What are the frontiers of modern biotechnology and scientific research?

Modern biotechnology based on genetic engineering, protein engineering and cell engineering is the frontier of scientific and technological innovation in the 20th century, which represents the direction of high-tech development. In particular, the successful implementation of the human genome project HGP, which was launched in 1990 and participated by the United States, Britain and China, pushed life science to the peak of contemporary scientific research.

The human genome project (HGP) was first proposed by American scientists in 1985, and was officially launched in 1990.

Scientists from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and China participated in this human genome project with a budget of $3 billion. According to this plan, in 2005, all the codes of about 25,000 genes in the human body will be unlocked, and at the same time, the human gene map will be drawn. In other words, it is to uncover the secret of the 3 billion base pairs that make up the 25,000 genes of the human body.

The Human Genome Project, the Manhattan Atomic Bomb Project and the Apollo Project are also called the three major scientific projects. Known as the "moon landing plan" of life science.

Extended data:

gene engineering

Scientists saw the outstanding characteristics of genetic engineering from Cohen's experiment:

(1) can break the boundaries between species. In the traditional concept of genetic breeding, it is almost impossible for distant species to cross successfully, let alone between animals and plants, between bacteria and animals, and between bacteria and plants. However, genetic engineering technology can overcome mating obstacles and make all this possible.

(2) According to people's wishes and purposes, we can directionally transform biological genetic characteristics and even create new life species that do not exist on the earth. At the same time, this technology may also have an impact on human evolution.

(3) Because this technology directly acts on the genetic material nucleic acid, the speed of creating new biological types can be greatly accelerated. These characteristics have aroused great concern of scientists all over the world. In just a few years, genetic engineering research has developed in many countries and achieved a number of results. Genetic engineering has become one of the most important technological achievements in the 20th century.

Theme expansion

Modern biotechnology is a complex technical group. Genetic engineering is only a representative of modern biotechnology, which is characterized by creating or transforming biological types and biological functions at the molecular level.

In addition, at the level of chromosomes, cells, tissues, organs and even biological individuals, we can also carry out projects to create or transform biological types and biological functions, such as chromosome engineering, cell engineering, tissue culture and organ culture, quantitative genetic engineering and so on. This also belongs to the category of modern biotechnology.

Some new technical systems serving these projects, such as modern fermentation engineering, enzyme engineering, bioreactor engineering, etc. , has also been included in the modern biotechnology system.

Academic definition

Modern biotechnology is supported by molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, immunology, genetics, physiology and systems biology. , combined with chemistry, chemical engineering, computer, microelectronics and other disciplines, thus forming a multi-disciplinary comprehensive discipline.

As far as its application fields are concerned, it can be divided into agricultural biotechnology, medical biotechnology, plant biotechnology, animal biotechnology, food biotechnology, environmental biotechnology and so on.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Modern Biotechnology

Baidu encyclopedia-genetic engineering