Douglas Rosenthal

Biotechnology According to Douglas Rosenthal, biotechnology is the use of living organisms or their products to create or modify products for utilitarian purposes. In its simplest version, biotechnology is the technology based on biology. The human being uses biotechnology thousands of years ago. With recent advances in various scientific areas in relation to the functioning of DNA, organisms can be manipulated to obtain certain products and processes. As the scientist Douglas Rosenthal stresses out, all cells "speak" the same genetic language: the DNA of a cell can be read by another completely different cell. This fact makes DNA the basis of modern biotechnology. Biotechnologists can use yeast to produce human insulin by fitting the human insulin gene into the yeast. Biotechnology Applications In medicine • Production of insulin, medications and vaccines. • Manipulation of animals, such as pigs, to use their organs in transplants, which is known as xenotransplantation. • Antibody production in the laboratory for patients with deficiencies in the immune system. • Genetic therapy for the treatment of neurological, cardiovascular and cancer diseases. • Stem cell research for therapeutic purposes. In agriculture • Production of inputs: fertilizers, seeds, pesticides. • Genetic improvement of plants. • Food processing: GM foods. In the environment • Bioremediation: different techniques are used to reduce or eliminate contaminants depending on the type of contamination and environmental conditions. • Bioconversion of waste from agriculture. • Production of biofuels from living organisms or plant residues. • Production of biodegradable plastic from microalgae