Biotech Glossary

Abduction: A movement that takes a part away from the midline of the body.

Abductors: Muscles that cause abduction such as the deltoid.

Abiotic: The non-living components of an environment, such as oxygen gas,

water, nutrients, carbon dioxide, sunlight, and perlite.

Acceptance Level: The maximum number of defects in a sample that will permit
acceptance of the entire lot.

Accuracy: The degree of conformity of a measure to a standard or a true value.

Adduction: A movement that takes a part toward the midline of the body.

Adductors: Muscles that cause adduction such as the pectoralis major,

latissimus dorsi, and adductors.

Adenine (A): A purine base that pairs with thymine in the DNA double helix.

Aeration: Allowing more gas to come in contact with the water molecules, can
be artificially accomplished by porous stones hooked to air compressors placed
in a fish tank.

Aerobic Respiration: Metabolic pathways that use oxygen to generate ATP.

Amino Acid: a) The basic building block of proteins (or polypeptides).

Containing a basic amino group, an acidic carboxyl (COOH) group and a side
chain (R - of a number of different kinds) attached to an alpha carbon atom.
b)The fundamental building blocks of a protein molecule.

Amino Group: A nitrogen atom single-bonded to two hydrogen atoms.

Ammonia: A form of nitrogenous waste excreted by fish in their urine.

Amphiarthroses: Slight joint movement is possible.

Anaerobic Metabolism: The chemical process of maintenance of cells without

air or oxygen.

Angina Pectoris: Recurring pain or discomfort in the chest that happens when
some part of the heart does not receive enough blood.

Angstrom: A unit of length equal to one ten-thousandth of a micron (10-4

micron) or 10-10 of a meter with adenine.
Antifoam Agent: A chemical added to the fermentation broth to reduce
surfacetension and counteract the foaming (bubbles) that can be caused
bymixing, sparging, or stirring.

Appendicular: The region of the body that includes the pelvic girdle and lower
extremities.

Aquaponics: The combination of fish farming and growing plants without soil
(hydroponics).

Arteriole: One of the small thin-walled arteries that end in capillaries.

Artery: Muscular-walled and elastic-walled blood vessel that carries oxygenated

blood from the heart to the body.

Aseptic: a) Sterile, free from bacteria, viruses, and contaminants such as foreign
DNA. b) When surfaces are free of disease-causing microorganisms.

Atrioventricular (AV) Valve: Prevents return of blood to the atrium.

Atrium: Chambers of the heart in which blood is received from the body before
being passed to the ventricles.

Autoradiography: The detection of a radioactive substance in a cell or organism

by putting it in contact with a photographic emulsion and allowing the material to
take its own picture.

Axial: The head and thorax regions of the body including upper extremities.

Ball and Socket Joint: A multi-axial synovial joint in which a more or less
extensive sphere on the head of one bone fits into a rounded cavity in the other
bone, as in the hip joint.

Base: a) A segment of the DNA (and RNA) molecules. b) One of the four
(repeating) chemical units that comprise DNA or RNA that, according to their
order and pairing (i.e., on the parallel strands of DNA or RNA molecules),
represent the different amino acids (i.e., within the protein molecule that each
gene in the DNA codes-for). c) The four bases that comprise DNA are adenine
(A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).

Batch Culture: A large-scale cell culture in which cell inoculum is cultured to a

maximum density in a tank or airlift fermentor, harvested, and processed as a
batch.

Bicuspid Valve: Situated between the left atrium and the left ventricle.
Biocompatibility: The use of various materials to replace human components
without adverse results.

Bioethics: The study of the ethical and moral implications of new biological
discoveries and biomedical advances, as in the fields of genetic engineering and
drug research.

Bioinformatics: a) Refers to the generation or creation, collection, storage (in

databases), and efficient utilization of data or information from genomics,
combinatorial chemistry, proteomics, and DNA sequencing research. b)
Examples of the data or information that is manipulated and stored include gene
sequences, biological activity or function, pharmacological activity, biological
structure, molecular structure, protein-protein interactions, and gene expression
products or amounts.

Bioluminescence: The emission of visible light by living organisms such as the

firefly and various fish, fungi, and bacteria.

Biomass: a) The dry weight of an organism or organisms. Can only be

experimentally determined by completely drying (and therefore killing) the
organism and then massing it on a balance. b) The total dry weight of all
organisms in a particular sample, population, or area.

Biomedical Engineering: Applies fundamentals of engineering to meet the

needs of the medical community, the field encompasses the three basic
categories of medical, clinical, and bioengineering.

Biopharmaceutical: A therapeutic product created through the genetic

manipulation of living things, including (but not limited to) proteins and
monoclonalantibodies, peptides, and other molecules that are not chemically
synthesized, along with gene therapies, cell therapies, and engineered tissues.

Bioprocessing: Using organisms or biologically derived macromolecules to

carry out enzymatic reactions or to manufacture products.

Bioreactor: A container used for bioprocessing.

Biotechnical Engineering: The application of biological and engineering

concepts to design materials and processes that directly measure, repair,
improve, and extend living systems.

Biotic: The living components of an ecosystem; the plants and the animals in an
ecosystem.
BLAST: Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) is a sequence comparison
algorithm optimized for speed used to search sequence databases for optimal
DNA sequence alignments.

Capillary: The smallest of the body's blood vessels.

Carbohydrate: a) A compound containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with

twice as many hydrogens as oxygens; sugar or starch. b) Any of a group of
organic compounds that includes sugars, starches, celluloses, and gums and
serves as a major energy source in the diet.

Carbon Cycle: The movement of carbon, in its many forms, between the
biosphere, atmosphere, oceans, and geosphere is described by the carbon
cycle, illustrated in diagram.

Carboxyl Group: A carbon atom double-bonded to oxygen and single-bonded to

a hydroxyl group (OH).

Cardiac Muscle: Found only in the heart and are arranged in spiral bundles.

Cardiac Output (CO): The amount of blood pumped by the heart in a unit
period. The overall blood flow in the circulation of an adult person at rest is about
5000 ml per minute.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): A treatment used to help a heart start

beating again.

Case Study: A broad-based analysis of an engineering problem.

Charging the Jury: The judge informs the jury of the appropriate law and of
what they must do to reach a verdict.

Chemostat: A growth chamber that keeps a bacterial culture at a specific

volumeand rate of growth by limiting nutrient medium and removing spent
culture.

Cloning Vector: Cloning Vector is an agent that can carry a DNA fragment into a
host cell used for reproducing the DNA fragment.

CODIS: Combined DNA index system.

Condylarthrosis: A joint, like that of the knee formed by a rounded surface at

the extremity of the bone.

Coronary Artery: The artery that branches from the aorta to supply blood to the
heart.
Crime Scene Contamination: The removal of evidence, tampering of evidence,
or damaging of evidence at a crime scene.

Crime Scene Interpretation: The analysis of how the crime was committed and
by who based on the evidence collected.

Crime Scene Reconstruction: Involves the replication and modeling of the end
result for a crime.

Cross Examination Defense Attorney: The attorney that is responsible for

proving innocence in the suspect(s).

Cytosine (C): A pyrimidine base that pairs with guanine.

Data: Information (measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning,

discussion, calculation or transmission.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA): The chemical basis for genes.

Design: Translation of a concept into a satisfactory, producible, salable form.

Design Brief: A format for stating a design problem.

Design Constraints: Requirements and limitations under which the design

process takes place.

Diarthroses: Free joint movement is possible.

Diastolic Pressure: The lowest pressure to which blood pressure falls between
contractions of the ventricles.

Dilemma: a) A choice between equally unpleasant courses of action. b) A

situation that requires a choice between options that are or seem equally
unfavorable or mutually exclusive.

Dimension: Numerical value used on a drawing to describe location, size,

shape, or geometric characteristic.

Direct Examination: To create doubt as to the testimony of the witness.

Dissolved Oxygen: The amount of oxygen dissolved into water.

DNA: Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA).

DNA Analysis: The testing of DNA samples that exists on the evidence collected
from a crime scene.

DNA Fingerprinting: DNA fingerprinting is an individual's unique sequence of

DNA base pairs, determined by exposing a sample of the person's DNA to
molecular probes.
DNA Replication: The process of making an identical copy of a section of
duplex (double-stranded) DNA, using existing DNA as a template for the
synthesis of new DNA strands.

Double Helix: The normal structural configuration of DNA consisting of two

helices winding about the same axis.

ECG: Electrocardiogram is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart,
shows abnormal rhythms, and detects heart muscle damage.

Electrophoresis: A technique for separating molecules based on the differential

movement of charged particles through a matrix when subjected to an electric
field.

Electroporation: A process utilized to introduce a foreign gene into the genome

of an organism.

Element: A pure substance composed of only one type of atom.

Endocarditis: Inflammation of the inner lining of the heart.

Endocardium: The innermost layer of the heart that lines the inside of the
myocardium and covers the heart valves.

Engineering Technology: A course of study followed by a professional career

that involves testing, troubleshooting, servicing, and maintenance of technical
products and systems.

Engineering: a) The profession of or work performed by an engineer. b) The

knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences (biological and physical)
gained by study, experience, and practice that are applied with judgment and
creativity to develop ways to utilizes the materials and forces of nature for the
benefit of humankind.

Environment: Everything living and nonliving in an organism’s surroundings

including light, temperature, air, soil, water, and other organisms.

Enzymes: Proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions by causing or speeding

up reactions without being changed in the process themselves.
Epicardium: The external layer of the heart wall that covers the heart muscle.

Ethics: a) A set of moral principles or values or the principles of conduct

governing an individual or a group. b) The rules or standards governing the
conduct of a person or the conduct of the members of a profession or group.

Events: A significant occurrence or happening.

Experimentation: Developing a solution by conducting experiments and

gathering information.

Extension: A movement that makes the angle between two bones at their joint
larger than it was a t the beginning of the movement.

Extensors: Muscles causing extension such as the latissimus dorsi, triceps,

gluteus maximus, quadriceps, trapezius, and sterncleidomastoid.

Eye Witness: A person that observes a crime and reports the details to law
enforcement.

Facial Reconstruction: The modeling of a victim’s face for identification

purposes.

Factor of Safety (FOS): The ratio of ultimate or yield stress to allowable stress.

FDA: Federal Drug Administration.

Fermentation: A process used to grow bacteria or yeasts in liquid culture.

Fermentor: A bioreactor used to grow bacteria or yeasts in liquid culture.

Filtration: The removal of small particles from solution.

Flexion: A movement that makes the angle between two bones at their joint
smaller than it was at the beginning of the movement.

Flexors: Muscles that cause flexion such as the pectoralis major, biceps,
iliopsoas, sartorius, hamstring, and rectus abdominis.

Fluid Power: Energy transmitted and controlled by means of a pressurized fluid,

either liquid or gas. The term fluid power applies to both hydraulics and
pneumatics.

Forensic Artist: A professional responsible for facial reconstruction or the

sketching of a crime scene.
Forensic Photographer: The professional that uses a camera to document the
crime scene and the evidence found at the crime scene.

Forensic Scientist: A professional that analyzes and interprets DNA samples as

well as other forms of evidence collected from a crime scene.

Forensic Technician: A professional that collects evidence from a crime scene.

Forensics: Involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of evidence to

solve crimes; its purpose is to create doubt as to the testimony of the witness.

Gene: a) A unit of hereditary code. b) A natural unit of the hereditary material,

which is the physical basis for the transmission of the characteristics of living
organisms from one generation to another.

Genetic Engineering: a) The selective, deliberate alteration of genes. b) The

direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes. c) The technique of
removing, modifying, or adding genes to a DNA molecule in order to change the
information it contains.

Genetic Trait: A physical characteristic brought about by the expression of a

gene or many genes.

Genotype: The total genetic, or hereditary, constitution that an individual

receives from its parents.

Gliding Joint: A synovial joint in which the opposing surfaces are nearly planes
and in which there is a slight motion, as in the metacarpal joints.

Glycolysis: The metabolic breakdown of glucose and other sugars that releases
energy.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs): Regulations that describe the

methods, equipment, facilities, and controls required for producing human and
veterinary products, medical devices, and processed foods.

Greenhouse Effect: a) The phenomenon whereby the earth's atmosphere traps

solar radiation, caused by the presence in the atmosphere of gases such as
carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass
through but absorb heat radiated back from the earth's surface. b) The gases that
naturally blanket the Earth, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and
fluorocarbon.

Guanine (G): A purine base that pairs with cytosine.

Hinge Joint: A unilateral joint in which a broad, transversely cylindrical convexity
on one bone fits into a corresponding concavity on the other, allowing motion of
one plane only, as in the elbow.

Hydraulics: Uses pressurized liquid, for example, oil or water.

Hydrogen Bond: A weak bond involving the sharing of an electron with a

hydrogen atom; hydrogen bonds are important in the specificity of base pairing in
nucleic acids and in the determination of protein shape.

Hypothesis: An educated guess on the predicted outcomes of a series of

events.

Impact: The effect or impression of one thing on another.

Incubator: An apparatus in which environmental conditions, such as

temperature and humidity, can be controlled; often used for growing bacterial
cultures.

Industry: a) Commercial production and sale of goods generally through a

specific branch of manufacture and trade, such as biotechnical industry. b) The
sector of an economy made up of manufacturing enterprises.

Insertion: Movable end and when contraction occurs, the insertion moves
toward the origin.

Interpersonal Skills: Those skills which enable an individual to work with others
in a pleasant and productive manner.

Ions: a) Any charged particle such as hydronium which determines pH. b)

Examples are nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium.

Isometric Contractions: Muscle tension increases and the muscle does not
shorten.

Isotonic Contractions: Muscle tension remains the same, and muscle shortens.

Joint: Area of contact between bones.

Journal: Daily record or collection of writings, sketches, and research that

express the design process.

Jury Deliberation: The process of deciding whether a defendant is guilty or not

guilty.
Lead Investigator: The person responsible for all forensic personnel assigned to
the case being investigated.

Limiting Factor: The one component in a system that is in shortest supply and
therefore limits the potential for growth.

Market: A subset of the population considered interested in the buying of goods

or services.

Media: A sterile preparation made for the growth, storage, maintenance, or

transport of microorganisms or other cells.

Medical Examiner: The person responsible for determining the state of the
victims found at a crime scene and performs autopsies to assist with identifying
the cause of death.

Microinjection: Is a technique for introducing a solution of DNA into a cell using

a fine microcapillary pipette.

Milestone: An important event, as in a person's career, the history of a nation, or

the advancement of knowledge in a field.

Mitral Valve: The valve that controls blood flow between the left atrium and left
ventricle in the heart.

Mock-up: A full-sized structural model built accurately to scale chiefly for study,
testing, or display.

Molarity: Molar concentration of a solution, usually expressed as the number of

moles of solute per liter of solution.

Morals: The rules or habits of conduct with reference to standards of right and
wrong.

Muscle Fatigue: The inability of a muscle to contract even though it is still being
stimulated.

Myocardial: Pertaining to the heart.

Myocardial Infarction (heart attack): Result of permanent damage to an area

of the heart muscle.

Myocardium: Muscle wall of the heart.

Nanotechnology: A branch of science and engineering devoted to the design
and production of extremely small electronic devices and circuits built from
individual atoms and molecules.

Nitrates: a) A form of nitrogen bonded to oxygen that can be absorbed by some

plant roots. b) The chemical symbols read as nitrogen tri-oxide.

Nitrites: a) A form of nitrogen bonded to oxygen that can be absorbed by some

plants roots. b) The chemical symbols read as nitrogen di-oxide.

Nitrogen Base: A type of molecule that forms an important part of nucleic acid
composed of a nitrogen-containing ring structure.

Non-Destructive Testing: Material or product testing in which information is

learned about the material or product via careful measurements and recordings
without destroying the material or product.

Nucleic Acid: A large molecule composed of nucleotide subunits.

Nucleotide: a) The subunit that polymerizes into nucleic acids (DNA or RNA).
Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and one to three
phosphate groups.
b) The subunit that polymerizes into nucleic acids (DNA or RNA).

Nutrients: Abiotic factors necessary for health and growth of organisms. These
may include nitrates, phosphates, and sugars.

Oil Eating Microbes: Bacteria that eat oil, hydrocarbons, and other
contanimants.

Organism: A living thing.

Origin: Immovable or less movable end of bone.

Orthopedic Implant: Devices which are used in the treatment of orthopedic

injuries or diseases.
P Wave: The first upward wave in an ECG which indicates the atrial
depolarization.

Pacemaker: An electronic device that is surgically implanted into the patient’s

heart and chest to regulate heartbeat.

Pathogen: Refers to a virus, bacterium, parasitic protozoan, or other

microorganism that causes infectious disease by invading the body of an
organism (e.g., animal, plant, etc.) known as the host.
Pericardium: Membranous sac surrounding the heart and major blood vessels
connected to it.

Perlite or Isolite: Inorganic media on which to grow plants hydroponically.

Personal Protective Equipment: a) Any devices or clothing worn by the worker

to protect against hazards in the environment. b) Examples are respirators,
gloves, and chemical splash gloves.

pH: The concentration of hydronium ions in solution; this is the indicator for the
acidity or alkalinity of a solution.

Phenotype: The detectable outward manifestations of a specific genotype.

Phosphate Group: A functional group important in energy transfer.

Plagiarize: Act of using another author’s work without giving proper credit;
literary theft.

Plasmid: An autonomous self-replicating genetic particle is usually of circular

double-stranded DNA.

Pneumatics: Uses compressed air or other neutral gases.

Portfolio: A written record of the development of a project from inception to

completion.

Precision: The degree of refinement with which an operation is performed or a

measurement stated.

Problem Solving Method: Systematic efforts associated with large-scale

problems, projects, or designs.

Process Engineer: The operator of a complex chemical or biological plant.

Processing the Crime Scene: The collection of evidence and documentation of

the location itself.

Product Liability: Having a legal responsibility for the failure of a product.

Project: An undertaking that is usually large and encompasses planning,

execution, and presentation to varying degrees as addressed in the scope.

Project Notebooks: Notebooks documenting an undertaking that is evidence of

design process, research, and final implementation of the design solution.
Prokaryote: An organism lacking a true nucleus, such as a bacterium.

Prosecution: The attorney that is responsible for proving guilt in the suspect(s).

Protecting the Crime Scene: Involves taping off the area that the crime
occurred and monitoring the people entering the crime scene as evidence is
collected.

Protein: A large molecule composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a

specific order, required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body's
cells, tissues, and organs.

Pulmonary Circulation: Circulation between the heart and the lungs.

Pulse: a) The rate at which the heart beats. b) The rhythmic contraction and
expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart.

Purine: A type of nitrogen base; the purine bases in DNA and RNA are adenine
and guanine.

Pyrimidine: A nitrogenous base of which thymine is found in DNA, uridine in

RNA, and cytosine in both.

QRS Complex: The second wave of an ECG and it is associated with the
depolarization of the ventricles.

Quality: The degree of customer satisfaction of a product with respect to its use.

Recombinant DNA: Novel DNA sequence formed by the joining, usually in vitro,
of two non-homologous DNA molecules.

Reliability: The probability of satisfactory operation of the product in a given

environment over a specified time interval.

Renewable Energy: Energy that is captured from on-going natural processes

such as production of fuels such as ethanol from biomass.

Research: a) Careful or diligent search. b) Studious inquiry or examination. c)

Investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of
facts. revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical
application of such new or revised theories or laws. d) The collecting of
information about a particular subject.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA): A single-stranded nucleic acid similar to DNA but

having ribose sugar rather than deoxyribose sugar and uracil rather than thymine
as one of the pyrimidine bases.
Rotation: A movement around a longitudinal axis.

Rotators: Muscles such as the sternocleidomastoid.

Saddle Joint: A biaxial synovial joint in which the double motion is affected by
opposition of two surfaces as in the thumb.

Sample: A portion of the product randomly taken for testing so decisions can be
made about the whole.

Scale: The scale of a map or enlarged or reduced timeline indicates the ratio
between the distances on the line that correspond to the reality in number of
years.

Scale-up: To take a biopharmaceutical manufacturing process from the

laboratory scale to a scale at which it is commercially feasible.

Sedimentation: The gradual settling of solid particles on the lowest surface of a

body of water.

Semilunar Valve: Half moon shaped valve that prevents blood from flowing back
into the heart.

Sinoatrial Node (SA node): The pacemaker of the heart.

Skeletal Muscle: Long, cylindrical, striation with multinucleated cells.

Sketching: An effective means of communication that utilizes freehand drawing.

Stent: A slender thread, rod, or catheter inserted into a tubular structure, such as
a blood vessel, to provide support during or after anastomosis.

Stock Portfolio: A collection of investments held by an individual or an institution

which can be analyzed to determine gains and losses over time.

Substrate: A surface on which an organism grows or is attached.

Sustain: Judge rules for action to stop during trial.

Syntharthroses: No movement of joint.

System: A means of achieving a desired result and it has input, process, output
and feedback loops.
Systolic Pressure: The blood pressure during the contraction of the left ventricle
of the heart.

T Wave: The third wave of an ECG and it indicates ventricular repolarization.

Tendons: Attach muscle to bone.

Tetanus: The tense, contracted state of a muscle.

Thymine (T): A nitrogen-containing base found in DNA.

Timeline: A representation or exhibit of key events within a particular historical

period, often consisting of illustrative visual material accompanied by written
commentary and arranged chronologically.

Titration: A method of ascertaining the quantity of a given constituent in a

solution by accurately measuring the volume of a liquid reagent of known
strength necessary to convert the constituent into another form.

Trade-offs: a) An exchange of one thing in return for another. b) Especially

relinquishment of one benefit or advantage for another regarded as more
desirable.

Transformation: The modification of a genome by the external application of

DNA from a cell of different genotype.

Trial: A structured process where the facts of a case are presented to a jury in a
court of law and they decide if the defendant is guilty or not guilty.

Tricuspid Valve: Controls blood flow from the right atrium into the right ventricle.

Values: The principles, standards, or beliefs considered important and desirable

by an individual.

Ventricle: Chamber in the heart that receives blood from the atrium of the same
side and pumps it into the arteries.

Virus: A particle consisting of a nucleic acid (RNA or DNA) genome surrounded

by a protein coat (capsid) which can replicate only after infecting a host.

Working Drawings: a) The set of plans from which a structure or object will be
built. b) The vehicle by which designers graphically conveys the final design
solution.

Yeast: A single-celled fungus.