Four Types of Biotechnology: Relation Between Science and Organisms

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The multidisciplinary domain of modern science and technology where organisms or parts of organisms and biological things are utilized for the help and benefit of mankind is called biotechnology. From the process of making soft and fluffy bread to wine, from vaccines to gene therapy and so on all are the result of biotechnological inventions. Let’s talk about the four major fields of biotechnology and learn about their application.

What is Medical Biotechnology:

Medical biotechnology known as red biotechnology combines biology, genetics, chemistry, and engineering to develop new treatments, therapies, and diagnostic tools for various medical conditions. it involves harnessing the power of living organisms, cells, and biomolecules to increase healthcare outcomes. Gene therapy, for instance, holds the promise of treating genetic disorders at their root by modifying or replacing faulty genes. Personalized medicine tailors treatments to individual patients based on their genetic makeup, allowing for more precise and effective interventions.

The increasing population of the world is running out of food which gap is filled by GM-modified crops (ex: golden rise) which term is known as agricultural biotechnology or green biotechnology. It encompasses elements of 

• Convectional plant breeding
• Molecular breeding or molecular-assisted selection
• Tissue culture and micropropagation
• Genetic engineering and GM crops
• Molecular diagnostic tools

Industrial biotechnology or white biotechnology is the fermentation process that is used in the industry to produce various products. When chemical changes occur in organic substances by the action of enzymes and microorganisms, it is called fermentation. By doing this fermentation various products can be obtained such as

• Chemicals
• Food products
• Fuel(biofuels)
• Pharmaceuticals medicine
• polymers

Industrial biotechnology or third-wave biotechnology uses modern applications.

For living people use natural resources in their own way which creates many environmental issues like

• Global Warming
• Land, air, and soil pollution
• Solid waste problem
• Loss of species
• Energy issue

When living organisms are used with the applications of science to solve these environmental issues, it is called environmental biotechnology or gray biotechnology. The scientists call it bioremediation when the micro-organisms are used to prevent this pollution. In situ, and ex situ are two types of bioremediation.

In Situ Bioremediation

 When the pollutant and micro-organism are connected directly to clean up, it is called in situ bioremediation.

Advantages:

1. Low cost.

2. Minimal site disruption.

3. Minimal exposure of public and site personnel.

4. Simultaneous treatment of contaminated water and soil.

Ex Situ Bioremediation

The process of removing the waste materials and collecting it to facilitate microbial degradation is called ex-situ bioremediation. The types are-

• Solid-phase system (including soil piles and land treatment) i.e organic composting.
• Slurry-phase systems (treatment of solid-liquid suspensions in bioreactor.