Biotechnology

Biotechnology is an application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives of them to develop commercial products.

Applications of Biotechnology

The applications of biotechnology are in four major industrial areas, which include health care i.e. in medical field, crop production and agriculture, non food i.e. industrial uses of crops, and other products such as biodegradable plastics, vegetable oil, biofuels, and environmental uses.

Biotechnology is also used for various other purposes such as to recycle, treat waste, cleanup sites contaminated by industrial activities and are also to produce biological weapons.

For example, application of biotechnology is the directed use of organisms for the manufacture of organic products such as beer.

Branches of biotechnology

Bioinformatics: Is a branch of biotechnology which addresses biological problems by using computational methods. They play a major role in various areas which include functional genomics, structural genomics, and proteomics, and pharmaceutical sector.

Blue biotechnology: Is a branch of biotechnology used to describe the marine and aquatic applications of biotechnology.

Green biotechnology: Is a biotechnology applied to agricultural processes. For example, it is used in the selection and domestication of plants through micropropagation.  

Red biotechnology: Is a biotechnology used in medical processes. For example, it is used in designing of organisms to produce antibiotics.

White biotechnology: It is also known as industrial biotechnology, is used in industrial processes. For example it is used in designing an organism to produce a useful chemical.

As per the reports, there are more than 250 biotechnology health care products and vaccines for previously untreatable diseases such as genetic disorder; AIDS, cancer etc are currently available to patients. As per the analysis, there are more than 13.3 million farmers around the world who use agricultural biotechnology to increase yields, prevent damage from insects and pests and reduce farming's impact on the environment and there are more than 50 bio refineries that are being built across North America to test and refine technologies to produce biofuels and chemicals from renewable biomass, which will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Biotechnology Industry Current Trends

As per the reports given by Global Industry Analysts, the global biotechnology industry is forecast to exceed $320 billion by 2015.

Developing nations, mainly China and India are becoming major markets in the fields of agricultural and industrial biotechnology.  

Major Biotechnology Industry Players

Some of the major biotechnology industry global players include Amgen, Gilead Sciences, Genzyme Corporation, Biogen Idec, Life Technologies, Illumina, Dendreon Corporation, Human Genome Sciences, Cephalon, ShangPharma, Qiagen NV, Talecris Biotherapeuticals, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and Crucell N.V.