1. Historical Development of Biotechnology:
– Biotechnology origins in zymotechnology, focusing on industrial fermentation.
– Key figures like Emil Christian Hansen and Chaim Weizmann contributed to early biotechnological advancements.
– Introduction of the term ‘biotechnology’ by Károly Ereky in 1919.
– Evolution of fermentation technology for large-scale production of compounds like steroids and penicillin.
– Significance of genetic engineering milestones such as the discovery of DNA structure and recombinant DNA technique.
2. Biotechnology Industry Growth and Impact:
– Single-cell protein and gasohol projects addressing world hunger and energy crises.
– Rapid growth of the biotechnology industry in the late 1970s and 1980s.
– Development of genetically engineered drugs and the establishment of organizations like the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).
– Public debates and controversies surrounding genetic engineering and biotechnology.
– Biotechnology’s role in societal solutions like food shortages and pharmaceutical drug development.
3. Environmental Concerns and Biotechnology:
– Closure of paraffin-fed-yeast plants in the USSR and resistance leading to the end of SCP projects.
– Japanese ban on single-cell protein production due to public resistance.
– Public concerns over environmental impacts of biotechnological processes.
– Closure of Soviet Ministry of Microbiological Industry plants due to public environmental concerns.
– Anxiety over petroleum traces and suspicion towards heavy industry.
4. Regulation, Commercialization, and Patents in Biotechnology:
– Implementation of regulations and guidelines for biotechnological research and commercial production.
– Commercial successes like the production of synthetic human insulin and gene patents.
– Financial impacts of the biotechnology industry, including investments and market capitalization.
– Decline in biotechnology investment post-2008 global financial crisis and shifting trends in investment strategies.
– Global trends in biotech investment and revenues, with Latin America experiencing significant growth.
5. Scientific Breakthroughs and Technological Advancements:
– Revolutionary developments in genetic engineering, including the synthesis of life and identification of genetic characteristics with diseases.
– Biosensor technology advancements like MOSFET and BioFETs.
– Contributions of key scientists like Watson, Crick, Cohen, and Boyer to genetic engineering.
– Public skepticism and cultural concerns towards genetic engineering.
– Emphasis on curing diseases and changing phenotypes through genetic engineering.
Biotechnology is the application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing of materials by biological agents to provide goods and services. From its inception, biotechnology has maintained a close relationship with society. Although now most often associated with the development of drugs, historically biotechnology has been principally associated with food, addressing such issues as malnutrition and famine. The history of biotechnology begins with zymotechnology, which commenced with a focus on brewing techniques for beer. By World War I, however, zymotechnology would expand to tackle larger industrial issues, and the potential of industrial fermentation gave rise to biotechnology. However, both the single-cell protein and gasohol projects failed to progress due to varying issues including public resistance, a changing economic scene, and shifts in political power.
Yet the formation of a new field, genetic engineering, would soon bring biotechnology to the forefront of science in society, and the intimate relationship between the scientific community, the public, and the government would ensue. These debates gained exposure in 1975 at the Asilomar Conference, where Joshua Lederberg was the most outspoken supporter for this emerging field in biotechnology. By as early as 1978, with the development of synthetic human insulin, Lederberg's claims would prove valid, and the biotechnology industry grew rapidly. Each new scientific advance became a media event designed to capture public support, and by the 1980s, biotechnology grew into a promising real industry. In 1988, only five proteins from genetically engineered cells had been approved as drugs by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but this number would skyrocket to over 125 by the end of the 1990s.
The field of genetic engineering remains a heated topic of discussion in today's society with the advent of gene therapy, stem cell research, cloning, and genetically modified food. While it seems only natural nowadays to link pharmaceutical drugs as solutions to health and societal problems, this relationship of biotechnology serving social needs began centuries ago.
