The four main types of biotechnology are medical biotechnology (red), industrial biotechnology (white), environmental biotechnology (green), and marine biotechnology (blue).
Let's take a closer look at each one to find out what they focus on and what they do.
MEDICAL “RED” BIOTECHNOLOGY:
Medical biotechnology is about human health and medicine. So medical biotechnology will involve the production of new drugs, antibodies, vaccines, and more.
Red biotechnology offers a lot of value to the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession. It helps to improve the quality of life of patients and at the same time alleviates the experience of pain and suffering.
Red biotechnology can determine the best doses of drugs for patients, thus working to make drugs and treatments much more specific to people based on their genetic code. This will change the future of medicine and ensure that physicians treat their patients in a more unique and personal way.
Red biotechnology makes use of biological materials to find solutions to health-related problems. Often gene expression, antibodies, and proteins are investigated to find how they can be used to create genetically modified cells or organisms to aid in the treatment of various diseases.
Some examples include how proteins have been modified to stimulate enzyme production in hamster cells and these can be used to treat heart disease in humans.
Red biotechnology is considered an inclusive research field that uses biological processes, treatments in conventional and advanced forms (such as genetic engineering) and diagnostic methods to detect diseases, as Wise Geek reports.
This approach has resulted in biotechnologists working to find cures for various human diseases, such as AIDS and hepatitis.
Industrial “White” Biotechnology :
Industrial biotechnology affects many sectors, such as textiles, food and energy.
It is, in fact, the largest branch of biotechnology! It focuses on the use of technology to create new processes with the use of less natural resources and energy compared to conventional methods.
So, industrial biotechnology makes use of living cells derived from sources such as plants, bacteria and yeast, and creates products that require fewer resources (such as energy) during their production. They also produce less waste.
There have already been valuable advances made by industrial biotechnology. An example is how the use of bacterial enzymes has been used to make food, as well as to make washing powder to decrease artificial ingredients, as EMBO Reports explains.
Environmental and Agricultural “Green” Biotechnology :
These two areas of biotechnology fall under the "green" color category.
Basically, green biotechnology focuses on technologies related to agriculture, such as when it comes to finding ways to grow stronger crops or create new biopesticides to reduce the amount of chemicals used by farmers.
Other projects in which agricultural biotechnologists will participate are the following:
• Using bacteria to stimulate plant growth and improve crop yield.
• Use plants to remove heavy metals from the environment that can be toxic to him and to human health.
• Using genetic manipulation to help plants thrive despite damaging weather conditions, such as frost.
• Use of technology in animal husbandry, such as the use of artificial insemination, which is said to be the most widely applied animal biotechnology.
As for environmental biotechnology, the main objective is to combine biology with engineering. This can develop various processes to clean up contaminated sites.
Fungi, bacteria, and microbes are often used as organic ways to remove pollutants in the environment. Some of the tasks that environmental biotechnologists will have include the following:
• Conversion of plants into biofuels.
• Invent bioplastics of plant origin that are more respectful with the environment and can reduce waste.
• Design microbes or plants that can process and eliminate toxins and pollutants in the environment.
• Use geographic information systems to find and map contaminated sites, as well as how contaminants spread.
• Transform waste into biogas or other natural sources of energy.
• Finding ways to make industrial processes cleaner, such as by using biological enzymes instead of chemicals.
Marine “Blue” Biotechnology :
Blue biotechnology is sometimes considered the fourth main type of biotechnology. It refers to the study of marine organisms with a focus on the use of these organisms for various human purposes, such as the creation of new drugs or food supplements to improve human health.
Blue biotechnology makes use of a wide variety of marine organisms and resources for various tasks, such as shellfish, algae, and other substances. For example, the use of ziconotide, a substance derived from cone snail venom, is said to be an effective human pain reliever.
An interesting idea is to use marine biotechnology to create alternative sources of energy. Biofuel, for example, can be made from microalgae. The benefit is that the algal biomass can be grown artificially without competing with other plants.
The industrial sector benefits enormously from "blue" biotechnology. Various proteins, biopolymers, biomaterials, and enzymes are produced in large quantities from the marine ecosystem.
Examples include biotech products such as jellyfish-derived green fluorescent protein that is used to create energy due to how it reacts to ultraviolet light.
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