History of Biotechnology

Biotechnology
Abstract. Biotechnology and the use of biologically based agents for the betterment of mankind is an active field which is founded on the interaction between many basic sciences. This is achieved in coordination with engineering and technology for scaling up purposes. Today, the word ‘biotechnology’ conjures visions of the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) double helix and cloned sheep. Already, efforts to understand DNA - the stuff that genes are made of - and how gene expression affects the behavior of cells, the structure of tissues, the development of organisms, and the fate of individuals. The application of modern recombinant DNA technology gave momentum and new horizons to the field of biotechnology both in the academic setting and in industry. The applications of biotechnology are being used in many fields including agriculture, medicine, industry, marine science and the environment. The final products of biotechnological applications are diverse. In the medical applications of biotechnology, for example, the field has been evolving in such a way that the final product could be a small molecule (e.g. druglantibiotic) that can be developed based on genetic information by drug design or drug screening using a cloned and expressed target protein.
What is biotechnology ?
The prefix -‘bio’- means ‘life’. Technology is defined as a branch of knowledge dealing with applied science; the application of knowledge to practical ends. Thus, biotechnology involves application of scientific knowledge to the regulation of life processes.The word"biotechnology”itself was coined in German, biotechnologies, by Kar Ereky, for biotechnology in the literature. This mainly reflects that the field is changing too dynamically for a definition to stay conclusive. Webster’s dictionary for the Hungarian engineer, in 1917, to describe all work by which products are produced from raw materials with the help of living organisms