biotechnology 101

Biotechnology 1.0.1

A QUICK INTRODUCTION

“Biotechnology is the use of biological processes, organisms, or systems to

manufacture products intended to improve

the quality of human life”

Biotechnology is all around us

the invention of turning milk into cheese, pesticides for agriculture, your perfume that smells nice all day long,

washing stains out of your clothes with washing powder

Red Green

White Blue

The discliplines of biotechnology

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/biotechnology

Red biotechnology involves medical processes such as getting organisms to produce new drugs, or using stem cells to regenerate damaged human

tissues and perhaps re-grow entire organs.

Red

Green biotechnology applies to agriculture and involves such processes as the development

of pest-resistant grains or the accelerated evolution of disease-resistant animals

Green

White (also called gray) biotechnology involves industrial processes such as the production of new chemicals or the development of new fuels for vehicles.

White

Blue biotechnology, rarely mentioned, encompasses processes in marine and aquatic

environments, such as controlling the proliferation of noxious water-borne organisms.

Blue

Let´s focus on red biotechnology

Used in biopharma research for the development of new or improved medicines Use of in-house know-how or get contract-based services from biotech companies/research groups

Let´s focus on red biotechnology

Used in biopharma research for the development of new or improved medicines Use of in-house know-how or get contract-based services from biotech companies/research groups

In silico or computational means

“performed on computer or via computer simulation”

Virtual screening

A computational technique used in drug discovery to scan large libraries of small

molecules in order to identify those structures which are most likely to bind to a drug target,

typically a protein receptor or enzyme

How to create new drug treatments

Scientists must identify the molecule — a target — involved in a disease

How to create new drug treatments

Scientists must identify the molecule — a target — involved in a disease Get to know what compound – a lead- fights against the molecules of the disease

How to create new drug treatments

Scientists must identify the molecule — a target — involved in a disease Get to know what compound – a lead- fights against the molecules of the disease Use the molecules in medicines

Lock-key model You have the lock, we offer the key

The key is the substrate, the key hole is the active site and the lock is the enzyme Actually it is like puzzling: finding the right parts to combine them

Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics forms a big part of biotechnology

Use of computer science, mathematics, and information theory to organize and

analyze complex biological data, especially genetic data

Also called biocomputing.

Why?

More, faster, better results Research speeds up

The amount of years usually spent for

research for one new type of drug treatment, is 10 to 15

New drug treatments will be available at an earlier rate

Biotechnology improves the quality of life!

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Biotechnology improves the quality of life!