Apples growing in your backyard in Mumbai, organs available off the shelf at an organ superstore, eradication of so far incurable diseases like AIDS and Cancer and food for all. Fiction! That''s what may seem to you at present but it may become a reality sooner than you think. Biotechnology has opened up a world of opportunities for man to explore.
The field of Biotechnology today is more of an enigma because of the low levels of awareness that are associated with it. It is a field that will change our lives like never before and has ramifications larger than life itself.
Biotech can be described as a means of using living organisms and their inherent genetic structures to understand their functioning and thereby enabling us to manipulate certain factors to derive desired results. This field can be broadly classified into Plant and Animal Biotechnology. In addition, the applications of this realm of science can be seen in the fields of Genomics/ Proteonomics, Drug discovery, Agriculture, Environment Protection, Industry and Microbial Biotech.
Genomics or Proteonomics is one of the upcoming fields, which help in identifying the genes, and the consequent production of proteins involved, thus tracing their functional aspects. This eventually helps in identifying disease-causing mechanisms at the genetic level and thus finding a cure. Genomics requires a huge amount of data that needs to be collected, collated and then assimilated to produce a blueprint of a living organism.
The recent accomplishment of the Human Genome project, which aimed at mapping the entire set of genes in a human body, has been a shot in the arm. This success has lead to the more recent and highly controversial aspect of human cloning. Imagine a world where one could produce babies made to order with looks of Marlin Monroe and the brains of Albert Einstein. This, and much more, is possible with the advances in Biotechnology in the coming years.
Drug discovery is another realm in which Biotech has made rapid advances in recent times. It helps in identifying Chemical or Biochemical molecules that can then be used to target disease-causing genes. Once a particular relationship is established between the molecule and its effect on the disease-producing gene, drugs or medicinal formulations can be developed to counter the disease. Modern day research on developing drugs against Cancer and AIDS is based on such studies and a number of drugs are being developed to combat these ''incurable'' diseases.
The application of Biotechnology has a huge potential in the field of Agriculture. Development of pest-resistant crops, increasing the crop yield, production of weather resistant crop varieties and increasing the nutrient value of a particular crop are just some of the benefits, which can be derived from this front-end technology. This is achieved by what is called Genetic Manipulation. In simple terms this means we identify, isolate, transfer and express a gene of importance from one plant source to the to achieve the desired result.
With rapid industrialization of the world and the dwindling of natural resources, this could have far reaching consequences for the entire world and specifically for nations which are heavily dependant on food imports. Such genetically modified plants are called GMOs. One such GMO in our context is the Bt Cotton seed variety from Monsanto that is resistant to toxins produced by pests commonly found on Cotton crops. Rice, wheat and other cereals are being genetically altered to produce seeds that are disease resistant and high yielding. Also, certain crops, which require a set of environmental conditions, can be genetically altered to grow in other places that do not possess the same environmental conditions. The growing of apples in the desert-ridden Middle East is one such example.
Our environment is under constant threat from indiscriminate increase of industrial waste. Although steps are being taken to reduce their ill effects by policy formulation and enforcement, Biotechnology is being used to clone plants to become resistant to such pollutants. Newer techniques to treat industrial waste and minimise the adverse effects on soil and its productivity are other areas where Biotechnology comes into play.
In conclusion, Biotechnology is a tool that can be used to revolutionise the way we live but as with any cutting edge technology, there are certain questions to be answered before we embark upon this exciting path. These are issues of ethics, legalities of procedures, religious acceptances and varied perceptions of the term ''Playing God''. Are we ready for it? Only time will tell.