Biotechnology Biotechnology is more than just a single technology It is a field of biology that involves the use of living things in engineering, technology, medicine, etc It includes working with the living cells and their molecules and has a wide range of uses to improve our lives

VISION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY Scientists in biotechnology envision these scenarios and many more! Imagine a world… …free from serious disease …where food is abundant …free of pollution

History of Biotechnology The ideas of biotechnology have been around since nearly 2000 B.C. Examples: wine and bread making

B.C. Events Domestication (taming) of animals for use as livestock Sheep, goats, cattle, pigs Selective breeding (controlled reproduction with a focus on a certain trait) in farming & agriculture Form of artificial selection

Fermentation Fermentation is the process of a cell converting sugar into energy in an environment without oxygen - to make bread, cheese, yogurt, beer, wine, etc… (process used in B.C. era). The fermentation properties of yeast were not discovered until 1818.

Bacteria In 1885, the bacterium Escherichia coli was discovered by Theodor Escherich It is one of the main species that lives in the mammalian gut (coli is Latin derivative of colon) It later became a major research, development, and production tool for biotechnology

Biotechnology The word “biotechnology” was first used in print by a Karl Ereky, a Hungarian agricultural engineer, in The term originally meant “all the lines of work by which products are produced from raw materials with the aid of living organisms.”

Antibiotics In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered that Penicillium mold inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. This was the first antibiotic Antibiotics are substances produced by microorganisms that inhibit the growth of other microorganisms. Scientists used batch (large-scale) processes to grow bacteria and other cells in large quantities to harvest these useful products.

Genetic Engineering Stanley Cohen (left) and Herbert Boyer (right) perform the first successful recombinant DNA experiment in This technique became known as genetic engineering. In 1980, a patent was awarded to Cohen & Boyer for the gene cloning technique (used to identify and reproduce genes of interest).

Genetic Engineering cont’d Recombinant DNA technology (cutting and recombining DNA molecules) produces many proteins of medical importance. Human growth hormone (1977) First monoclonal antibodies produced (1979) Breast cancer gene discovered (1994) Bacteria used to degrade pollutants (1989) Disease-resistant crops (1997) More nutritious foods (2000) MOLECULARAGRICULTURAL

Human Genome Project An international effort to identify the genome (all of the genes) contained in the DNA of human cells and to map their locations to each of the 24 different chromosomes (1-22, X, Y) Project coordinated by US Department of Energy (DOE) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Potential exists for new molecular approaches for treating and curing human genetic diseases & new diagnostics (to detect disease)

Genome Projects In 1995, the first genome sequence of an organism, Haemophilus influenzae, was determined Researchers completed a rough draft of the human genome in 2000, but it wasn’t completed until 2003.

Divisions of Biotechnology  Medical Biotechnology  Diagnostics  Therapeutics  Vaccines  Agricultural Biotechnology  Plant agriculture  Animal agriculture  Food processing  Environmental Biotechnology Cleaning through bioremediation Cleaning through bioremediation Preventing environmental problems Preventing environmental problems Monitoring the environment Monitoring the environment

Agriculture Biotechnology Agricultural biotechnology includes a range of tools that scientists employ to understand and manipulate the genetic make-up of organisms for use in the production or processing of agricultural products.

Agricultural View All of the applied science based operations in producing food, fiber, shelter, and related products

Agricultural View Milk production New horticultural and ornamental plants Wildlife, aquaculture, natural resources and environmental management

Why is agricultural biotechnology important? In a world where 800 million people, living mostly in rural areas, go hungry every day food demand is set to double in the next thirty years and arable land is limited advances in agriculture are critical if we are to reduce hunger and promote growth and development in a socially acceptable and environmentally sustainable way.

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How agriculture biotechnology is used?

How is agriculture biotechnology is used?

Benefits ? Crop Performanc e Environment al Resistant Crops Nutrition Supplement Pest resistant Crops Improved Size Reduced Dependence on Pesticides Higher Crop yields

Issues & Concerns Health Effects Ecological Risks Lack of Consumer Acceptance Food Safety Concerns

How long Agriculture Biotechnology been used?

Facts about GE Crops

Developing countries?

Bio-Majors Control Everything Companies World Pesticide (mil$, rank) World Seed (mil$, rank) US Corn Seed (%, rank) US Plant patent Bt-gene related patent OECD regist. GMOs Corn / Soy GMOs in field test Syngenta5,888①947③9.0③ Monsanto3,885②1,700②14.0② ,629 Aventis # 3,701③288⑫7.0④ Dow2,271④350⑨4.0⑤ Bayer # 2,252⑤----n.d.--- BASF2,228⑥n.d.---n.d.4-- DuPont2,009⑦1,850①42.0① Top 7 80%24%76% 30 % 51%88%85% # Bayer announced the agreement to acquire Aventis CropScience recently.

Agriculture constitutes the largest sector of our economy It contributes about 24 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) It accounts for half of employed labor force It is the largest source of foreign exchange earnings Source:

Agriculture Subsector Share SubsectorsShares Crops47.9 Livestock49.6 Fisheries1.6 Forestry0.9 Source: Malik, Dr. Kauser. “Agricultural in Biotechnology potential for economic Pakistan: potential for economic development”

Biotechnology in Pakistan Status – Use of biotechnology in agriculture sector started in 1985 – Currently there are 29 biotech centers Institutes and Universities – Pakistan Biotechnology Information Center (PABIC) – 29 universities and government institutes are working in the field of biotechnology – Member of Convention of Biological Diversity, and World Trade Organization – Forman Christian College University, Lahore Research Centers – National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering – Center of Excellence on Molecular Biology Source:

However, few centers have appropriate physical facilities and trained manpower to develop genetically modified (GM) crops. Most of the activities have been on rice and cotton, which are among the top 5 crops of Pakistan. Biotic (virus/bacterial/insect) and abiotic (salt) resistant and quality (male sterility) genes have already been incorporated in some crop plants. Despite acquiring capacity to produce transgenic plants, no GM crops, either produced locally or imported, have been released in the country. Pakistan is signatory to the World Trade Organization, Convention on Biological Diversity, and Cartagena protocols. Several legislations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights have been promulgated in the country. National Biosafety Guidelines have been promulgated in April 2005.

The Plant Breeders Rights Act, Amendment in Seed Act- 1976, and Geographical Indication for Goods are still passing through discussion, evaluation, and analysis phases. Meanwhile, an illegal GM crop (cotton) has already sneaked into farmer's field. Concerted and coordinated efforts are needed among various ministries for implementation of regulation and capacity building for import/export and local handling of GM crops. Pakistan could easily benefit from the experience of Asian countries, especially China and India, where conditions are similar and the agriculture sector is almost like that of Pakistan. Thus, the exchange of information and experiences is important among these nations.

GM Crops Development CropFeature Cotton -Diamondback moth resistance with Bt gene - Virus (CLCuV) resistance with RNA interference (RNAi) Rice -Salt tolerance with Yeast and Arabidopsis Na+/H+ antiporter genes - Bacterial blight resistance with Xa21 gene PotatoVirus resistance Sugarcane -Insect resistance with Cry gene - chloroplast transformation Tomato-Male sterility through RNAi - Virus (TLCV) resistance through RNAi Source: Malik, Dr. Kauser. “Agricultural in Biotechnology potential for economic Pakistan: potential for economic development”