BIO- TECHNOLOGY 

Biotechnology has been defined in different ways. It is an area of multi - disciplinary science , involving a variety of  distinct subjects  where living organisms at their useful parts are put into effective use to cater to the welfare of humanity. The U.S.National Science foundation has defined Bio-Technology as the controlled use of biological agents such as micro organisms or cellular components for beneficial use. The Japanese biotechnologists have defined it as a technology using biological phenomena for copying and manufacturing various kinds of useful substances . Likewise many countries have defined the term " Biotechnology" in different ways.

Biotechnology is not a new area of scientific endeavor. It can be traced to prehistoric times. Micro organisms have been used to produce food items such as beer , vinegar , yogurt and the famous south Indian dish, the idli . This even though biotechnology had its origin in the past, it  has assumed special significance only in 1970's.

It can conveniently be grouped under two major headings namely conventional biotechnology and modern biotechnology.

Fermentation processes using microbes , production of antibiotics and the process of baking are some of the examples considered as conventional or old biotechnology. The other examples of  biological  processes involving  the techniques of recombinant DNA and polymerize chain reaction (PCR) , cell-culture and fusion and bioprocessing have been described as modern biotechnology.

Advances in biotechnology has been exploited for the production of industrially important biochemicals  like enzymes, vitamins , hormones , vaccines pesticides , fertilizers etc.

The activities of the biotechnology companies are related to some of the listed items below.

Tissue culture technology :-

Plant and animal cells or tissues and organs are cultured in artificial media. There possibilities led to the production of transgenic plants and animals with the additional use of gene technology.

Health care Biotechnology :-

Production of antibiotics, vaccines, hormones and gene replacement therapy aim at the welfare of human beings.

Agricultural biotechnology :-

Production of disease - free and disease - resistant plants , nitrogen fixation , improving nutritional quality of plants , biofertilizers are some of the fields which aim at the improved  production and propagation of plant materials.

Industrial biotechnology : - Aims at the production of single  cell protein from algal and fungal cells, insecticides like toxins from Bacillus, thuringiensis, vaccines, metabolites like amino acids, vitamins pigments , enzymes like amylase , protease and lipase from microbes alcohol and other plant and animal products.

Environmental biotechnology deals with the use of biotechnology tools to protect and conserve the environment . Waste treatment and bioenergy  productions(Bio-gas) are some of the important aspects.

Not all products derived out of biotechnology can be protected by intellectual property rights which includes patents , trade secrets , trademarks and copyrights. There are international agreements  made to enforce protection of intellectual property rights generated in one country and needing protection in other countries.

Biotechnology in India :  - USA , Japan and Europe are the leaders in biotechnology. In India too, the government has constituted a National Biotechnology Board under the Department of Science and Technology to coordinate and encourage research in these lines. In 1986, the Department of Biotechnology was created to improve scientific infrastructure in the form of Bio informatics and training manpower development.

Ethics :  Besides the useful aspects mentioned so far , the ethical and moral  question in biotechnology also pertains to the risk of development of biological weapons . Growing apprehensions about the possible military use of genetic engineering and other new biotechnologies are threatening to undermine the international ban on biological weapons. Use of Anthrax in the form of powder and trying to kill humans in the recent past is a good example for misuse of biotechnology

About the Author :-

Dr.K.Venkatraman

Retd. Reader and Head 

Retd., Principal Madurai Evening College

Department of Zoology,

Madura College,

Madurai.11

email : durai1941(at)hotmail.com