biotechnology essay topics

200+ Biotechnology Research Topics: Let’s Shape the Future

In the dynamic landscape of scientific exploration, biotechnology stands at the forefront, revolutionizing the way we approach healthcare, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. This interdisciplinary field encompasses a vast array of research topics that hold the potential to reshape our world. 

In this blog post, we will delve into the realm of biotechnology research topics, understanding their significance and exploring the diverse avenues that researchers are actively investigating.

Overview of Biotechnology Research

Table of Contents

Biotechnology, at its core, involves the application of biological systems, organisms, or derivatives to develop technologies and products for the benefit of humanity. 

The scope of biotechnology research is broad, covering areas such as genetic engineering, biomedical engineering, environmental biotechnology, and industrial biotechnology. Its interdisciplinary nature makes it a melting pot of ideas and innovations, pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

How to Select The Best Biotechnology Research Topics?

• Identify Your Interests

Start by reflecting on your own interests within the broad field of biotechnology. What aspects of biotechnology excite you the most? Identifying your passion will make the research process more engaging.

• Stay Informed About Current Trends

Keep up with the latest developments and trends in biotechnology. Subscribe to scientific journals, attend conferences, and follow reputable websites to stay informed about cutting-edge research. This will help you identify gaps in knowledge or areas where advancements are needed.

• Consider Societal Impact

Evaluate the potential societal impact of your chosen research topic. How does it contribute to solving real-world problems? Biotechnology has applications in healthcare, agriculture, environmental conservation, and more. Choose a topic that aligns with the broader goal of improving quality of life or addressing global challenges.

• Assess Feasibility and Resources

Evaluate the feasibility of your research topic. Consider the availability of resources, including laboratory equipment, funding, and expertise. A well-defined and achievable research plan will increase the likelihood of successful outcomes.

• Explore Innovation Opportunities

Look for opportunities to contribute to innovation within the field. Consider topics that push the boundaries of current knowledge, introduce novel methodologies, or explore interdisciplinary approaches. Innovation often leads to groundbreaking discoveries.

• Consult with Mentors and Peers

Seek guidance from mentors, professors, or colleagues who have expertise in biotechnology. Discuss your research interests with them and gather insights. They can provide valuable advice on the feasibility and significance of your chosen topic.

• Balance Specificity and Breadth

Strike a balance between biotechnology research topics that are specific enough to address a particular aspect of biotechnology and broad enough to allow for meaningful research. A topic that is too narrow may limit your research scope, while one that is too broad may lack focus.

• Consider Ethical Implications

Be mindful of the ethical implications of your research. Biotechnology, especially areas like genetic engineering, can raise ethical concerns. Ensure that your chosen topic aligns with ethical standards and consider how your research may impact society.

• Evaluate Industry Relevance

Consider the relevance of your research topic to the biotechnology industry. Industry-relevant research has the potential for practical applications and may attract funding and collaboration opportunities.

• Stay Flexible and Open-Minded

Be open to refining or adjusting your research topic as you delve deeper into the literature and gather more information. Flexibility is key to adapting to new insights and developments in the field.

200+ Biotechnology Research Topics: Category-Wise

Genetic engineering.

• CRISPR-Cas9: Recent Advances and Applications
• Gene Editing for Therapeutic Purposes: Opportunities and Challenges
• Precision Medicine and Personalized Genomic Therapies
• Genome Sequencing Technologies: Current State and Future Prospects
• Synthetic Biology: Engineering New Life Forms
• Genetic Modification of Crops for Improved Yield and Resistance
• Ethical Considerations in Human Genetic Engineering
• Gene Therapy for Neurological Disorders
• Epigenetics: Understanding the Role of Gene Regulation
• CRISPR in Agriculture: Enhancing Crop Traits

Biomedical Engineering

• Tissue Engineering: Creating Organs in the Lab
• 3D Printing in Biomedical Applications
• Advances in Drug Delivery Systems
• Nanotechnology in Medicine: Theranostic Approaches
• Bioinformatics and Computational Biology in Biomedicine
• Wearable Biomedical Devices for Health Monitoring
• Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine
• Precision Oncology: Tailoring Cancer Treatments
• Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications
• Biomechanics in Biomedical Engineering

Environmental Biotechnology

• Bioremediation of Polluted Environments
• Waste-to-Energy Technologies: Turning Trash into Power
• Sustainable Agriculture Practices Using Biotechnology
• Bioaugmentation in Wastewater Treatment
• Microbial Fuel Cells: Harnessing Microorganisms for Energy
• Biotechnology in Conservation Biology
• Phytoremediation: Plants as Environmental Cleanup Agents
• Aquaponics: Integration of Aquaculture and Hydroponics
• Biodiversity Monitoring Using DNA Barcoding
• Algal Biofuels: A Sustainable Energy Source

Industrial Biotechnology

• Enzyme Engineering for Industrial Applications
• Bioprocessing and Bio-manufacturing Innovations
• Industrial Applications of Microbial Biotechnology
• Bio-based Materials: Eco-friendly Alternatives
• Synthetic Biology for Industrial Processes
• Metabolic Engineering for Chemical Production
• Industrial Fermentation: Optimization and Scale-up
• Biocatalysis in Pharmaceutical Industry
• Advanced Bioprocess Monitoring and Control
• Green Chemistry: Sustainable Practices in Industry

Emerging Trends in Biotechnology

• CRISPR-Based Diagnostics: A New Era in Disease Detection
• Neurobiotechnology: Advancements in Brain-Computer Interfaces
• Advances in Nanotechnology for Healthcare
• Computational Biology: Modeling Biological Systems
• Organoids: Miniature Organs for Drug Testing
• Genome Editing in Non-Human Organisms
• Biotechnology and the Internet of Things (IoT)
• Exosome-based Therapeutics: Potential Applications
• Biohybrid Systems: Integrating Living and Artificial Components
• Metagenomics: Exploring Microbial Communities

Ethical and Social Implications

• Ethical Considerations in CRISPR-Based Gene Editing
• Privacy Concerns in Personal Genomic Data Sharing
• Biotechnology and Social Equity: Bridging the Gap
• Dual-Use Dilemmas in Biotechnological Research
• Informed Consent in Genetic Testing and Research
• Accessibility of Biotechnological Therapies: Global Perspectives
• Human Enhancement Technologies: Ethical Perspectives
• Biotechnology and Cultural Perspectives on Genetic Modification
• Social Impact Assessment of Biotechnological Interventions
• Intellectual Property Rights in Biotechnology

Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

• Machine Learning in Biomedical Data Analysis
• Network Biology: Understanding Biological Systems
• Structural Bioinformatics: Predicting Protein Structures
• Data Mining in Genomics and Proteomics
• Systems Biology Approaches in Biotechnology
• Comparative Genomics: Evolutionary Insights
• Bioinformatics Tools for Drug Discovery
• Cloud Computing in Biomedical Research
• Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostics and Treatment
• Computational Approaches to Vaccine Design

Health and Medicine

• Vaccines and Immunotherapy: Advancements in Disease Prevention
• CRISPR-Based Therapies for Genetic Disorders
• Infectious Disease Diagnostics Using Biotechnology
• Telemedicine and Biotechnology Integration
• Biotechnology in Rare Disease Research
• Gut Microbiome and Human Health
• Precision Nutrition: Personalized Diets Using Biotechnology
• Biotechnology Approaches to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
• Point-of-Care Diagnostics for Global Health
• Biotechnology in Aging Research and Longevity

Agricultural Biotechnology

• CRISPR and Gene Editing in Crop Improvement
• Precision Agriculture: Integrating Technology for Crop Management
• Biotechnology Solutions for Food Security
• RNA Interference in Pest Control
• Vertical Farming and Biotechnology
• Plant-Microbe Interactions for Sustainable Agriculture
• Biofortification: Enhancing Nutritional Content in Crops
• Smart Farming Technologies and Biotechnology
• Precision Livestock Farming Using Biotechnological Tools
• Drought-Tolerant Crops: Biotechnological Approaches

Biotechnology and Education

• Integrating Biotechnology into STEM Education
• Virtual Labs in Biotechnology Teaching
• Biotechnology Outreach Programs for Schools
• Online Courses in Biotechnology: Accessibility and Quality
• Hands-on Biotechnology Experiments for Students
• Bioethics Education in Biotechnology Programs
• Role of Internships in Biotechnology Education
• Collaborative Learning in Biotechnology Classrooms
• Biotechnology Education for Non-Science Majors
• Addressing Gender Disparities in Biotechnology Education

Funding and Policy

• Government Funding Initiatives for Biotechnology Research
• Private Sector Investment in Biotechnology Ventures
• Impact of Intellectual Property Policies on Biotechnology
• Ethical Guidelines for Biotechnological Research
• Public-Private Partnerships in Biotechnology
• Regulatory Frameworks for Gene Editing Technologies
• Biotechnology and Global Health Policy
• Biotechnology Diplomacy: International Collaboration
• Funding Challenges in Biotechnology Startups
• Role of Nonprofit Organizations in Biotechnological Research

Biotechnology and the Environment

• Biotechnology for Air Pollution Control
• Microbial Sensors for Environmental Monitoring
• Remote Sensing in Environmental Biotechnology
• Climate Change Mitigation Using Biotechnology
• Circular Economy and Biotechnological Innovations
• Marine Biotechnology for Ocean Conservation
• Bio-inspired Design for Environmental Solutions
• Ecological Restoration Using Biotechnological Approaches
• Impact of Biotechnology on Biodiversity
• Biotechnology and Sustainable Urban Development

Biosecurity and Biosafety

• Biosecurity Measures in Biotechnology Laboratories
• Dual-Use Research and Ethical Considerations
• Global Collaboration for Biosafety in Biotechnology
• Security Risks in Gene Editing Technologies
• Surveillance Technologies in Biotechnological Research
• Biosecurity Education for Biotechnology Professionals
• Risk Assessment in Biotechnology Research
• Bioethics in Biodefense Research
• Biotechnology and National Security
• Public Awareness and Biosecurity in Biotechnology

Industry Applications

• Biotechnology in the Pharmaceutical Industry
• Bioprocessing Innovations for Drug Production
• Industrial Enzymes and Their Applications
• Biotechnology in Food and Beverage Production
• Applications of Synthetic Biology in Industry
• Biotechnology in Textile Manufacturing
• Cosmetic and Personal Care Biotechnology
• Biotechnological Approaches in Renewable Energy
• Advanced Materials Production Using Biotechnology
• Biotechnology in the Automotive Industry

Miscellaneous Topics

• DNA Barcoding in Species Identification
• Bioart: The Intersection of Biology and Art
• Biotechnology in Forensic Science
• Using Biotechnology to Preserve Cultural Heritage
• Biohacking: DIY Biology and Citizen Science
• Microbiome Engineering for Human Health
• Environmental DNA (eDNA) for Biodiversity Monitoring
• Biotechnology and Astrobiology: Searching for Life Beyond Earth
• Biotechnology and Sports Science
• Biotechnology and the Future of Space Exploration

Challenges and Ethical Considerations in Biotechnology Research

As biotechnology continues to advance, it brings forth a set of challenges and ethical considerations. Biosecurity concerns, especially in the context of gene editing technologies, raise questions about the responsible use of powerful tools like CRISPR. 

Ethical implications of genetic manipulation, such as the creation of designer babies, demand careful consideration and international collaboration to establish guidelines and regulations. 

Moreover, the environmental and social impact of biotechnological interventions must be thoroughly assessed to ensure responsible and sustainable practices.

Funding and Resources for Biotechnology Research

The pursuit of biotechnology research topics requires substantial funding and resources. Government grants and funding agencies play a pivotal role in supporting research initiatives. 

Simultaneously, the private sector, including biotechnology companies and venture capitalists, invest in promising projects. Collaboration and partnerships between academia, industry, and nonprofit organizations further amplify the impact of biotechnological research.

Future Prospects of Biotechnology Research

As we look to the future, the integration of biotechnology with other scientific disciplines holds immense potential. Collaborations with fields like artificial intelligence, materials science, and robotics may lead to unprecedented breakthroughs. 

The development of innovative technologies and their application to global health and sustainability challenges will likely shape the future of biotechnology.

In conclusion, biotechnology research is a dynamic and transformative force with the potential to revolutionize multiple facets of our lives. The exploration of diverse biotechnology research topics, from genetic engineering to emerging trends like synthetic biology and nanobiotechnology, highlights the breadth of possibilities within this field. 

However, researchers must navigate challenges and ethical considerations to ensure that biotechnological advancements are used responsibly for the betterment of society. 

With continued funding, collaboration, and a commitment to ethical practices, the future of biotechnology research holds exciting promise, propelling us towards a more sustainable and technologically advanced world.

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Research Topics & Ideas

Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering

If you’re just starting out exploring biotechnology-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research topic ideation process by providing a hearty list of research topics and ideas , including examples from recent studies.

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . To develop a suitable research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan  to fill that gap.

If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Biotechnology Research Topic Ideas

Below you’ll find a list of biotech and genetic engineering-related research topics ideas. These are intentionally broad and generic , so keep in mind that you will need to refine them a little. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

• Developing CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing techniques for treating inherited blood disorders.
• The use of biotechnology in developing drought-resistant crop varieties.
• The role of genetic engineering in enhancing biofuel production efficiency.
• Investigating the potential of stem cell therapy in regenerative medicine for spinal cord injuries.
• Developing gene therapy approaches for the treatment of rare genetic diseases.
• The application of biotechnology in creating biodegradable plastics from plant materials.
• The use of gene editing to enhance nutritional content in staple crops.
• Investigating the potential of microbiome engineering in treating gastrointestinal diseases.
• The role of genetic engineering in vaccine development, with a focus on mRNA vaccines.
• Biotechnological approaches to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• Developing genetically engineered organisms for bioremediation of polluted environments.
• The use of gene editing to create hypoallergenic food products.
• Investigating the role of epigenetics in cancer development and therapy.
• The application of biotechnology in developing rapid diagnostic tools for infectious diseases.
• Genetic engineering for the production of synthetic spider silk for industrial use.
• Biotechnological strategies for improving animal health and productivity in agriculture.
• The use of gene editing in creating organ donor animals compatible with human transplantation.
• Developing algae-based bioreactors for carbon capture and biofuel production.
• The role of biotechnology in enhancing the shelf life and quality of fresh produce.
• Investigating the ethics and social implications of human gene editing technologies.
• The use of CRISPR technology in creating models for neurodegenerative diseases.
• Biotechnological approaches for the production of high-value pharmaceutical compounds.
• The application of genetic engineering in developing pest-resistant crops.
• Investigating the potential of gene therapy in treating autoimmune diseases.
• Developing biotechnological methods for producing environmentally friendly dyes.

Biotech & GE Research Topic Ideas (Continued)

• The use of genetic engineering in enhancing the efficiency of photosynthesis in plants.
• Biotechnological innovations in creating sustainable aquaculture practices.
• The role of biotechnology in developing non-invasive prenatal genetic testing methods.
• Genetic engineering for the development of novel enzymes for industrial applications.
• Investigating the potential of xenotransplantation in addressing organ donor shortages.
• The use of biotechnology in creating personalised cancer vaccines.
• Developing gene editing tools for combating invasive species in ecosystems.
• Biotechnological strategies for improving the nutritional quality of plant-based proteins.
• The application of genetic engineering in enhancing the production of renewable energy sources.
• Investigating the role of biotechnology in creating advanced wound care materials.
• The use of CRISPR for targeted gene activation in regenerative medicine.
• Biotechnological approaches to enhancing the sensory qualities of plant-based meat alternatives.
• Genetic engineering for improving the efficiency of water use in agriculture.
• The role of biotechnology in developing treatments for rare metabolic disorders.
• Investigating the use of gene therapy in age-related macular degeneration.
• The application of genetic engineering in developing allergen-free nuts.
• Biotechnological innovations in the production of sustainable and eco-friendly textiles.
• The use of gene editing in studying and treating sleep disorders.
• Developing biotechnological solutions for the management of plastic waste.
• The role of genetic engineering in enhancing the production of essential vitamins in crops.
• Biotechnological approaches to the treatment of chronic pain conditions.
• The use of gene therapy in treating muscular dystrophy.
• Investigating the potential of biotechnology in reversing environmental degradation.
• The application of genetic engineering in improving the shelf life of vaccines.
• Biotechnological strategies for enhancing the efficiency of mineral extraction in mining.

Recent Biotech & GE-Related Studies

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic in biotech, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual studies in the biotech space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of recent studies to help refine your thinking. These are actual studies,  so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• Genetic modifications associated with sustainability aspects for sustainable developments (Sharma et al., 2022)
• Review On: Impact of Genetic Engineering in Biotic Stresses Resistance Crop Breeding (Abebe & Tafa, 2022)
• Biorisk assessment of genetic engineering — lessons learned from teaching interdisciplinary courses on responsible conduct in the life sciences (Himmel et al., 2022)
• Genetic Engineering Technologies for Improving Crop Yield and Quality (Ye et al., 2022)
• Legal Aspects of Genetically Modified Food Product Safety for Health in Indonesia (Khamdi, 2022)
• Innovative Teaching Practice and Exploration of Genetic Engineering Experiment (Jebur, 2022)
• Efficient Bacterial Genome Engineering throughout the Central Dogma Using the Dual-Selection Marker tetAOPT (Bayer et al., 2022)
• Gene engineering: its positive and negative effects (Makrushina & Klitsenko, 2022)
• Advances of genetic engineering in streptococci and enterococci (Kurushima & Tomita, 2022)
• Genetic Engineering of Immune Evasive Stem Cell-Derived Islets (Sackett et al., 2022)
• Establishment of High-Efficiency Screening System for Gene Deletion in Fusarium venenatum TB01 (Tong et al., 2022)
• Prospects of chloroplast metabolic engineering for developing nutrient-dense food crops (Tanwar et al., 2022)
• Genetic research: legal and ethical aspects (Rustambekov et al., 2023). Non-transgenic Gene Modulation via Spray Delivery of Nucleic Acid/Peptide Complexes into Plant Nuclei and Chloroplasts (Thagun et al., 2022)
• The role of genetic breeding in food security: A review (Sam et al., 2022). Biotechnology: use of available carbon sources on the planet to generate alternatives energy (Junior et al., 2022)
• Biotechnology and biodiversity for the sustainable development of our society (Jaime, 2023) Role Of Biotechnology in Agriculture (Shringarpure, 2022)
• Plants That Can be Used as Plant-Based Edible Vaccines; Current Situation and Recent Developments (İsmail, 2022)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, in order for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

Get 1-On-1 Help

If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

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Biotechnology Research Paper Topics

This collection of biotechnology research paper topics provides the list of 10 potential topics for research papers and overviews the history of biotechnology.

Academic Writing, Editing, Proofreading, And Problem Solving Services

Get 10% off with 24start discount code, 1. animal breeding: genetic methods.

Modern animal breeding relies on scientific methods to control production of domesticated animals, both livestock and pets, which exhibit desired physical and behavioral traits. Genetic technology aids animal breeders to attain nutritional, medical, recreational, and fashion standards demanded by consumers for animal products including meat, milk, eggs, leather, wool, and pharmaceuticals. Animals are also genetically designed to meet labor and sporting requirements for speed and endurance, conformation and beauty ideals to win show competitions, and intelligence levels to perform obediently at tasks such as herding, hunting, and tracking. By the late twentieth century, genetics and mathematical models were appropriated to identify the potential of immature animals. DNA markers indicate how young animals will mature, saving breeders money by not investing in animals lacking genetic promise. Scientists also successfully transplanted sperm-producing stem cells with the goal of restoring fertility to barren breeding animals. At the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, researchers created a gene-based test, which uses a cloned gene of the organism that causes Johne’s disease in cattle in order to detect that disease to avert epidemics. Researchers also began mapping the dog genome and developing molecular techniques to evaluate canine chromosomes in the Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL). Bioinformatics incorporates computers to analyze genetic material. Some tests were developed to diagnose many of several hundred genetic canine diseases including hip dysplasia and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). A few breed organizations modified standards to discourage breeding of genetically flawed animals and promote heterozygosity.

2. Antibacterial Chemotherapy

In the early years of the twentieth century, the search for agents that would be effective against internal infections proceeded along two main routes. The first was a search for naturally occurring substances that were effective against microorganisms (antibiosis). The second was a search for chemicals that would have the same effect (chemotherapy). Despite the success of penicillin in the 1940s, the major early advances in the treatment of infection occurred not through antibiosis but through chemotherapy. The principle behind chemotherapy was that there was a relationship between chemical structure and pharmacological action. The founder of this concept was Paul Erhlich (1854–1915). An early success came in 1905 when atoxyl (an organic arsenic compound) was shown to destroy trypanosomes, the microbes that caused sleeping sickness. Unfortunately, atoxyl also damaged the optic nerve. Subsequently, Erhlich and his co-workers synthesized and tested hundreds of related arsenic compounds. Ehrlich was a co-recipient (with Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov) of the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1908 for his work on immunity. Success in discovering a range of effective antibacterial drugs had three important consequences: it brought a range of important diseases under control for the first time; it provided a tremendous stimulus to research workers and opened up new avenues of research; and in the resulting commercial optimism, it led to heavy postwar investment in the pharmaceutical industry. The therapeutic revolution had begun.

3. Artificial Insemination and in Vitro Fertilization

Artificial insemination (AI) involves the extraction and collection of semen together with techniques for depositing semen in the uterus in order to achieve successful fertilization and pregnancy. Throughout the twentieth century, the approach has offered animal breeders the advantage of being able to utilize the best available breeding stock and at the correct time within the female reproductive cycle, but without the limitations of having the animals in the same location. AI has been applied most intensively within the dairy and beef cattle industries and to a lesser extent horse breeding and numerous other domesticated species.

Many of the techniques involved in artificial insemination would lay the foundation for in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the latter half of the twentieth century. IVF refers to the group of technologies that allow fertilization to take place outside the body involving the retrieval of ova or eggs from the female and sperm from the male, which are then combined in artificial, or ‘‘test tube,’’ conditions leading to fertilization. The fertilized eggs then continue to develop for several days ‘‘in culture’’ until being transferred to the female recipient to continue developing within the uterus.

4. Biopolymers

Biopolymers are natural polymers, long-chained molecules (macromolecules) consisting mostly of a repeated composition of building blocks or monomers that are formed and utilized by living organisms. Each group of biopolymers is composed of different building blocks, for example chains of sugar molecules form starch (a polysaccharide), chains of amino acids form proteins and peptides, and chains of nucleic acid form DNA and RNA (polynucleotides). Biopolymers can form gels, fibers, coatings, and films depending on the specific polymer, and serve a variety of critical functions for cells and organisms. Proteins including collagens, keratins, silks, tubulins, and actin usually form structural composites or scaffolding, or protective materials in biological systems (e.g., spider silk). Polysaccharides function in molecular recognition at cell membrane surfaces, form capsular barrier layers around cells, act as emulsifiers and adhesives, and serve as skeletal or architectural materials in plants. In many cases these polymers occur in combination with proteins to form novel composite structures such as invertebrate exoskeletons or microbial cell walls, or with lignin in the case of plant cell walls.

The use of the word ‘‘cloning’’ is fraught with confusion and inconsistency, and it is important at the outset of this discussion to offer definitional clarification. For instance, in the 1997 article by Ian Wilmut and colleagues announcing the birth of the first cloned adult vertebrate (a ewe, Dolly the sheep) from somatic cell nuclear transfer, the word clone or cloning was never used, and yet the announcement raised considerable disquiet about the prospect of cloned human beings. In a desire to avoid potentially negative forms of language, many prefer to substitute ‘‘cell expansion techniques’’ or ‘‘therapeutic cloning’’ for cloning. Cloning has been known for centuries as a horticultural propagation method: for example, plants multiplied by grafting, budding, or cuttings do not differ genetically from the original plant. The term clone entered more common usage as a result of a speech in 1963 by J.B.S. Haldane based on his paper, ‘‘Biological possibilities for the human species of the next ten-thousand years.’’ Notwithstanding these notes of caution, we can refer to a number of processes as cloning. At the close of the twentieth century, such techniques had not yet progressed to the ability to bring a cloned human to full development; however, the ability to clone cells from an adult human has potential to treat diseases. International policymaking in the late 1990s sought to distinguish between the different end uses for somatic cell nuclear transfer resulting in the widespread adoption of the distinction between ‘‘reproductive’’ and ‘‘therapeutic’’ cloning. The function of the distinction has been to permit the use (in some countries) of the technique to generate potentially beneficial therapeutic applications from embryonic stem cell technology whilst prohibiting its use in human reproduction. In therapeutic applications, nuclear transfer from a patient’s cells into an enucleated ovum is used to create genetically identical embryos that would be grown in vitro but not be allowed to continue developing to become a human being. The resulting cloned embryos could be used as a source from which to produce stem cells that can then be induced to specialize into the specific type of tissue required by the patient (such as skin for burns victims, brain neuron cells for Parkinson’s disease sufferers, or pancreatic cells for diabetics). The rationale is that because the original nuclear material is derived from a patient’s adult tissue, the risks of rejection of such cells by the immune system are reduced.

6. Gene Therapy

In 1971, Australian Nobel laureate Sir F. MacFarlane Burnet thought that gene therapy (introducing genes into body tissue, usually to treat an inherited genetic disorder) looked more and more like a case of the emperor’s new clothes. Ethical issues aside, he believed that practical considerations forestalled possibilities for any beneficial gene strategy, then or probably ever. Bluntly, he wrote: ‘‘little further advance can be expected from laboratory science in the handling of ‘intrinsic’ types of disability and disease.’’ Joshua Lederberg and Edward Tatum, 1958 Nobel laureates, theorized in the 1960s that genes might be altered or replaced using viral vectors to treat human diseases. Stanfield Rogers, working from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1970, had tried but failed to cure argininemia (a genetic disorder of the urea cycle that causes neurological damage in the form of mental retardation, seizures, and eventually death) in two German girls using Swope papilloma virus. Martin Cline at the University of California in Los Angeles, made the second failed attempt a decade later. He tried to correct the bone marrow cells of two beta-thalassemia patients, one in Israel and the other in Italy. What Cline’s failure revealed, however, was that many researchers who condemned his trial as unethical were by then working toward similar goals and targeting different diseases with various delivery methods. While Burnet’s pessimism finally proved to be wrong, progress in gene therapy was much slower than antibiotic or anticancer chemotherapy developments over the same period of time. While gene therapy had limited success, it nevertheless remained an active area for research, particularly because the Human Genome Project, begun in 1990, had resulted in a ‘‘rough draft’’ of all human genes by 2001, and was completed in 2003. Gene mapping created the means for analyzing the expression patterns of hundreds of genes involved in biological pathways and for identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that have diagnostic and therapeutic potential for treating specific diseases in individuals. In the future, gene therapies may prove effective at protecting patients from adverse drug reactions or changing the biochemical nature of a person’s disease. They may also target blood vessel formation in order to prevent heart disease or blindness due to macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. One of the oldest ideas for use of gene therapy is to produce anticancer vaccines. One method involves inserting a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor gene into prostate tumor cells removed in surgery. The cells then are irradiated to prevent any further cancer and injected back into the same patient to initiate an immune response against any remaining metastases. Whether or not such developments become a major treatment modality, no one now believes, as MacFarland Burnet did in 1970, that gene therapy science has reached an end in its potential to advance health.

7. Genetic Engineering

The term ‘‘genetic engineering’’ describes molecular biology techniques that allow geneticists to analyze and manipulate deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). At the close of the twentieth century, genetic engineering promised to revolutionize many industries, including microbial biotechnology, agriculture, and medicine. It also sparked controversy over potential health and ecological hazards due to the unprecedented ability to bypass traditional biological reproduction.

For centuries, if not millennia, techniques have been employed to alter the genetic characteristics of animals and plants to enhance specifically desired traits. In a great many cases, breeds with which we are most familiar bear little resemblance to the wild varieties from which they are derived. Canine breeds, for instance, have been selectively tailored to changing esthetic tastes over many years, altering their appearance, behavior and temperament. Many of the species used in farming reflect long-term alterations to enhance meat, milk, and fleece yields. Likewise, in the case of agricultural varieties, hybridization and selective breeding have resulted in crops that are adapted to specific production conditions and regional demands. Genetic engineering differs from these traditional methods of plant and animal breeding in some very important respects. First, genes from one organism can be extracted and recombined with those of another (using recombinant DNA, or rDNA, technology) without either organism having to be of the same species. Second, removing the requirement for species reproductive compatibility, new genetic combinations can be produced in a much more highly accelerated way than before. Since the development of the first rDNA organism by Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer in 1973, a number of techniques have been found to produce highly novel products derived from transgenic plants and animals.

At the same time, there has been an ongoing and ferocious political debate over the environmental and health risks to humans of genetically altered species. The rise of genetic engineering may be characterized by developments during the last three decades of the twentieth century.

8. Genetic Screening and Testing

The menu of genetic screening and testing technologies now available in most developed countries increased rapidly in the closing years of the twentieth century. These technologies emerged within the context of rapidly changing social and legal contexts with regard to the medicalization of pregnancy and birth and the legalization of abortion. The earliest genetic screening tests detected inborn errors of metabolism and sex-linked disorders. Technological innovations in genomic mapping and DNA sequencing, together with an explosion in research on the genetic basis of disease which culminated in the Human Genome Project (HGP), led to a range of genetic screening and testing for diseases traditionally recognized as genetic in origin and for susceptibility to more common diseases such as certain types of familial cancer, cardiac conditions, and neurological disorders among others. Tests were also useful for forensic, or nonmedical, purposes. Genetic screening techniques are now available in conjunction with in vitro fertilization and other types of reproductive technologies, allowing the screening of fertilized embryos for certain genetic mutations before selection for implantation. At present selection is purely on disease grounds and selection for other traits (e.g., for eye or hair color, intelligence, height) cannot yet be done, though there are concerns for eugenics and ‘‘designer babies.’’ Screening is available for an increasing number of metabolic diseases through tandem mass spectrometry, which uses less blood per test, allows testing for many conditions simultaneously, and has a very low false-positive rate as compared to conventional Guthrie testing. Finally, genetic technologies are being used in the judicial domain for determination of paternity, often associated with child support claims, and for forensic purposes in cases where DNA material is available for testing.

9. Plant Breeding: Genetic Methods

The cultivation of plants is the world’s oldest biotechnology. We have continually tried to produce improved varieties while increasing yield, features to aid cultivation and harvesting, disease, and pest resistance, or crop qualities such as longer postharvest storage life and improved taste or nutritional value. Early changes resulted from random crosspollination, rudimentary grafting, or spontaneous genetic change. For centuries, man kept the seed from the plants with improved characteristics to plant the following season’s crop. The pioneering work of Gregor Mendel and his development of the basic laws of heredity showed for other first time that some of the processes of heredity could be altered by experimental means. The genetic analysis of bacterial (prokaryote) genes and techniques for analysis of the higher (eukaryotic) organisms such as plants developed in parallel streams, but the rediscovery of Mendel’s work in 1900 fueled a burst of activity on understanding the role of genes in inheritance. The knowledge that genes are linked along the chromosome thereby allowed mapping of genes (transduction analysis, conjugation analysis, and transformation analysis). The power of genetics to produce a desirable plant was established, and it was appreciated that controlled breeding (test crosses and back crosses) and careful analysis of the progeny could distinguish traits that were dominant or recessive, and establish pure breeding lines. Traditional horticultural techniques of artificial self-pollination and cross-pollination were also used to produce hybrids. In the 1930s the Russian Nikolai Vavilov recognized the value of genetic diversity in domesticated crop plants and their wild relatives to crop improvement, and collected seeds from the wild to study total genetic diversity and use these in breeding programs. The impact of scientific crop breeding was established by the ‘‘Green revolution’’ of the 1960s, when new wheat varieties with higher yields were developed by careful crop breeding. ‘‘Mutation breeding’’— inducing mutations by exposing seeds to x-rays or chemicals such as sodium azide, accelerated after World War II. It was also discovered that plant cells and tissues grown in tissue culture would mutate rapidly. In the 1970s, haploid breeding, which involves producing plants from two identical sets of chromosomes, was extensively used to create new cultivars. In the twenty-first century, haploid breeding could speed up plant breeding by shortening the breeding cycle.

10. Tissue Culturing

The technique of tissue or cell culture, which relates to the growth of tissue or cells within a laboratory setting, underlies a phenomenal proportion of biomedical research. Though it has roots in the late nineteenth century, when numerous scientists tried to grow samples in alien environments, cell culture is credited as truly beginning with the first concrete evidence of successful growth in vitro, demonstrated by Johns Hopkins University embryologist Ross Harrison in 1907. Harrison took sections of spinal cord from a frog embryo, placed them on a glass cover slip and bathed the tissue in a nutrient media. The results of the experiment were startling—for the first time scientists visualized actual nerve growth as it would happen in a living organism—and many other scientists across the U.S. and Europe took up culture techniques. Rather unwittingly, for he was merely trying to settle a professional dispute regarding the origin of nerve fibers, Harrison fashioned a research tool that has since been designated by many as the greatest advance in medical science since the invention of the microscope.

From the 1980s, cell culture has once again been brought to the forefront of cancer research in the isolation and identification of numerous cancer causing oncogenes. In addition, cell culturing continues to play a crucial role in fields such as cytology, embryology, radiology, and molecular genetics. In the future, its relevance to direct clinical treatment might be further increased by the growth in culture of stem cells and tissue replacement therapies that can be tailored for a particular individual. Indeed, as cell culture approaches its centenary, it appears that its importance to scientific, medical, and commercial research the world over will only increase in the twenty-first century.

History of Biotechnology

Biotechnology grew out of the technology of fermentation, which was called zymotechnology. This was different from the ancient craft of brewing because of its thought-out relationships to science. These were most famously conceptualized by the Prussian chemist Georg Ernst Stahl (1659–1734) in his 1697 treatise Zymotechnia Fundamentalis, in which he introduced the term zymotechnology. Carl Balling, long-serving professor in Prague, the world center of brewing, drew on the work of Stahl when he published his Bericht uber die Fortschritte der zymotechnische Wissenschaften und Gewerbe (Account of the Progress of the Zymotechnic Sciences and Arts) in the mid-nineteenth century. He used the idea of zymotechnics to compete with his German contemporary Justus Liebig for whom chemistry was the underpinning of all processes.

By the end of the nineteenth century, there were attempts to develop a new scientific study of fermentation. It was an aspect of the ‘‘second’’ Industrial Revolution during the period from 1870 to 1914. The emergence of the chemical industry is widely taken as emblematic of the formal research and development taking place at the time. The development of microbiological industries is another example. For the first time, Louis Pasteur’s germ theory made it possible to provide convincing explanations of brewing and other fermentation processes.

Pasteur had published on brewing in the wake of France’s humiliation in the Franco–Prussian war (1870–1871) to assert his country’s superiority in an industry traditionally associated with Germany. Yet the science and technology of fermentation had a wide range of applications including the manufacture of foods (cheese, yogurt, wine, vinegar, and tea), of commodities (tobacco and leather), and of chemicals (lactic acid, citric acid, and the enzyme takaminase). The concept of zymotechnology associated principally with the brewing of beer began to appear too limited to its principal exponents. At the time, Denmark was the world leader in creating high-value agricultural produce. Cooperative farms pioneered intensive pig fattening as well as the mass production of bacon, butter, and beer. It was here that the systems of science and technology were integrated and reintegrated, conceptualized and reconceptualized.

The Dane Emil Christian Hansen discovered that infection from wild yeasts was responsible for numerous failed brews. His contemporary Alfred Jørgensen, a Copenhagen consultant closely associated with the Tuborg brewery, published a widely used textbook on zymotechnology. Microorganisms and Fermentation first appeared in Danish 1889 and would be translated, reedited, and reissued for the next 60 years.

The scarcity of resources on both sides during World War I brought together science and technology, further development of zymotechnology, and formulation of the concept of biotechnology. Impending and then actual war accelerated the use of fermentation technologies to make strategic materials. In Britain a variant of a process to ferment starch to make butadiene for synthetic rubber production was adapted to make acetone needed in the manufacture of explosives. The process was technically important as the first industrial sterile fermentation and was strategically important for munitions supplies. The developer, chemist Chaim Weizmann, later became well known as the first president of Israel in 1949.

In Germany scarce oil-based lubricants were replaced by glycerol made by fermentation. Animal feed was derived from yeast grown with the aid of the new synthetic ammonia in another wartime development that inspired the coining of the word biotechnology. Hungary was the agricultural base of the Austro–Hungarian empire and aspired to Danish levels of efficiency. The economist Karl Ereky (1878–1952) planned to go further and build the largest industrial pig-processing factory. He envisioned a site that would fatten 50,000 swine at a time while railroad cars of sugar beet arrived and fat, hides, and meat departed. In this forerunner of the Soviet collective farm, peasants (in any case now falling prey to the temptations of urban society) would be completely superseded by the industrialization of the biological process in large factory-like animal processing units. Ereky went further in his ruminations over the meaning of his innovation. He suggested that it presaged an industrial revolution that would follow the transformation of chemical technology. In his book entitled Biotechnologie, he linked specific technical injunctions to wide-ranging philosophy. Ereky was neither isolated nor obscure. He had been trained in the mainstream of reflection on the meaning of the applied sciences in Hungary, which would be remarkably productive across the sciences. After World War I, Ereky served as Hungary’s minister of food in the short-lived right wing regime that succeeded the fall of the communist government of Bela Kun.

Nonetheless it was not through Ereky’s direct action that his ideas seem to have spread. Rather, his book was reviewed by the influential Paul Lindner, head of botany at the Institut fu¨ r Ga¨ rungsgewerbe in Berlin, who suggested that microorganisms could also be seen as biotechnological machines. This concept was already found in the production of yeast and in Weizmann’s work with strategic materials, which was widely publicized at that very time. It was with this meaning that the word ‘‘Biotechnologie’’ entered German dictionaries in the 1920s.

Biotechnology represented more than the manipulation of existing organisms. From the beginning it was concerned with their improvement as well, and this meant the enhancement of all living creatures. Most dramatically this would include humanity itself; more mundanely it would include plants and animals of agricultural importance. The enhancement of people was called eugenics by the Victorian polymath and cousin of Charles Darwin, Francis Galton. Two strains of eugenics emerged: negative eugenics associated with weeding out the weak and positive eugenics associated with enhancing strength. In the early twentieth century, many eugenics proponents believed that the weak could be made strong. People had after all progressed beyond their biological limits by means of technology.

Jean-Jacques Virey, a follower of the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste de Monet de Lamarck, had coined the term ‘‘biotechnie’’ in 1828 to describe man’s ability to make technology do the work of biology, but it was not till a century later that the term entered widespread use. The Scottish biologist and town planner Patrick Geddes made biotechnics popular in the English-speaking world. Geddes, too, sought to link life and technology. Before World War I he had characterized the technological evolution of mankind as a move from the paleotechnic era of coal and iron to the neotechnic era of chemicals, electricity, and steel. After the war, he detected a new era based on biology—the biotechnic era. Through his friend, writer Lewis Mumford, Geddes would have great influence. Mumford’s book Technics and Civilization, itself a founding volume of the modern historiography of technology, promoted his vision of the Geddesian evolution.

A younger generation of English experimental biologists with a special interest in genetics, including J. B. S. Haldane, Julian Huxley, and Lancelot Hogben, also promoted a concept of biotechnology in the period between the world wars. Because they wrote popular works, they were among Britain’s best-known scientists. Haldane wrote about biological invention in his far-seeing work Daedalus. Huxley looked forward to a blend of social and eugenics-based biological engineering. Hogben, following Geddes, was more interested in engineering plants through breeding. He tied the progressivism of biology to the advance of socialism.

The improvement of the human race, genetic manipulation of bacteria, and the development of fermentation technology were brought together by the development of penicillin during World War II. This drug was successfully extracted from the juice exuded by a strain of the Penicillium fungus. Although discovered by accident and then developed further for purely scientific reasons, the scarce and unstable ‘‘antibiotic’’ called penicillin was transformed during World War II into a powerful and widely used drug. Large networks of academic and government laboratories and pharmaceutical manufacturers in Britain and the U.S. were coordinated by agencies of the two governments. An unanticipated combination of genetics, biochemistry, chemistry, and chemical engineering skills had been required. When the natural mold was bombarded with high-frequency radiation, far more productive mutants were produced, and subsequently all the medicine was made using the product of these man-made cells. By the 1950s penicillin was cheap to produce and globally available.

The new technology of cultivating and processing large quantities of microorganisms led to calls for a new scientific discipline. Biochemical engineering was one term, and applied microbiology another. The Swedish biologist, Carl-Goran Heden, possibly influenced by German precedents, favored the term ‘‘Biotechnologi’’ and persuaded his friend Elmer Gaden to relabel his new journal Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering. From 1962 major international conferences were held under the banner of the Global Impact of Applied Microbiology. During the 1960s food based on single-cell protein grown in fermenters on oil or glucose seemed, to visionary engineers and microbiologists and to major companies, to offer an immediate solution to world hunger. Tropical countries rich in biomass that could be used as raw material for fermentation were also the world’s poorest. Alcohol could be manufactured by fermenting such starch or sugar rich crops as sugar cane and corn. Brazil introduced a national program of replacing oil-based petrol with alcohol in the 1970s.

It was not, however, just the developing countries that hoped to benefit. The Soviet Union developed fermentation-based protein as a major source of animal feed through the 1980s. In the U.S. it seemed that oil from surplus corn would solve the problem of low farm prices aggravated by the country’s boycott of the USSR in1979, and the term ‘‘gasohol‘‘ came into currency. Above all, the decline of established industries made the discovery of a new wealth maker an urgent priority for Western governments. Policy makers in both Germany and Japan during the 1970s were driven by a sense of the inadequacy of the last generation of technologies. These were apparently maturing, and the succession was far from clear. Even if electronics or space travel offered routes to the bright industrial future, these fields seemed to be dominated by the U.S. Seeing incipient crisis, the Green, or environmental, movement promoted a technology that would depend on renewable resources and on low-energy processes that would produce biodegradable products, recycle waste, and address problems of the health and nutrition of the world.

In 1973 the German government, seeking a new and ‘‘greener’’ industrial policy, commissioned a report entitled Biotechnologie that identified ways in which biological processing was key to modern developments in technology. Even though the report was published at the time that recombinant DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) was becoming possible, it did not refer to this new technique and instead focused on the use and combination of existing technologies to make novel products.

Nonetheless the hitherto esoteric science of molecular biology was making considerable progress, although its practice in the early 1970s was rather distant from the world of industrial production. The phrase ‘‘genetic engineering’’ entered common parlance in the 1960s to describe human genetic modification. Medicine, however, put a premium on the use of proteins that were difficult to extract from people: insulin for diabetics and interferon for cancer sufferers. During the early 1970s what had been science fiction became fact as the use of DNA synthesis, restriction enzymes, and plasmids were integrated. In 1973 Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer successfully transferred a section of DNA from one E. coli bacterium to another. A few prophets such as Joshua Lederberg and Walter Gilbert argued that the new biological techniques of recombinant DNA might be ideal for making synthetic versions of expensive proteins such as insulin and interferon through their expression in bacterial cells. Small companies, such as Cetus and Genentech in California and Biogen in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were established to develop the techniques. In many cases discoveries made by small ‘‘boutique’’ companies were developed for the market by large, more established, pharmaceutical organizations.

Many governments were impressed by these advances in molecular genetics, which seemed to make biotechnology a potential counterpart to information technology in a third industrial revolution. These inspired hopes of industrial production of proteins identical to those produced in the human body that could be used to treat genetic diseases. There was also hope that industrially useful materials such as alcohol, plastics (biopolymers), or ready-colored fibers might be made in plants, and thus the attractions of a potentially new agricultural era might be as great as the implications for medicine. At a time of concern over low agricultural prices, such hopes were doubly welcome. Indeed, the agricultural benefits sometimes overshadowed the medical implications.

The mechanism for the transfer of enthusiasm from engineering fermenters to engineering genes was the New York Stock Exchange. At the end of the 1970s, new tax laws encouraged already adventurous U.S. investors to put money into small companies whose stock value might grow faster than their profits. The brokerage firm E. F. Hutton saw the potential for the new molecular biology companies such as Biogen and Cetus. Stock market interest in companies promising to make new biological entities was spurred by the 1980 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to permit the patenting of a new organism. The patent was awarded to the Exxon researcher Ananda Chakrabarty for an organism that metabolized hydrocarbon waste. This event signaled the commercial potential of biotechnology to business and governments around the world. By the early 1980s there were widespread hopes that the protein interferon, made with some novel organism, would provide a cure for cancer. The development of monoclonal antibody technology that grew out of the work of Georges J. F. Kohler and Cesar Milstein in Cambridge (co-recipients with Niels K. Jerne of the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1986) seemed to offer new prospects for precise attacks on particular cells.

The fear of excessive regulatory controls encouraged business and scientific leaders to express optimistic projections about the potential of biotechnology. The early days of biotechnology were fired by hopes of medical products and high-value pharmaceuticals. Human insulin and interferon were early products, and a second generation included the anti-blood clotting agent tPA and the antianemia drug erythropoietin. Biotechnology was also used to help identify potential new drugs that might be made chemically, or synthetically.

At the same time agricultural products were also being developed. Three early products that each raised substantial problems were bacteria which inhibited the formation of frost on the leaves of strawberry plants (ice-minus bacteria), genetically modified plants including tomatoes and rapeseed, and the hormone bovine somatrotropin (BST) produced in genetically modified bacteria and administered to cattle in the U.S. to increase milk yields. By 1999 half the soy beans and one third of the corn grown in the U.S. were modified. Although the global spread of such products would arouse the best known concern at the end of the century, the use of the ice-minus bacteria— the first authorized release of a genetically engineered organism into the environment—had previously raised anxiety in the U.S. in the 1980s.

In 1997 Dolly the sheep was cloned from an adult mother in the Roslin agricultural research institute outside Edinburgh, Scotland. This work was inspired by the need to find a way of reproducing sheep engineered to express human proteins in their milk. However, the public interest was not so much in the cloning of sheep that had just been achieved as in the cloning of people, which had not. As in the Middle Ages when deformed creatures had been seen as monsters and portents of natural disasters, Dolly was similarly seen as monster and as a portent of human cloning.

The name Frankenstein, recalled from the story written by Mary Shelley at the beginning of the nineteenth century and from the movies of the 1930s, was once again familiar at the end of the twentieth century. Shelley had written in the shadow of Stahl’s theories. The continued appeal of this book embodies the continuity of the fears of artificial life and the anxiety over hubris. To this has been linked a more mundane suspicion of the blending of commerce and the exploitation of life. Discussion of biotechnology at the end of the twentieth century was therefore colored by questions of whose assurances of good intent and reassurance of safety could be trusted.

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Biotechnology

Research in biotechnology can helps in bringing massive changes in humankind and lead to a better life. In the last few years, there have been so many leaps, and paces of innovations as scientists worldwide worked to develop and produce novel mRNA vaccinations and brought some significant developments in biotechnology. During this period, they also faced many challenges. Disturbances in the supply chain and the pandemic significantly impacted biotech labs and researchers, forcing lab managers to become ingenious in buying lab supplies, planning experiments, and using technology for maintaining research schedules.

At the beginning of 2022, existing biotech research projects are discovering progress in medicines, vaccines, disease treatment and the human body, immunology, and some viruses such as coronavirus that had such a destructive impact that we could never have expected.

The Biotech Research Technique is changing

How research is being done is changing, as also how scientists are conducting it. Affected by both B2C eCommerce and growing independence in remote and cloud-dependent working, most of the biotechnology labs are going through some digital transformations. This implies more software, automation, and AI in the biotech lab, along with some latest digital procurement plans and integrated systems for various lab operations.

In this article, we’ll discuss research topics in biotechnology for students, biotechnology project topics, biotechnology research topics for undergraduates, biotechnology thesis topics, biotechnology research topics for college students, biotechnology research paper topics, biotechnology dissertation topics, biotechnology project ideas for high school, medical biotechnology topics for presentation, research topics for life science , research topics on biotechnology , medical biotechnology topics, recent research topics in biotechnology, mini project ideas for biotechnology, pharmaceutical biotechnology topics, plant biotechnology research topics, research topics in genetics and biotechnology, final year project topics for biotechnology, biotech research project ideas, health biotechnology topics, industrial biotechnology topics, agricultural biotechnology project topics and biology thesis topics.

Look at some of the top trends in biotech research and recent Biotechnology Topics that are bringing massive changes in this vast world of science, resulting in some innovation in life sciences and biotechnology ideas .

• Development of vaccine: Development of mRNA has been done since 1989 but has accelerated to combat the pandemic. As per many researchers, mRNA vaccines can change infectious disease control as it is a prophylactic means of disease prevention for various diseases such as flu, HIV, etc.
• Respiratory viruses: More and more research is being done because understanding those viruses will assist in getting better protection, prohibition, and promising treatments for respiratory viruses.
• Microvesicles and extracellular vesicles are now being focused on because of their involvement in the transportation of mRNA, miRNA, and proteins. But in what other ways can they give support to the human body? So many unknown roles of microvesicles and extracellular vesicles should be discovered.
• RNA-based Therapeutics: Researchers focus on RNA-based therapeutics such as CAR T cells, other gene/cell therapeutics, small molecular drugs to treat more diseases and other prophylactic purposes.
• Metabolism in cancers and other diseases: Metabolism helps convert energy and represent the chemical reactions that will sustain life. Nowadays, research is being done to study metabolism in cancers and immune cells to uncover novel ways to approach treatment and prohibition of a specific illness.

All of the ongoing research keeps the potential to bring changes in the quality of life of millions of people, prohibit and do treatment of illnesses that at present have a very high rate of mortality, and change healthcare across the world.

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Essays on Biotechnology

Biotechnology is a rapidly growing field that has the potential to revolutionize various industries, from healthcare to agriculture. Writing an essay on biotechnology is important because it allows students to delve deeper into the subject, understand its impact on society, and explore the ethical and moral implications of its advancements.

When writing an essay on biotechnology, it is crucial to start by conducting thorough research. This can involve reading academic journals, books, and credible online sources to gather information and data on the topic. It is important to ensure that the sources are reliable and up-to-date to provide accurate and current information.

Another important aspect of writing an essay on biotechnology is to clearly define the scope and purpose of the essay. This can involve identifying the specific aspect of biotechnology that will be discussed, such as its applications in medicine, agriculture, or environmental conservation. Having a clear focus will help in organizing the information and presenting a coherent argument.

Additionally, it is important to consider the ethical and social implications of biotechnology in the essay. This can involve discussing the potential risks and benefits of biotechnological advancements, as well as addressing any concerns related to genetic engineering, cloning, and other controversial topics. Presenting a balanced view and considering multiple perspectives is essential in addressing these complex issues.

Furthermore, when writing an essay on biotechnology, it is important to use clear and concise language to convey complex ideas. Avoiding jargon and technical language that may be difficult for the reader to understand is important in making the essay accessible and engaging. Additionally, using evidence and examples to support arguments will strengthen the essay and provide credibility to the points being made.

In conclusion, writing an essay on biotechnology is important as it allows for a deeper understanding of the field and its implications. Conducting thorough research, defining the scope and purpose, considering ethical implications, and using clear and concise language are all important aspects to consider when writing an essay on biotechnology.

Best Biotechnology Essay Topics

• The Impact of CRISPR Technology on Genetic Engineering
• The Ethical Implications of Human Cloning
• The Role of Biotechnology in Environmental Conservation
• Advancements in Biopharmaceuticals and Their Impact on Medicine
• The Future of Food: Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
• Bioinformatics and its Role in Genomic Research
• Biotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture
• Bioremediation: Using Microorganisms to Clean Up Pollution
• The Use of Biotechnology in Forensic Science
• The Potential of Gene Therapy in Treating Genetic Disorders
• The Role of Biotechnology in Developing Vaccines
• Biotechnology and Renewable Energy Sources
• The Impact of Biotechnology on Animal Welfare
• The Use of Nanotechnology in Biomedical Applications
• Biotechnology and Stem Cell Research
• The Future of Personalized Medicine
• The Role of Biotechnology in Space Exploration
• Biotechnology and the Development of Artificial Organs
• The Use of CRISPR Technology in Agriculture
• Biotechnology and Biosecurity: Challenges and Solutions

Biotechnology Essay Topics Prompts

• Imagine a world where biotechnology has eradicated a major global disease. How would this impact society and the healthcare industry?
• If you could use biotechnology to enhance one aspect of the human body, what would it be and why?
• Write a speculative essay on the future of biotechnology and its potential impact on humanity.
• How has biotechnology revolutionized the way we approach environmental conservation and sustainability?
• Explore the ethical dilemmas surrounding the use of biotechnology in human enhancement and designer babies.

The Moral Lessons of 'The Median Isn't The Message'

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The Modeling Techniques to Simulate Cellular Networks and Systems

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Essay Samples on Biotechnology

Why i choose biotechnology: a personal and professional journey.

This essay outlines various factors—both personal and professional—that have led to the decision to pursue a career in biotechnology. It elaborates on the intellectual curiosity, desire for positive impact, personal connections, and the dynamic nature of the field as key reasons for this choice. Introduction...

• Biotechnology
• Personal Experience

Biotechnology Reflection: A Look into the Promises and Perils of Biotech

Introduction In an era of rapid technological advancements, biotechnology stands out as one of the most transformative and controversial fields. This biotechnology reflection aims to delve into the multi-faceted world of biotechnology, considering its profound impacts on medicine, agriculture, environment, and society at large. The...

The Ethics of Biotechnology: Navigating a Complex Landscape

This essay provides a comprehensive exploration of the various ethical dimensions of biotechnology, touching on numerous aspects including medical applications, agricultural innovations, environmental implications. Introduction The ethics of biotechnology are as complex as the science itself. As biotechnological advancements continue to soar, so do the...

Significance of Biotechnology as a Tool for Improving Life on Earth

Biotechnology is the use of biology specifically utilizing biological systems or living organisms to solve and analyzed scientific knowledge in which its processes is to develop technologies and products that help improve the society and the health of our planet. Biotechnology belongs to the interdisciplinary...

• Applied Sciences

Agritech: Transforming Farming Practices for a Sustainable Future

Agricultural biotechnology, otherwise called agritech, is an area of agricultural science including the utilization of logical apparatuses and methods, including hereditary designing, atomic markers, sub-atomic diagnostics, immunizations, and tissue culture, to adjust living life forms: plants, creatures, and microorganisms. Crop biotechnology is one part of...

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Painless Needles and Robots: How Technology is Shaping Medicine

Introduction  Technology has had a gorgeous influence on society when it comes to medicine. Medical technology has been around since the caveman began the use of rocks as tools to perform freshening. Since then, there have been many new advancements in medicinal drugs due to...

• Effects of Technology

The Role of Biotech and Tissue Engineering for Humanity

With science rapidly evolving day by day, the rate of new technologies being adapted for personal and social applications has risen exponentially and has led humanity to move ahead in accord with futuristic years. We have now risen from the survival stage and have moved...

• Biomedical Engineering
• Regeneration

Analysis of Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research has been a debatable topic for several years. There are several pros and cons that should be considered in the medical field. Some pros include curing and treating certain diseases, aiding in the improvement of organ function, and preventing organ rejection for...

• Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research: Accomplishments and Debate

Stewart Sell, a senior scientist at Ordway Cancer Research Institute, said, “In the beginning there is the stem cell; it is the origin of an organism's life. It is a single cell that can give rise to progeny that differentiate into any of the specialized...

Aptazyme-Embedded Guide Rnas For Genome Editing

In few years ago, researches in synthetic biology and biotechnology have evolved rapidly and their application for bioengineering are tangible breakthroughs achieved nowadays to meet human needs. CRISPR technology is among current useful biotechnology tool used in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms for gene editing intention...

• Modern Technology

Michio Kaku Documentary: A Growing Role of Biotech Revolution

A Bio-Tech Revolution is on the rise as mentioned by Michio Kaku in his Documentary with BBC FOUR entitled Biotech Revolution. A merger between Biology and Technology ranging from Medicine down to the very essence of life, genetics. The documentary was an eye-opening experience to...

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Thermal Management In Biological Wireless Sensor Networks

They are the type of wireless networks that are basically composed of biological sensors which are basically implanted in the bodies of animals and humans and control their biological body movements and are monitored by scientists who determine their body language and the body system....

Current Development And Future Of Space Biotechnology

Space biotechnology is a promising field which is growing at a fast pace for the advancement of space exploration using tools of biotechnology. Since the installment of the International Space Station ISS back in 1998, many laboratory components have been built to carry out experiments...

• Space Exploration

Detrimental Effects Of Indiscriminate Use Of Manureson On Soil Microbes

In present day agricultural practices indiscriminate use of manures, particularly the N and phosphorus, have led to substantial contamination of soil, air and water. Massive use of these manures, other than organic or biomanure or bacterial fertilizer showed detrimental effects on soil microbes, affects the...

• Microbiology

Discussion On Biotechnology And Gene Research

This discussion is on biotechnology and gene research, what are main goals for accomplishing this and will it change the pharmacy industry today. In doing this research, we are to give reasons why or why not in these areas. What exactly is biotechnology? It’s basically...

• Genetic Engineering

The Concept Of Plant Biotechnology

Key words: Phylogeny, Taxonomy, Biodiversity, Plant Biotechnology, plant Genetic engineering, Benefits, Bioinformatics, Plant breeding, Plant GMO, benefits of plant GMO, Plant reproduction, Edible plants. Report Phylogeny is the evolutionary tree that connects numerous different biological species under one common ancestor. It is constructed based on...

The Peculiarities Of Sri Lankan Crop Cultivation

Introduction Being an agricultural based country, Sri Lankan crop cultivation faces several challenges due to its specific climatic conditions. Prolonged seasonal lack of rainfall is one of such major abiotic stresses affecting plant growth and reducing crop productivity. The development of molecular cloning techniques has...

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6 expert essays on the future of biotech

Big data, big potential in the field of biotech Image:  Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

What exactly is biotechnology, and how could it change our approach to human health?

As the age of big data transforms the potential of this emerging field, members of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Biotechnology tell you everything you need to know.

Elizabeth Baca, Specialist Leader, Deloitte Consulting, and former Deputy Director, California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research & Elizabeth O’Day, Founder, Olaris, Inc

What if your doctor could predict your heart attack before you had it – and prevent it? Or what if we could cure a child’s cancer by exploiting the bacteria in their gut?

These types of biotechnology solutions aimed at improving human health are already being explored. As more and more data (so called “big data") is available across disparate domains such as electronic health records, genomics, metabolomics , and even life-style information, further insights and opportunities for biotechnology will become apparent. However, to achieve the maximal potential both technical and ethical issues will need to be addressed.

As we look to the future, let’s first revisit previous examples of where combining data with scientific understanding has led to new health solutions.

Biotechnology is a rapidly changing field that continues to transform both in scope and impact. Karl Ereky first coined the term biotechnology in 1919. However, biotechnology’s roots trace back to as early as the 1600s when a Prussian physician, Georg Ernst Stahl, pioneered a new fermentation technology referred to as “zymotechnology.”

Over the next few centuries, “biotechnology” was primarily focused on improving fermentation processes to make alcohol and later food production. With the discovery of penicillin, new applications emerged for human health. In 1981, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defined biotechnology as, “the application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing of materials by biological agents to provide the goods and services.”

Today, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) defines biotechnology as “technology based on biology - biotechnology harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health of our planet.

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, biotechnology is poised for its next transformation. It is estimated that between 2010 and 2020 there will be a 50-fold growth of data .

Just a decade ago, many did not even see a need for a smart phone, whereas today, each click, step we take, meal we eat, and more is documented, logged and analyzed on a level of granularity not possible a decade ago.

Concurrent with the collection of personal data, we are also amassing a mountain of biological data (such as genomics, microbiome, proteomics, exposome, transcriptome, and metabolome). This biological-big-data coupled with advanced analytical tools has led to a deeper understanding about fundamental human biology. Further, digitization is revolutionizing health care, allowing for patient reported symptoms, feelings, health outcomes and records such as radiographs and pathology images to be captured as mineable data.

As these datasets grow and have the opportunity to be combined, what is the potential impact to biotechnology and human health? And better still, what is the impact on individual privacy?

Disclaimer: The authors above do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of the organizations with which they are affiliated.

Daniel Heath, Senior Lecturer in the University of Melbourne's Department of Biomedical Engineering & Elizabeth Baca & Elizabeth O’Day

One of the most fundamental and powerful data sets for human health is the human genome. DNA is our biological instruction set composed of billions of repeating chemical groups (thymine, adenine, guanine, and cytosine) that are connected to form a code. A person’s genome is the complete set of his or her DNA code, ie the complete instructions to make that individual.

DNA acts as a template to produce a separate molecule called RNA through the process of transcription. Many RNA molecules in turn act as a template for the production of proteins, a process referred to as translation. These proteins then go on to carry out many of the fundamental cellular tasks required for life. Therefore any unwanted changes in DNA can have downstream effects on RNA and proteins. This can have little to no effect or result in a wide range of diseases such as Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anaemia, and many more.

Genomic sequencing involves mapping the complete set, or part of individual’s DNA code. Being able to detect unwanted changes in DNA not only provides powerful insight to understand disease but can also lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

The first human genome sequence was finished in 2003, took 13 years to complete, and cost billions of dollars. Today due to biotech and computational advancements, sequencing a person’s genome costs approximately $1,000 and can be completed in about a day.

Important milestones in the history of genomics

1869 - DNA was first identified

1953 - Structure of DNA established

1977 - DNA Sequencing by chemical degradation

1986 - The first semi-automated DNA sequencing machine produced

2003 - Human genome project sequenced first entire genome at the cost of $3 billion

2005 - Canada launches personal genome project

2007 - 23andMe markets first direct to consumer genetic testing for ancestry of autosomal DNA

2008 - First personal genome sequenced

2012 - England launched (and finished in 2018) 100K genome project

2013 - Saudi Arabia launched the Saudi Human Genome Program

2015 - US launched plan to sequence one million genomes

2015 - Korea launched plan to sequence 10K genomes

2016 - US launched All of Us Research cohort to enroll one million or more participants to collect lifestyle, environment, genetic, and biologic data

2016 - China launched the Precision Medicine initiative with 60 billion RMB

2016 - France started Genomic Medicine 2025 Project

Treatments available today due to DNA technology

Knowing the structure and function of DNA has also enabled us to develop breakthrough biotechnology solutions that have greatly improved the quality of life of countless individuals. A few examples include:

Genetic screenings for diseases. An individual can scan his or her DNA code to look for known mutations linked to disease. Newborns are often screened at birth to identify treatable genetic disorders. For instance, all newborns in the US are screened for a disease called severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Individuals with this genetic disease lack a fully functional immune system and usually die within a year, if not treated. However, due to regular screenings, these newborns can receive a bone marrow transplant, which has a more than 90% of success rate to treat SCID. A well-known example in adults is screening women for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes as risk factor for developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer.

Recombinant protein production. This technology allows scientists to introduce human genes into microorganisms to produce human proteins that can be introduced back to patients to carry out vital functions. In 1978, the company Genentech developed a process to recombinantly produce human insulin, a protein needed to regulate blood glucose. Recombinant insulin is still used to treat diabetes.

CAR T cells . CAR T cell therapy is a technique to help your immune system recognize and kill cancer cells. Immune cells, called T-cells, from a cancer patient are isolated and genetically engineered to express receptors that allow them to identify cancer cells. When these modified T cells are put back into the patient they can help find and kill the cancer cells. Kymriah, used to treat a type of leukemia, and Yescarta, used to treat a type of lymphoma are examples of FDA approved CAR T cell treatments.

Gene therapy. The goal of gene therapy is to replace a missing or defective gene with a normal one to correct the disorder. The first in vivo gene therapy drug, Luxterna, was approved by the FDA in 2017 to treat an inherited degenerative eye disease called Leber’s congenital amaurosis.

Disclaimer: The authors above do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of the organizations with which they are affiliated .

Frontiers in DNA technology

Our understanding of genetic data continues to lead to new and exciting technologies with the potential to revolutionize and improve our health outcomes. A few examples being developed are described below.

Organoids for drug screening . Organoids are miniature and simplified organs that can be developed outside the body with a defined genome. Organoid systems may one day be used to discover new drugs, tailor treatments to a particular person’s disease or even as treatments themselves.

CRISPR-Cas9 . This is a form of gene therapy - also known as genetic engineering - where the genome is cut at a desired location and existing genes can either be turned off or modified. Animal models have shown that this technique has great promise in the treatment of many hereditary diseases such as sickle cell disease, haemophilia, Huntington’s disease, and more.

We believe sequencing will become a mainstay in the future of human health.

While genomic data is incredibly insightful, it is important to realize, genomics rarely tells the complete story.

Except for rare cases, just because an individual has a particular genetic mutation does not mean they will develop a disease. Genomics provides information on “what could happen” to an individual. Additional datasets such the microbiome, metabolome, lifestyle data and others are needed to answer what will happen.

Elizabeth O’Day & Elizabeth Baca

The microbiome is sometimes referred to as the 'essential organ', the'forgotten organ', our 'second genome' or even our 'second brain'. It includes the catalog of approximately 10-100 trillion microbial cells (bacteria, archea, fungi, virus and eukaryotic microbes) and their genes that reside in each of us. Estimates suggest we have 150 times more microbial DNA from more than 10,000 different species of known bacteria than human DNA.

Microbes reside everywhere (mouth, stomach, intestinal tract, colon, skin, genitals, and possibly even the placenta). The function of the microbiome differs according to different locations in the body and with different ages, sexes, races and diets of the host. Bacteria in the gut digest foods, absorb nutrients, and produce beneficial products that would otherwise not be accessible. In the skin, microbes provide a physical barrier protecting against foreign pathogens through competitive exclusion, and production of antimicrobial substances. In addition, microbes help regulate and influence the immune system. When there is an imbalance in the microbiome, known as dysbiosis, disease can develop. Chronic diseases such as obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, alcoholic liver disease (ALD), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and other conditions are linked to improper microbiome functioning.

Milestones in our understanding of the microbiome

1680s - Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek compared his oral and fecal microbiota. He noted striking differences in microbes between these two habitats and also between samples from individuals in different states of health.

1885 - Theodor Escherich first describes and isolates Escherichia coli (E. coli) from the feces of newborns in Germany

1908 - Elie Metchnikoff, Russian zoologist, theorized health could be enhanced and senility delayed by bacteria found in yogurt

1959 - Germ-free animals (mice, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and chicks) reared in stainless steel in plastic housing to study the effects of health in microbe-free environments

1970 - Dr. Thomas D. Luckey estimates 100 billion colonies of microbes in one gram of human intestinal fluid or feces.

1995 - Craig Venter and a team of researchers sequence the genome of bacterium Haemophilus influenza, making it the first organism to have its genome completely sequenced.

1996 - The first human fecal sample is sequenced using 16S rRNA sequencing.

2001- Scientist Joshua Lederberg credited with coining term “microbiome”.

2005 - Researchers identify bacteria in amniotic fluid of babies born via C-section

2006- First metagenomic analysis of the human gut microbiome is conducted

2007- NIH sponsored Human Microbiome Project (HMP) launches a study to define how the microbial species affect humans and their relationships to health

2009- First microbiome study showing an association between gut microbiome in lean and obese adults

2011- German researchers identify 3 enterotypes in the human gut microbiome: Baceroids, Prevotella, and Ruminococcus

2011- Gosalbes performed the first metatransciptomic analysis of healthy human gut microbiota

2012 - HMP unveils first “map” of microbes inhabiting healthy humans. Results generated from 80 collaborating scientific institutions found more than 10,000 microbial species occupy the human ecosystem, comprising trillions of cells and making up 1-3% of the body’s mass.

2012 - American Gut Project founded, providing an open-to-the-public platform for citizen scientists seeking to analyze their microbiome and compare it to the microbiomes of others.

2014 - The Integrative Human Microbiome Project (iHMP), begins with goal of studying 3 microbiome-associated conditions.

2016 - The Flemish Gut Flora Project, one of the world’s largest population-wide studies on variations in gut microbiota publishes analysis on more than 1,100 human stool samples.

2018 - The American Gut Project publishes the largest study to date on the microbiome. The results include microbial sequence data from 15,096 samples provided by11,336 participants across the US, UK, Australia and 42 other countries.

What solutions are alre ady (or could be) derived from this dataset?

Biotechnology solutions based off microbiome data have already been developed or are in the process of development. A few key examples are highlighted below:

Probiotics . Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that may prevent or treat certain disease. They were first theorized in 1908 and are now a common food additive. From yogurts to supplements, various probiotics are available for purchase in grocery stores and pharmacies, claiming various benefits. For example probiotic VSL#3 has been shown to reduce liver disease severity and hospitalization in patients with cirrhosis.

Diagnostics . Changes in composition of particular microbes are noted as potential biomarkers. An example includes the ratio of Bifidobacterium to Enterobacteriaceae know as the B/E ratio. A B/E greater than 1 suggests a healthy microbiome and a B/E less than 1 could suggest cirrhosis or particular types of infection.

Fecal Microbiome transplantation (FMT). Although not FDA-approved, fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT) is a widely used method where a fecal preparation from a healthy stool donor is transplanted into the colon of patient via colonoscopy, naso-enteric tube, or capsules. FMT has been used to treat Clostridium difficile infections with 80-90% cure rates (far better efficacy than antibiotics).

Therapeutics. The microbiome dataset is also producing several innovative therapies. Development of bacteria consortia and single strains (both natural and engineered) are in clinical development. Efforts are also underway to identify and isolate microbiome metabolites with important function, such as the methicillin-resistant antibiotics that were identified by primary sequencing of the human gut microbiome.

By continuing to build the microbiome dataset and expand our knowledge of host-microbiome interactions, we may be able correct various states of disease and improve human health.

Pam Randhawa, CEO and founder of Empiriko Corporation, Andrew Steinberg, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University, Elizabeth Baca & Elizabeth O’Day

For centuries, physicians were limited by the data they were able to obtain via external examination of an individual patient or an autopsy.

More recently, technological advancements have enabled clinicians to identify and monitor internal processes which were previously hidden within living patients.

One of the earliest examples of applied technology occurred in the 1890s when German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered the potential medical applications of X-rays.

Since that time, new technologies have expanded clinical knowledge in imaging, genomics, biomarkers, response to medications, and the microbiome. Collectively, this extended database of high quality, granular information has enhanced the physician’s diagnostic capabilities and has translated into improved clinical outcomes.

Today’s clinicians increasingly rely on medical imaging and other technology- based diagnostic tools to non-invasively look below the surface to monitor treatment efficacy and screen for pathologic processes, often before clinical symptoms appear.

In addition, the clinician’s senses can be extended by electronic data capture systems, IVRS, wearable devices, remote monitoring systems, sensors and iPhone applications. Despite access to this new technology, physicians continue to obtain a patient’s history in real-time followed by a hands-on assessment of physical findings, an approach which can be limited by communication barriers, time, and the physician’s ability to gather or collate data.

One of the largest examples of clinical data collection, integration and analysis occurred in the 1940s with the National Heart Act which created the National Heart Institute and the Framingham Heart Study. The Framingham Original Cohort was started in 1948 with 5,209 men and women between the ages of 30-62 with no history of heart attack or stroke.

Over the next 71 years, the study evolved to gather clinical data for cardiovascular and other medical conditions over several generations. Prior to that time the concepts of preventive medicine and risk factors (a term coined by the Framingham study) were not part of the medical lexicon. The Framingham study enabled physicians to harness observations gathered from individuals’ physical examination findings, biomarkers, imaging and other physiologic data on a scale which was unparalleled.

The adoption of electronic medical records helped improve data access, but in their earliest iterations only partially addressed the challenges of data compartmentalization and interoperability (silos).

Recent advances in AI applications, EMR data structure and interoperability have enabled clinicians and researchers to improve their clinical decision making. However, accessibility, cost and delays in implementing global interoperability standards have limited data accessibility from disparate systems and have delayed introduction of EMRs in some segments of the medical community.

To this day, limited interoperability, the learning curve and costs associated with implementation are cited as major contributors to physician frustration, burnout and providers retiring early from patient care settings.

However, an interoperability platform known as Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR, pronounced "FIRE") is being developed to exchange electronic health records and unlock silos. The objective of FHIR is to facilitate interoperability between legacy health care systems. The platform facilitates easier access to health data on a variety of devices (e.g., computers, tablets, cell phones), and allows developers to provide medical applications which can be easily integrated into existing systems.

As the capacity to gather information becomes more meaningful, the collection, integration, analysis and format of clinical data submission requires standardization. In the late 1990s, the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) was formed “to develop and support global, platform-independent data standards which enable information system interoperability to improve medical research”. Over the past several years, CDISC has developed several models to support the organization of clinical trial data.

Milestones in the discovery/development of clinical data and technologies

500BC - The world's first clinical trial recorded in the “Book of Daniel” in The Bible

1747 - Lind’s Scurvy trial which contained most characteristics of a controlled trial

1928 - American College of Surgeons sought to improve record standards in clinical settings

1943 - First double blinded controlled trial of patulin for common cold (UK Medical Research Council)

1946 - First randomized controlled trial of streptomycin in pulmonary tuberculosis conducted (UK Medical Research Council)

1946 - American physicists Edward Purcell and Felix Bloch independently discover nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).

1947 - First International guidance on the ethics of medical research involving human subjects – Nuremberg Code

1955 - Scottish physician Ian Donald begins to investigate the use of gynecologic ultrasound.

1960 - First use of endoscopy to examine a patient’s stomach.

1964 - World Medical Association guidelines on use of human subjects in medical research (Helsinki Declaration)

1967 - 1971 - English electrical engineer Godfrey Hounsfield conceives the idea for computed tomography. First CT scanner installed in Atkinson Morley Hospital, Wimbledon, England. First patient brain scan performed - October 1971.

1972 - First Electronic Health Record designed

1973 - American chemist Paul Lauterbur produces the first magnetic resonance image (MRI) using nuclear magnetic resonance data and computer calculations of tomography.

1974 - American Michael Phelps develops the first positron emission tomography (PET) camera and the first whole-body system for human and animal studies.

1977 - First MRI body scan is performed on a human using an MRI machine developed by American doctors Raymond Damadian, Larry Minkoff and Michael Goldsmith.

1990 - Ultrasound becomes a routine procedure to check fetal development and diagnose abnormalities.

Early-Mid 1990 - Development of electronic data capture (EDC) system for clinical trials (electronic case report forms)

1996 - International Conference on Harmonization published Good Clinical Practice which has become the universal standard for ethical conduct of clinical trials.

Late 1990s - The Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) was formed with the mission “to develop and support global, platform-independent data standards that enable information system interoperability to improve medical research”

2009 - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 passed including $19.2 Billion of funding for hospitals and physicians to adopt EHRs

2014 - HL-7 International published FHIR as a "Draft Standard for Trial Use" (DSTU)

Emerging Solutions

The convergence of scientific knowledge, robust clinical data, and engineering in the digital age has resulted in the development of dynamic healthcare technologies which allow for earlier and more accurate disease detection and therapeutic efficacy in individuals and populations.

The emergence of miniaturized technologies such as handheld ultrasound, sleep tracking, cardiac monitoring and lab-on-a-chip technologies will likely accelerate this trend. Among the most rapidly evolving fields in data collection, has been in clinical laboratory medicine where continuous point-of-care testing, portable mass spectrometers, flow analysis, PCR, and use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for pathogen identification provide insight into numerous clinically relevant biomarkers.

Coupled with high resolution and functional medical imaging the tracking of these biomarkers gives a metabolic fingerprint of disease, thereby opening a new frontier in “Precision Medicine”.

Beyond these capabilities, artificial intelligence (AI) applications are being developed to leverage the sensory and analytic capabilities of humans via medical image reconstruction and noise reduction. AI solutions for computer-aided detection and radiogenomics enable clinicians to better predict risk and patient outcomes.

These technologies stratify patients into cohorts for more precise diagnosis and treatment. As AI technology evolves, the emergence of the “virtual radiologist” could become a reality. Since the humans cannot gather, collate and quickly analyze this volume of granular information, these innovations will replace time-intensive data gathering with more cost-effective analytic approaches to clinical decision-making.

As the population ages and lives longer, increasing numbers of people will be impacted by multiple chronic conditions which will be treated contemporaneously with multiple medications. Optimally these conditions will be monitored at home or in another remote setting outside of a hospital.

Platforms are under development where the next generation of laboratory technologies will be integrated into an interoperable system which includes miniaturized instruments and biosensors. This will be coupled with AI driven clinical translation models to assess disease progression and drug effectiveness.

This digital data will be communicated in real time to the patient’s electronic medical record. This type of system will shift clinical medicine from reactive to proactive care and provide more precise clinical decision-making.

With this enhanced ability to receive more granular, high quality clinical information comes an opportunity and a challenge. In the future, the ability to leverage the power of computational modeling, artificial intelligence will facilitate a logarithmic explosion of clinically relevant correlations.

This will enable discovery of new therapies and novel markers which will empower clinicians to more precisely manage risk for individuals and populations. This form of precision medicine and predictive modeling will likely occur across the disease timeline, potentially even before birth.

Stakeholders will need to pay close attention to maintaining the privacy and security of patient data as it moves across different platforms and devices.

However, the potential benefits of this interoperability far outweigh the risks. This will raise a host of ethical questions, but also the potential for a series of efficiencies which will make healthcare more accessible and affordable to a greater number of people.

Jessica Shen, Vice President at Royal Philips, Elizabeth Baca & Elizabeth O’Day

In medicine and public health there is often tension between the effect of genetics verses the effect of the environment, and which plays a bigger role in health outcomes. But rather than an either or approach, science supports that both factors are at play and contribute to health and disease.

For instance, one can be genetically at risk for diabetes, but with excellent diet and exercise and a healthy lifestyle, the disease can still be avoided.

In fact, many people who are newly diabetic or pre-diabetic can reverse the course of their disease through lifestyle modifications. Alternatively, someone at risk of asthma who is exposed to bad air quality can go on to develop the disease, but then become relatively asymptomatic in an environment with less triggers.

The growing literature on the importance of lifestyle, behaviours, stressors, social, economic, and environmental factors, (the latter also known as the social determinants of health), have been relatively hard to capture for real time clinical information.

It has been especially challenging to integrate all of the data together for better insight. However, that is changing. In this new data frontier, the growth of data in the lifestyle and environment area offer huge potential to bridge gaps, increase understanding of health in daily life, and tailor treatments for a precision health approach.

1881 - Blood pressure cuff invented

2010 - Asthmapolis founded with sensor to track environmental data on Asthma/COPD rescue inhalers

2011 - First digital FDA blood pressure cuff approved and links to digital phone

2012 - AliveCor receives FDA approval for EKG monitor with Iphone

2017 - 325,000 mobile health apps

2017 - FDA releases Digital Health Innovation Action Plan

2018 - FDA approves first continuous glucose monitor via implantable sensor and mobile app interface

What are some of the benefits suggested with the use of lifestyle data?

Mobile technology has enabled more continuous monitoring in daily life outside of the clinic and in real world settings. As an example the traditional blood pressure cuff invented over 130 years ago was only updated in the last decade to allow remote readings which are digitally captured.

Sensors are now being included to measure environmental factors such as air quality, humidity, and temperature. Other innovations are allowing mood to be captured in real time, brain waves for biofeedback, and other biometrics to improve fitness, nutrition, sleep, and even fertility.

The personal analytics capabilities of devices designed to collect lifestyle data can contribute to health by aiding preventive care and help with the management of ongoing health problems.

Identification of health problems through routine monitoring may evolve into a broad system encompassing many physiologic functions; such as:

• sleep disturbances (severe snoring; apnea)
• neuromuscular conditions (identification of early Parkinson’s with the analysis of muscular motion)
• cardiac problems such as arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation
• sensors to detect early Alzheimer’s disease via voice changes

The Apple Watch has provided documentation on the use of the device for arrhythmia detection, the series 4 version can generate a ECG similar to a Lead 1 electrocardiogram; claims related to these functions were cleared by FDA (Class II, de Novo). Additional wearable technologies are likely to incorporate such functions in the future.

The instant feedback available with the use of a wearable sensory device can serve as an aid to the management of many chronic conditions including but not limited to diabetes, pulmonary problems, and hypertension.

Many studies have documented the cardiovascular benefits of life-long physical activity. Several biotechnology solutions, designed to track activity with analytical feedback tools provide the opportunity to encourage physical activity to promote health, perhaps even modifying behaviour. A Cochrane Review (Bravata, 2007. PMID 18029834) concluded there was short-term evidence of significant physical activity increase and associated health improvement with the use of a pedometer to increase activity. The feedback associated with today’s data driven health improvement applications should increase the effectiveness over a simple mechanical pedometer. Studies are underway in multiple settings to support the use of activity trackers and feedback-providing analysis tools as beneficial to longer-term health.

Use in research settings

In many circumstances, the collection of clinical data for a formal trial or for use in longitudinal studies is facilitated by direct observation as provided by a network-attached sensor system.

What may future developments support?

The development of ‘smart clothing’ and wearable tech-enabled jewellery as well as implantable devices will lead to less obtrusive observation instruments recording many more physiological indicators.

Wireless networking, both fixed and mobile, continue their stepwise jumps in speed and this capacity growth (5G and Wifi-6 with megabit internet) will support massive increases in the volume of manageable data.

Connecting sensor derived observations to other indicators of health such as medical history and genetics will further expand our understanding of disease and how to live our most healthy lives.

However, for this potential to be realized significant technical and ethical issues must first be addressed.

Elissa Prichep, Precision Medicine Lead at the World Economic Forum, Elizabeth Baca & Elizabeth O’Day

The Global Future Council on biotechnology has examined the exponential growth of data across different areas which has lead to breakthrough technologies transforming human health and medicine. Yet let us be clear: it was not some abstract understanding of data that lead to these solutions, it was real data, derived from real individuals, individuals like you. Your data, or data from someone like you, led to those solutions. Did you know that? Did you consent to that?

We believe individuals should feel empowered by contributing to these datasets. You are changing human health- there’s perhaps nothing more important. However, in going through this analysis we were repeatedly concerned about the whether the individuals (“data-contributors”) were properly informed or consented by “data collectors” to use their data?

As we have documented here, amazing, breakthrough technologies and medicines can arise from these datasets. However, there are nefarious situations that could develop as well.

We believe new norms between "data-collectors" and "data contributors"need to be established if we want data to continue to drive the development of biotech solutions to improve human health.

How we think about privacy will change

Although the emergence of digital data through electronic health records, mobile applications, cloud storage and more have had great benefits, there are also privacy risks.

The identification of parties associated with ‘anonymous’ data becomes more likely as more sophisticated algorithms are developed; data that is secure and private today may not be so in the future. Data privacy concerns and data theft along with device hacking are a serious concern today and will only become more so as the volume and types of data collected increase.

As more data is combined, there is a greater risk of reidentification or privacy breaches. For example, when a Harvard professor was able to reidentify more than 40% of the participants in the anonymous genetic study, The Personal Genome Project.

Additionally, as other types of data are added in for health purposes, in retail for example, there is the risk that reidentification can expose private health details, for example when Target identified the pregnancy of a teenage girl to her family.

There must be value from these solutions to entertain the risks associated with combining the data. Integrating patient and participants at the centre of design ensures informed consent and a better likelihood of value that balances the risks and trade-offs.

Inclusion of diverse populations is important for the new insights to have a positive impact

The benefits and risks a patient can expect from an intervention can depend heavily on that person’s unique biological make-up. A 2015 study found that roughly 20% of new drugs approved in the previous six years demonstrated different responses across different racial and ethnic groups.

However, therapeutics are often put on the market without an understanding of the variability in efficacy and safety across patients because that is not assessed in clinical trials, either due to lack of diversity in the trial, lack of asking the right questions, or both. In the US, it is estimated that 80-90% of clinical trial participants are white despite FDA efforts to expand recruitment.

Without an intentional effort, the amassed new knowledge through biotech solutions, if not done with a diverse population, will not yield accurate insight. If the biotech solutions are not representative of the population, there is the potential to increase health disparities.

For example, genetic studies incorrectly inferred an increased risk of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy for African Americans since the genetic insights were largely gathered from anglo populations.

There are many reasons that participation has been so low in research, but authentic engagement, understanding the historical context, and intentionally funding research to increase participation and improve diversity in translational efforts are already on their way such as the All of Us Cohort and the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine.

Inclusive participation will help understand where people truly are in their health journey

In the clinical setting, patient centeredness also needs to occur. Healthy individuals are amassing more and more data about themselves and patients with chronic disease are also starting to rely on applications to track everything from sleep to environmental exposures to mood, but this is currently not used to increase insight for health and illness.

As patients and healthy people take charge of their data, it can only be used if they agree to share it. As biotech solutions are developed, integrating data across all the various areas will be vital to truly have an impact.

Next Steps in Biotech Health Solutions

At the start of this series, we asked: what if your doctor could predict your heart attack before you had it? Research is underway to do just that through combining data from the proteome, patient reported symptoms, and biosensors.

Big data analysis is also already yielding new leads to paediatric cancer when looking at the genetic information of tumors. In the future, this is likely to move beyond better treatment to better prevention and earlier detection. And in the case where treatment is needed, a more tailored option could be offered.

The impact of this data on improved health is exciting and impacts each of us. As data grows, increased understanding does as well. Each of us has the opportunity to be a partner in the new data frontier.

References:

- History of ‘Biotechnogy.’ Nature article Feb 1989 - Allan T. Bull, Geoffrey Holt, and Malcolm D. Lilly, Biotechnology: International Trends and Perspectives (Paris: OECD, 1982) - https://www.bio.org/what-biotechnology - https://insidebigdata.com/2017/02/16/the-exponential-growth-of-data/ - Goodrich, et al. 2014. Human genetics shapes the gut microbiome. Cell. 159(4): 789-99. - https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/traits/longevity - https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamtanner/2013/04/25/harvard-professor-re-identifies-anonymous-volunteers-in-dna-study/#203da9c992c9 - https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/06/big-data-whats-even-creepier-than-target-guessing-that-youre-pregnant.html - https://www.healio.com/cardiology/genetics-genomics/news/online/%7B006969bb-6ca2-44aa-843a-31c12874b0dc%7D/genetic-tests-may-be-misdiagnosing-hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy-in-black-americans - http://opr.ca.gov/ciapm/ https://allofus.nih.gov - http://opr.ca.gov/ciapm/ - http://opr.ca.gov/ciapm/projects/2016/Early_Prediction_Cardiovascular_Events.html - http://opr.ca.gov/ciapm/projects/2015/California_Kids_Cancer_Comparison.html

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Biotechnology Essay Examples

Overview of currently emerging biotechnologies.

Emerging nanoparticles therapeutics: Advanced diagnostic methods will provide the information that will allow new intervention strategies to provide new therapeutics. Nanotechnology is providing new types of therapeutics for cancer. Most of the patients are died from drug resistance and metastasis disease. So the ultimate goal...

Biotechnology Applications Shown in the Film Gattaca

Biotechnology is the use of technology and organisms to produce useful products. While watching GATTACA, there were different types of ways biotechnology were used in the films. Three biotechnology applications shown in the film were Genetic Engineering, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, and DNA Fingerprint scanners. While...

Biotechnology Lab Report on E.coli

Biotechnology has been used to produce more food like wine and cheese, but recent years of biotechnology has been so advanced that provides products like vaccines detergents and drugs. Bacterial transformation is a form a biotechnology. For this lab we used a common bacteria in...

Artificial Cell: Lab-grown Meat

Artificial cells have drawn the attention out of the natural cells nowadays. Many types and forms of artificial cells have been discussed. In 1957, the use of artificial cells has first been discovered; the number of availability of methods in uses has increased. Therefore, we...

Pros and Cons of Food Additives in Food Biotechnology

By the end of the 21st century, biotechnology is likely to touch the lives of most peoples through its application in areas such as food production and medicine. Food biotechnology as applied to food production in most developing countries makes use of microbial inoculants to...

A Literature Survey on Image and Object Recognition Using Convolutional Neural Networks in Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous cars have the potential to solve traffic problems such as accidents and congestion using cognition with the help of CNN’s. However in the current scenario complete autonomy is still to be achieved. Although today’s CNN’s have brought us closer to autonomy than ever before....

Will Biotechnology and Nutrigenomics Make an Important Difference to Health of the Public?

The principles of public health nutrition have gone widely unchanged for the past fifty years. The aim of public health nutrition has been to “develop population based strategies to promote good health through healthy diets”. Public health nutrition has the potential for improvement by incorporating...

Neuroprosthetics Technology to Replace Torn Meniscus by Neural Implants

Neuroprosthetics is a combination of neuroscience and biomedical engineering. Neural prostheses is used to replace a missing biological functionality by using neural implants. Throughout the years it has been discovered that the technology is becoming way more advanced. This makes it easier for people with...

Lab Report on the Effects of Bacterial Transformation on E. Coli Bacterium

Bacterial transformation is a form of biotechnology. It involves manipulating organisms for products and other purposes such as medication. Over the years, biotechnology has undergone what can only be called, a scientific revolution. It has led to vaccines being made in large amounts, healthier foods,...

How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Drug Discovery

The massive advances humans have made in the medical field are prominent. We have developed and created medicine, treatments, and vaccinations that keep human life-expectancy high. But, these advances come at a high price. A massive amount of money is required to conduct researches, trials,...

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