The Biotech Industry

The biotech industry comprises companies whose products benefit humans by treating diseases with life-saving drugs and therapies, improving agricultural yields and generating environmentally friendly chemicals and Recommended Reading fuels. Bioinformatics is also a part of it as the study of biological processes and information. It can be applied in a variety of industries.

Biotech began in the early 1970s, when the recombinant-DNA technology (genetic engineering) was invented and then patentable. This technique allows scientists to create production cells which then begin to produce proteins that are valuable.

Today, many pharmaceutical companies are involved in target-discovery research programs that heavily rely on biotechnology. The industry also includes small upstarts that employ unique proprietary techniques to develop therapeutic drugs.

Other biotechnology-related applications are being explored by companies focused on agrobiology, cosmetics and the environment, food technology industrial biotechnology, nutraceuticals and food technology as well as the field of veterinary medicine. Fully integrated Pharma companies are big commercial enterprises that research and produce, as well as sell generic or brand-name medicines.

Biotech is going through a transformation as a result of new technologies. Companies can now validate their platforms for conditions with understood mechanisms, such as sickle cell anemia. They can also reach more patients. Some companies are trying to develop new treatments for diseases that have not been addressed, such as Duchenne muscle dystrophy.