Biotechnology

Biotechnology can be divided into 4 main areas:

1. Production of biomass
2. Fermentations: 'life in the absence of oxygen'. Today, the term is taken to mean: 'biological processes that occur in the dark & do not involve respiratory chains with oxygen or nitrate as electron acceptors'.
3. Harnessing of microbial secondary metabolism.
4. The use of genetically manipulated organisms (GMOs).

Biomass Production

• Source of renewable energy, e.g. Brazilian 'Gasohol'.
• Production of microbial protein (or 'single cell protein - SCP'):

Microorganism:	Company:	Carbon Source:
Candida lipolytica	B.P.	C12-C18 aliphatic hydrocarbons from crude petroleum
Methylophilus methylotrophus	I.C.I.	Methane from natural gas or methanol
Fusarium graminarum	I.C.I.	Marketed in the UK as "Quorn" ®

Fermentation: Biochemicals: Amino acids Citric acid Enzymes Vitamins Transformations of steriods Industrial chemicals Foodstuffs: Baking Dairy products Condiments Alcohol Production:

Brewing Beer:

Industrial biochemicals may be produced in very large fermenters (thousands of litres) running continuously & capable of producing tons of these chemicals per month:

Secondary metabolites

Production of antibiotics, e.g. Penicillium spp. (e.g. P. notatum ) & Streptomycetes:

Genetic Engineering

Some of the products now being produced by this technology include:

• Vaccines.
• A number of human growth hormones, blood clotting agents (factor VIII), insulin & potential anti-cancer agents have been produced in bacteria.
• Insect control - two groups of microorganisms have been used as insecticides:
  Bacillus thuringiensis - produces a toxin which kills certain species of caterpillars
  Baculoviruses - infect & kill certain species of insect.

$$$ BIOTECHNOLOGY $$$ (US $ billion)
Activity:	1991:	1992:	% change:
Sales:	6	7	+17%
Revenue:	8.3	10	+20%
R&D Expenditure:	5	5.7	+14%
# Companies:	1,231	1,272	+3%
# Employees:	79,000	97,000	+23%

Product:	Company:	1991 Sales:
Erythropoietin	Amgen/Genetics Institute	1,125
Hepatitis B vaccine	Biogen	724
Human insulin	Genentech	625
Human growth hormone	Genentech	575
Alpha-interferon	Genentech	565
G-CSF	Genentech / Biogen / Wellcome	544
TPA	Amgen	230
GM-CSF	Genentech	70
Gamma-interferon	Immunex / Genetics Institute	25
IL-2	Genentech / Biogen	20
TOTAL:	Immunex / Chiron	4,503

Source: ASM News 59:550-551 (1993)

• In a time of recession, biotechnology continues to be an expanding sector of the economy of most developed countries & offers future prospects of continued medical & environmental advances in the production of a widening range of compounds.
• The pharmaceutical industry in particular is a prominent source of well-paid jobs for microbiologists!

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A nice Pic