved those that degrade proteins causing stains, such as those found in grass stains, red wine and soil. Lipases are another useful class of enzymes that can be used to dissolve fat stains and clean grease traps or other fat-based cleaning applications. Currently, a popular area of research is the investigation of enzymes that can tolerate, or even have higher activities, in hot and cold temperatures. The search for thermo tolerant and cry tolerant enzymes has spanned the globe. These enzymes are especially desirable for improving laundry processes in hot water cycles and/or at low temperatures for washing colours and darks. They are also useful for industrial processes where high temperatures are required, or for bioremediation under harsh conditions.
Medicine detailed example Gen-Probe Incorporated (NATs) is a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of rapid, accurate and cost-effective nucleic acid tests (NATs) used primarily to diagnose human diseases and screen donated human blood. NATs harness the power of biotechnology to detect diseases more rapidly and/or accurately than older testing methods, and have therefore become one of the fastest-growing segments of the in vitro diagnostics industry.

Gen-Probe markets a broad portfolio of products that use the Company's patented technologies to detect infectious microorganisms, including those causing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), tuberculosis, strep throat, pneumonia and fungal infections.
Agriculture detailed examples
Genetic engineering techniques have been applied to various industries, principally medicine and agriculture, with some success. Examples include production of synthetic human insulin using modified bacteria, production of erythropoietin in hamster ovary cells, the production of new types of experimental mice such as the oncomouse (cancer mouse) for research purposes, and the production of new strains of crop plants with beneficial qualities.

Benefits of biotechnology
|People have been modifying plants, animals and microorganisms for specific uses for centuries. Today, there are newer, more precise methods of | |
|genetic modification that are being used to introduce diverse beneficial characteristics including: | |
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|Better tasting fruits or vegetables | |
|Fruits and vegetables that retain their flavour and texture longer | |
|Fruits, vegetables, grains or oils which enhance health | |
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|Plants with their own built-in pest resistance traits, so fewer pesticides are applied to fields |
|Rapid, sensitive, and accurate diagnostic kits to monitor for agricultural pests. Growers will use this information to reduce pesticide use and |
|improve the timing of applications |
|Plants resistant to virus, so less pesticides are needed to control the insects which transmit the virus |
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|• Vaccines for animals to protect against diseases otherwise not controllable. |
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