Definition of Biotechnology

Biotechnology is a rapidly evolving field that combines biology, microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, and engineering to develop useful products, processes, and technologies for human benefit. It involves the controlled and deliberate use of living organisms, cells, or their components to perform technically useful operations, either for production or as service applications.

Several definitions highlight its scope:

• According to the U.S. National Science Foundation, biotechnology is “the controlled use of biological agents, such as micro-organisms or cellular components, for beneficial use.”
• The European Federation of Biotechnology defines it as “the integrated use of biochemistry, microbiology, and engineering science to achieve technological application of the capabilities of micro-organisms, cultured tissues, cells, and their components.”
• J.D. Bu’lock (1987) describes it as “the controlled and deliberate application of simple biological agents—living or dead, cells or cell components—in technically useful operations.”
• The British Biotechnologists summarize it as “the application of biological organisms, systems, or processes for practical purposes.”
• Gibbs and Greenhalgh (1983) define it as “the use of living organisms in systems or processes for the manufacture of useful products, involving bacteria, fungi, algae, yeast, plant and animal cells, or their components.”

Key Points:

• Biotechnology is interdisciplinary, linking life sciences with technology and engineering.
• It has applications in medicine, agriculture, environment, and industry.
• Modern biotechnology includes techniques like genetic engineering, tissue culture, recombinant DNA technology, and bioinformatics.
• It enables the production of drugs, vaccines, biofuels, improved crops, and eco-friendly industrial products.
• Biotechnology is also vital for diagnostics, environmental protection, and sustainable development.

In short, biotechnology harnesses the power of living systems to solve real-world problems and improve human life, making it one of the most impactful scientific disciplines of the 21st century.