Biotechnology: Technology of Hope

Biotechnology is known since years which involve working with living cells or using molecules derived from them for applications oriented towards human welfare using technology. The term “biotechnology” was coined by a Hungarian engineer Karl Ereky, in 1919, to refer to the science and methods that facilitate manufacturing of products of biological origin. It is an amalgamation of biology with engineering methods where living organisms are used for production of therapeutics, pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture products. Biotechnological products have capability to substitute every raw material sources in almost all industries. Imagine a genetically engineered microbe with a potential ability to produce an efficient and renewable fuel like Biofuel. This can bring revolution and provide best alternative to non-renewable fossil fuels.

The extent to which the applications of biotechnology will go in the future is very difficult to comment on as Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw MD of leading Biotechnology Company in India also said that “If you think about brewing, it is biotechnology and I would say that I was a technologist at heart. So whether I... fermented beer or whether I fermented enzymes, the base technology was the same.” It is therefore termed as “technology of hope” which impacts human health and our environment.????

Also said by Steve Jobs that “I think the biggest innovations of the 21st century will be at the intersection of biology and technology. A new era is beginning” and we definitely are living in one. But we have travelled a long journey in the discovery and invention in Biotechnology since ancient times to modern era. A journey of going from macroscopic to microscopic life in the decreasing order of size viz. from Cell to Intracellular space to Nucleus to DNA to Genes respectively. So we can now relate to what a philosopher Ryan Bethencourt has said that “Our world is built on biology and once we begin to understand it, it then becomes a technology.” Also an amusing statement by George M. Church makes it easier to understand the benefits of biotechnology “The rewards for biotechnology are tremendous - to solve disease, eliminate poverty, age gracefully. It sounds so much cooler than Facebook.” ?

Germany is a leading force in research worldwide. More than 80 Nobels have been awarded to German scientists. A recent example is the German scientist Benjamin List who won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry yesterday for developing new tools for building molecules that have helped make new drugs and are more environmentally friendly.

Saurabh Patwardhan - who is a passionate biotechnologist, and I will be doing a series of articles on research in Germany in Biotechnology. It will be useful for Indian and German corporates, universities and aspiring scientists in this domain from both the countries.

(Source: NCBI, Lonestar)