What is Biotechnology? Types and Applications – Iberdrola

USES AND APPLICATIONS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

Biotechnological innovations are already part of our daily lives and we find them in pharmacies and supermarkets, among many other places. In addition, they were of key importance during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as they helped decipher the genome of the virus and in understanding how our body's defence mechanism works against infectious agents.

Biotechnology will therefore play a crucial role in the society of the future in preventing and containing potential pathogens. But this is just one of its many applications... Below, we review some of the most relevant in different fields:

The development of insulin, the growth hormone, molecular identity and diagnostics, gene therapies and vaccines such as hepatitis B are some of the milestones of biotechnology and its alliance with genetic engineering. In addition, it is also used in the diagnosis of diseases due to its ability to perform very complicated tests in a shorter time and at lower cost.

The revolution of the new smart materials hand-in-hand with biotechnology has only just begun, with the main advantage that it can make easily degradable products. Such products help the environment because they generate less waste at the time of destruction, as is the case with biodegradable plastics.

In addition to the genetically modified foods mentioned above, thanks to biotechnology products such as WEMA have been created, a type of crop resistant to droughts and certain insects that may prove essential in fighting hunger in Africa.

Through bioremediation processes, very useful for ecological recovery, the catabolic properties of microorganisms, fungi, plants and enzymes are used to restore contaminated ecosystems.

Read the rest here:
What is Biotechnology? Types and Applications - Iberdrola