What is Biotechnology in 2024 Anyways?

Now, what exactly is biotechnology?

When you ask the web, you get these nice definitions like “biotechnology is technology based on biology” or “the use of advances in molecular biology for applications in human and animal health, agriculture, environment, and specialty biochemical manufacturing”. The first is too simple and the last is maybe too broad, but at the same time, that’s kind of what biotech is. I say this because biotechnology is not rooted in one area, it’s not just agriculture or health, it covers all aspects of biology in which technology is used to develop or produce a different product.

There are numerous examples of biotech, and depending on your industry they may be considered biotech, but not recognized as that by us consumers. For example, one of the most basic types of biotech is alcohol production, in which the brewing industry uses biotech and enzymes to convert barley into sugars, which are then fermented into alcohol and C₂0. Then there is the much more complex scale of biotech which sometimes seems more science fiction than reality. Like using biotech for tissue engineering (growing skin, organs, etc.), which is an amazing advancement in the medical sector. There is also using biotechnology to better understand the world around us, such as the study of phenotyping crops. This is when the physical and biological characteristics of a crop are analyzed as digital information and used to help understand and better develop the next crop. Back in 2015, the U of S received a large grant to work towards phenotyping, and today they are still working to better understand the applications of it.

Everyday Biotech

As I alluded to above, some biotech sounds more sci-fi than we realize, and even the word itself sounds so artificial or not every day. But biotech is all around us. The term is over 100+ years ago. Hungarian agricultural engineer, Karl Ereky, created the term in 1919, when he merged the words of biology and technology, as he foresaw a time when the two would merge to create new forms of biology. What Ereky didn’t know is that he was already living in a world of biotech. Our ancient biotech examples are in the world of fermentation and preservatives, like alcohol and cheese production (the addition of rennet). There is also the early biological sciences which studies plant breeding, and human interference to change the breeding cycle. Maybe the big hitter of Ereky’s lifetime was the invention of penicillin (produced biotechnologically through fermentation), which revolutionized medicine.

Today biotechnology is the background, often going unnoticed, but this week is all about acknowledging biotech! So here are a few things to consider:

Biofuels are the production of fuel from a renewable biological source. In Canada, we have the Clean Fuel Regulation which requires our liquid fossil fuel industry to reduce their carbon emissions. The industry is turning to alternative energy sources like renewable and biofuel. In Ontario and Quebec, they have already made steps to require gasoline fuel suppliers to blend at least 10% of their fuel with renewable sources. The Canola sector is making efforts to identify biofuel opportunities as they diversify their markets.

In today’s consumerism, we are being polluted by our gluttony of plastic. But, luckily, we are making inroads in the bioplastics, which are biodegradable materials from natural materials, like those derived from agricultural or wood-based biomass. According to GlobalData, the bioplastics market is expected to grow over 10% over this decade, and Canada is one of the top five producers.

I mentioned penicillin above, but that was just the start. Vaccinology never stops, and we saw this in 2020 when the world banded together to find vaccinations for COVID-19. Thanks to technology like CRISPR and mRNA, we found vaccines in record time. The study of infectious diseases uses forms of biotechnology all the time to better understand the human body and immune system, and how we can avoid, reduce, and in some cases eliminate diseases. On campus here, we have VIDO, which is carrying out similar cutting-edge research, which benefits us all.

Finally, we have crop development and pest resistance science. It wouldn’t be a SAIFood blog if we didn’t talk about GMOs and gene editing, would it?! Now, I don’t feel like I need to explain this one too much, you can search SAIFood for great examples. But, thanks to agronomic sciences and biotechnology we have developed varieties of new crops which can be resistant to chemicals and pests; tolerant to drought, flooding, and lodging; are enriched with vitamins; and have exceptional yields. Without biotechnology, we wouldn’t have today’s version of seedless watermelons, grapefruits, commercial bananas, or various brassica vegetables. What kind of world we are living in without seedless fruits?

Optimistic Biotech Future

Look, there is lots of biotechnology all around us, and it seems to be a good thing. We are using technology to better our understanding of biology, and hopefully, we are putting out better products in the long run as a result. When I first started in the College of Agriculture, I heard the term “biotech” for the first time and I thought it almost sounded like a creepy sci-fi word which would end the world. And hey, if we want to be monsters and do that, I guess it could be. But I think we humans mean well, and so I now see the term biotech as a means of opportunity and hope. I am happy that we have figured out how to use it to make great cheeses, beers, and wines. I am thankful that we can use it in our medical field, and I am hopeful that we continue to use it to better our planet, whether it is to reduce our carbon, waste, and plastics, or improve our food sources.