Biotechnology: Combining Worlds to Change Our World
by Maegan Noche
Thousands of years ago, our ancestors considered utilizing biological microorganisms to cross-pollinate better species of plants and animals, selectively train animals, and even produce staple foods we all enjoy eating like cheese, yogurt, bread, and even beverages like beer and wine. Back then, there was not any set definition for biotechnology except that it was probably the use of biological processes to improve the quality and convenience of their lives. This definition was quite true since biotechnology allowed us to uncover all sorts of simple yet very useful discoveries from methods of cultivating dairy products and alcoholic beverages or fermentation to natural products with medicinal properties. As biotechnology was seen as an especially relevant field of science by ordinary people like agriculturalists and the scientific community, the field of biotechnology moved forward. It was around the late 1900s when a clearer understanding of biotechnology was established. How has this definition evolved in relation to its applications now? Moreover, what does this definition mean for the scientific world and the outside world?
How did biotechnology progress over time in earlier years?
Biotechnology did indeed evolve beyond what our ancestors thought it to be. During the start of the 18th century, biotechnology was utilized frequently in correlating agriculture and business industries. For example, processes like fermentation were refined to create paint solvents for the automobile industry. As World War I was ongoing, these processes were promoted. Moving forward to World War II where millions of soldiers were deeply injured and in pain, biotechnology led to the scientific breakthrough of penicillin. This spurred the development of other medicinal breakthroughs like antibiotics and even vaccines. This is what propelled the shift of biotechnology into more pharmaceutical applications. In the late 1970s, a group of scientists working for a pharmaceutical company introduced a more modern approach to biotechnology involving the disciplines of genetics and engineering through DNA technology. As it is clear that biotechnology did continue to grow over the years because of its great significance in our lives, biotechnology has grown at a much more rapid pace over the twentieth century. This then prompts the question, how is biotechnology being used now? Additionally, why should we care about these uses? Before answering these questions, we must define biotechnology.
What is biotechnology?
With multiple definitions created by different actors, biotechnology has been defined by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity as “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.” Although it is not explicitly stated in its definition, biotechnology is interdisciplinary in nature as it combines biological sciences and engineering technologies. Currently, there are a vast range of technologies that fall into the spectrum of biotechnology which we will discuss in this article. They can be traced down to medical biotechnology, agricultural biotechnology, and environmental biotechnology.
Medical Biotechnology
Medical biotechnology combines concepts in medicine with those of biotechnology to produce pharmaceutical and diagnostic products. It is focused on the development of advanced treatments and drugs for the diagnosis and treatment of various infectious diseases. Most of the medical biotechnologies currently being explored utilize the field of genetics. The best example of this is the famous technology CRISPR which uses the Cas9 protein to cut and paste DNA. With CRISPR, scientists have been given the great ability to alter and modify DNA functions or genetically engineer DNA. Although there are multiple ethical concerns being raised about CRISPR, it undoubtedly has the ability to create new therapies for diseases like cancer that have not been possible under the current standard of care. Additionally, its outstanding genome editing precision allows quicker and more targeted therapies for certain diseases. Another great example is recombinant DNA technology which inserts a new DNA composed of DNA molecules of two different species. A therapy that falls under recombinant DNA technology is gene therapy which either replaces or fixes mutated genes causing diseases or making one more susceptible to them. Vaccines that provide us immunity against infectious diseases are also a result of biotechnology. Through biotechnology, the spread of COVID-19 was significantly decreased as medical biotechnology companies such as Pfizer and Moderna were able to apply genomic concepts and engineering techniques in creating the vaccines. These examples of applications in medical biotechnology are very distinct in their own way. Nonetheless, all of these applications are capable of creating better care for the most vulnerable and protecting those who are likely to be these vulnerable individuals. As biotechnology continues to be a growing interdisciplinary field in STEM with a variety of opportunities, we are only bound to achieve many more milestones.
Agricultural Biotechnology
This type of biotechnology primarily uses interdisciplinary fields to genetically modify plants essential to addressing global issues like hunger and malnutrition, deeply related to science. Agricultural biotechnology is inherently a very wide study as it utilizes a range of tools for an abundance of applications. One of the key applications this is being used for is in plant and animal breeding which was one of the catalysts of biotechnology lifetimes ago. This allows breeders to select animals with the most advantageous characteristics so their offspring would bring more benefits and mitigate a greater amount of risks. With this, they are more likely to produce animals that are larger and more resistant to disease.Generally, animals that can allow them to maximize efficiency and profit through farming. Similarly, this has also paved the way for pest-resistant crops that reduce the labor and expense necessary for dusting and spraying with pesticides. This provides an innovative solution to making pest control more reliable and decreases the use of environmentally degrading pesticides. This research is especially important for farmers who can maximize their production and minimize costs. Moreover, agricultural biotechnology is subsequently beneficial to consumers who can access more nutritious and longer-lasting food. At the same time, this provides a direct economic advantage to certain countries that depend on their agricultural industries. Agricultural biotechnology also goes beyond plants and crops. Another promising application of this biotechnology is the cultivation of more efficient antibiotics through microbial fermentation which is a process that uses microbial or enzymatic actions to break down large organic molecules.
Environmental Biotechnology
As the environmental crisis progressively gets worse while time runs out, environmental biotechnology proves to be more necessary than ever. With environmental biotechnology, solutions to waste mismanagement and pollution can be formed. This is because environmental biotechnology is inherently solution-targeted in nature as it particularly applies biological processes in detecting, preventing, and remediating environmental hazards. By combining research in genetics, biochemistry, and physiology, accessible technologies that repair and prevent all the environmental damage we have contributed to are being developed. A growing field of research in environmental biotechnology is bioremediation which uses microorganisms to remove pollutants that contaminate soils, water, or sediments. With bioremediation and other continuously developing areas of research, we can truly preserve environmental integrity and finally achieve ecological security.
Is biotechnology perfect?
While biotechnology is a field we all consider valuable to aid us in our daily lives and also improve them, there are a few concerns raised about its further integration into society. Most of them fall under the ethics of manipulating DNA and using humans in much riskier clinical trials. Given that this is still an emerging technology, especially in the medical setting, it may be inadvisable to immediately delve into human clinical trials without investing in pre-clinical research first. This presents great possibilities for irreversible accidents and errors, some at the cost of human lives. Additionally, there is a great worry that this will be used by malicious actors for things like bioterrorism. On the other hand, this is also another pricey technology that may only be available to the elite. With this in mind, it poses the concern that the poor, who are most disenfranchised by the healthcare system, will once again be locked out of the distribution of quality healthcare.
Where do we go next?
Although biotechnology certainly has its flaws with the advantages it brings, it is undeniable that it is a field worthy of our investment and development as a society. Moreover, it is also undeniable that it is a clear manifestation of the importance of interdisciplinarity in STEM as biotechnology addresses global problems using principles and techniques spanning all fields of STEM. As we move forward into the future, we must collectivize to ensure the most efficient but also ethical use of biotechnology. We can only achieve this by combining the worlds found in the vast universe of STEM and using them to change our world.
Bibliography:
https://www.wgu.edu/blog/medical-biotechnology-advancements-ethics1811.html
https://aimst.edu.my/event-news/how-biotechnology-used-everyday-life/
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/12/what-is-biotechnology-how-will-it-change-our-lives/
https://www.britannica.com/technology/biotechnology/Applications-of-biotechnology
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5178364/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8377401/
https://www.usda.gov/topics/biotechnology/biotechnology-frequently-asked-questions-faqs
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f619/fb1f853a7abf916401e9794ed10852f8017b.pdf
