Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food

science, and medicine. United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines

biotechnology as

Any technological application that uses biological systems, dead organisms, or

derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.

Biotechnology is often used to refer to genetic engineering technology of the 21st

century, however the term encompasses a wider range and history of procedures for
modifying biological organisms according to the needs of humanity, going back to the
initial modifications of native plants into improved food crops through artificial
selection and hybridization. Bioengineering is the science upon which all biotechnological
applications are based. With the development of new approaches and modern
techniques, traditional biotechnology industries are also acquiring new horizons enabling
them to improve the quality of their products and increase the productivity of their
systems.

Before 1971, the term, biotechnology, was primarily used in the agriculture and
agriculture industries. Since the 1970s, it began to be used by the Western scientific
establishment to refer to laboratory-based techniques being developed in biological
research, such as recombinant DNA or tissue culture-based processes, or horizontal
gene transfer in living plants, using vectors such as the Agrobacterium bacteria to
transfer DNA into a host organism. In fact, the term should be used in a much
broader sense to describe the whole range of methods, both ancient and modern, used
to manipulate organic materials to reach the demands of food production. So the term
could be defined as, "The application of indigenous and/or scientific knowledge to the
management of (parts of) microorganisms, or of cells and tissues of higher organisms,
so that these supply goods and services of use to the food industry and its
consumers.[2]

Biotechnology combines disciplines like genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry,

embryology, and cell biology, which are in turn linked to practical disciplines like
chemical engineering, information technology, and biorobotics. Patho-biotechnology
describes the exploitation of pathogens or pathogen derived compounds for beneficial
effect.

The importance of biotechnology

The new advances in agricultural biotechnology, especially the completion of the
Arabidopsis thaliana genome sequence, have profound implications for human health as
well as plant biology and agriculture. It will permit us to know the mode of action of
all the genes involved in the key growing and development processes of plants.
Modification of the structure of genes will allow the regulation of the expression of
some characteristics such as the size of the leaves or the dynamics of growth of
roots and fruits. In this way, the commercialization of products of the new
biotechnologies will influence, in this century, agricultural production, productivity and
food supply of all nations. The challenges and opportunities for the countries of Latin
America and the Caribbean (LAC) are enormous, due to the rich base of their flora,
fauna and microorganism resources, which are essential to the pharmaceutical and
food industries. The countries of LAC should continue the development and
improvement of both their innovation systems and their regulatory framework for
preventing or minimizing the possible risks of the use and management of the
transgenic organisms in their territories and, therefore, be able to make use of
biotechnology for supporting national efforts towards food security, improved health
care, increased export potential and environmentally sustainable development.

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Examples of biotechnology

Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge
of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt
to its environment. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek "technologia",
"τεχνολογία" — "techne", "τέχνη" ("craft") and "logia", "λογία" ("saying").

Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. The field overlaps with
other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular
biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various
systems of a cell, including the interactions between DNA, RNA and protein
biosynthesis as well as learning how these interactions are regulated.

Tissue culture is the growth of tissues and/or cells separate from the organism. This is
typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth media, such as
broth or agar. Tissue culture commonly refers to the culture of animal cells and
tissues, while the more specific term plant tissue culture is used for plants.

Protoplast fusion A technique by which two protoplasts are fused to form hybrid cells
that can grow into mature hybrid organisms; usually performed on plants.