Biotechnology: From Theories to Practice

Biotechnology is an area of biology which involves the use of living organisms to create products or processes for human use. Human society has benefitted tremendously from biotechnology, as evident in the cultivation of plants, domestication of animals and manufacture of biopharmaceutics. However, the technological bases for biotechnology are the breakthroughs in genetic engineering and molecular biology in the late 20th century. The understanding of the structure of DNA and the techniques to manipulate it have led to the emergence of transgenic animals, genetically modified crops, the Human Genome Project, and cutting-edge research in bioinformatics. Cloning and stem cell technology are some of its modern tools. Biotechnology has extended beyond its domain of application in health care and agriculture, and stepped into environmental remediation and industry. There has been rapid progress in this field and its applications are finding their way across multiple industries. Different approaches, evaluations, methodologies and advanced studies on biotechnology have been included in this book. It is a vital tool for all researching and studying this field.