Biotechnology is the use of basic knowledge and laboratory gene techniques in biology, genetics and biochemistry to manipulate genes and genetic materials for the purpose of creating useful products.
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Actually, biotechnology is very ancient. When humans manipulated yeast to make wine or selectively bred plants or animals for specific purposes they were performing biotechnology. However, modern biotechnology is a new science that dates back to only the mid 1970’s when scientists began to clone the DNA from one organism into the genome of another to create recombinant organisms. Using modern biotechnology scientists can insert the human gene for insulin, for example, into bacteria and turn these microorganisms into human insulin-producing factories to provide a necessary treatment for people suffering from diabetes.

Biotechnology received world-wide attention this summer when the Human Genome Project produced a “working draft” sequence of the 3 billion base pairs and perhaps as many as 100,000 genes that make up the complete set of instructions for the construction and operation of the human body. The analysis of the human genome, and the genomes of other organisms, will be responsible for some of the most exciting and significant discoveries of this century. Look for progress in:

• Gene Therapy. This highly experimental technology, with its risks and tremendous opportunities for rewards, seeks to identify and then repair or replace defective genes that are responsible for many devastating diseases.

• Rational Drug Design. Many diseases, including cancer, involve defects in normal human proteins or the actions of proteins produced by diseased cells. Knowledge of the genome will allow researchers to identify, sequence and image specific proteins involved in the disease pathways and to design specific drugs to destroy or neutralize those proteins.

• Vaccine Development. Knowledge of the immune system coupled with an understanding of the genomes of infectious microorganisms will lead to the development of new and effective vaccines against diseases that claim millions of lives each year.

• Bioremediation. The cleanup of toxic waste sites and heavily polluted environments can be accomplished through the selective development and culturing of highly specialized microorganisms. These engineered “bugs” convert toxic substances into environmentally safe byproducts.

• Agricultural Biotechnology. Food plants can be genetically modified to be more nutritious, hardier in harsh climates or conditions, and more resistant to disease without the need for fertilizers or pesticides that damage the environment.