Biotechnology refers to any technological application that uses biological systems and living organisms (or their derivatives) for the creation or modification of products for specific uses, generally of human interest.
Thus, this scientific discipline has allowed and continues to allow human beings to modify their environment to maximize the number of resources they obtain from it. Although it is a foreign term for the general population, biotechnology accompanies us at all times, because, for example, food engineering allows fresh meat and vegetables to arrive on our plates every day.
What is biotechnology? an ancient tool
Although the term biotechnology (bio: life, techne: skill, logy: science, dissecting the Latin root of the word) sounds like science fiction or a very advanced society, it is something that has been done for thousands of years. Within its most classic meaning, obtaining wine, beer or bread are biotechnological processes in themselves, since they use microorganisms to obtain a new product based on chemical fermentation.
Even so, it is a term that requires certain considerations to be fully understood. According to the “Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety of the Convention on Biological Biodiversity”, modern biotechnology comprises the following processes:
- In vitro techniques (in a laboratory environment) of nucleic acid, including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and direct injection of nucleic acid into cells and organelles.
- The fusion of cells that overcomes the taxonomic barrier, going beyond the natural physiological barriers of reproduction or genetic recombination.
So, as you may have guessed at this point, the GM foods that are so fashionable today are a direct product of biotechnological processes . This gives rise to “living modified organisms”, which are defined by the aforementioned protocol as follows:
“A living modified organism means any living organism that possesses a new combination of genetic material that has been obtained through the application of modern biotechnology.”
Still, this technology does not shine only in the field of genetic engineering. Obtaining antibiotics thanks to the research and modification of bacterial strains, the development of vaccines against viral agents or synthetic biology itself (obtaining organisms with functions that are not observed in nature) are widely based on this scientific discipline.
- We recommend you read: “What is gene therapy? What is it for?”
branches of biotechnology
Although it seems that we have reduced this space to a preschool lesson, one of the most effective ways to differentiate the uses of biotechnology in modern society is based on its color distinction. As absurd as it sounds, let’s get to it:
- Red : the application of this technology to medicine. Obtaining vaccines, antibiotics, gene therapy and stem cell research.
- Blue : application in marine environments. That is, maximization of production of aquaculture resources, health care and obtaining compounds.
- Green : applied to obtain agricultural products of plant origin. Here the use and optimization of transgenics shines.
- Blanca : based on the search and optimization of energy and industrial resources. One of its great applications is the reduction of pollution.
- Grey : its purpose is the preservation of the environment. This is by mitigating environmental impacts and correcting them.
- Yellow : focused on understanding and maximizing the nutritional values in foods for human use.
- Black : in charge of combating bioterrorism and its possible effects in times of violence.
In addition to these basic colors, we also find the golden discipline, for example, which is responsible for integrating computer knowledge into biological systems and thus maximizing profit and knowledge, or the orange discipline, responsible for bringing this technology closer to the general population from a friendly informative point of view.
As we can see, we are dealing with a wide spectrum of colors and utilities, but they all have a common purpose: maximizing the obtaining of resources and quality of life and minimizing the damage caused by human beings to the environment that around us.
Practical examples
Many of the uses of biotechnology are widely known in the general population. For example, obtaining insulin for human use to treat diabetes by genetically modifying E.coli bacteria in the 1970s is one of the most notorious cases in the media.
Other uses known to all are the obtaining of transgenic foods . An example of this is golden rice, a genetically modified crop that contains a high concentration of beta-carotene (precursors of vitamin A) to correct nutritional deficiencies in populations of the Global South. The list of GMOs and their potential benefits is nearly endless, and we’ve covered these fronts before, too. Therefore, we are going to take advantage of what is left of space to show a couple of uses of biotechnology that are a little less represented in the general population.
1. Bioremediation
Bioremediation is one of the least known branches of this scientific discipline, since its direct impact is not observed in society or in the consumption chain. It is based on the use of microorganisms and other living organisms with catalytic capacities to degrade toxic compounds in ecosystems . This presents enormous potential in terms of mitigating human contamination.
An example of this is bioleaching, which is based on the use of microorganisms with oxidative metabolism of iron and sulfur capable of solubilizing metals from solid matrices.
- We recommend you read: “What diseases will affect the West due to climate change?”
2. Industrial processes
Another very characteristic example is the use of microorganisms or oxidoreductases (enzymes that catalyze the transfer of electrons from a donor molecule to a recipient) to obtain valuable chemical products or eliminate highly toxic compounds. Thanks to this application, the formation of new materials can be promoted, such as the famous biodegradable plastics or the production of biofuels .
A global vision
As we can see, modern biotechnology tries to have a global impact on three different fronts:
- Nature : it is a technology applicable to sectors such as medicine, pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, food, environment and industrial production.
- Scope – As the number of people on earth increases, the demand for food, health, and natural resource management is amplified.
- Economy : This technology is considered as one of the main engines of economic development at a global level.
Despite the importance of all the fronts mentioned above, it should be noted that the “green” variants of this discipline are the ones that are on the rise at the moment and receive the most interest from the general public. The use of transgenics is subject to questioning and, therefore, it is a very common source of debate and speculation in the collective imagination.
Conclusions
As we have seen in these lines, biotechnology is nothing more than a multidisciplinary figurative “tool”, which integrates currents such as engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and veterinary medicine to maximize the obtaining of resources and human health, without leaving behind the correct development of ecosystems and the mitigation of the possible effects of human beings on natural habitats.
As much as some of the variants of this technological tool are under public scrutiny , it is essential to recognize that without antibiotics, vaccines and discoveries such as recombinant insulin, life expectancy in humans would be much shorter. For this reason, despite the fear generated by the lack of knowledge of the underlying mechanisms that results in products for human consumption, we must trust the medical, health and scientific professionals who use biotechnological tools to improve our quality of life.
Bibliographic references
- What is biotechnology? Association of Biotechnologists of Madrid. Collected on September 6 at https://asbiomad.es/quienes-somos/que-es-biotecnologia
- Beraldo dos Santos Silva, D., Endres da Silva, L., Amaral Crispim, B., Oliveira Vaini, J., Barufatti Grisolia, A., & Pires de Oliveira, KM (2012). Biotechnology applied to food and human health. Chilean journal of nutrition, 39(3), 94-98.
- Cortazar-Martínez, A., González-Ramírez, CA, Coronel-Olivares, C., Escalante-Lozada, JA, Castro-Rosas, J., & Villagómez-Ibarra, JR (2012). Biotechnology applied to the degradation of dyes in the textile industry. University and Science, 28(2), 187-199.
- EL, IDCIP, DE, P., & DE LA BIOTECHNOLOGY, CSS Convention on Biological Diversity.
- Garbisu, C., Amezaga, I., & Alkorta, I. (2002). Bioremediation and ecology. Ecosystems Magazine, 11(3).
- Illanes, A. (2015). Functional foods and biotechnology. Colombian Journal of Biotechnology, 17(1), 5-8.
- Sanchez Montero, JM (2011, December). Biotechnology: present and future. In Annals of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy (Vol. 77, No. 4).
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.