13th Biotechnology Congress November 28-30, 2016 San Francisco, USA

Healthcare biotechnology refers to a medicinal or diagnostic product or a vaccine that consists of, or has been produced in, living organisms and may be manufactured via recombinant technology (recombinant DNA is a form of DNA that does not exist naturally. It is created by combining DNA sequences that would not normally occur together). This technology has a tremendous impact on meeting the needs of patients and their families as it not only encompasses medicines and diagnostics that are manufactured using a biotechnological process, but also gene and cell therapies and tissue engineered products. Biotechnology offers patients a variety of new solutions such as: Unique, targeted and personalized therapeutic and diagnostic solutions for particular diseases or illnesses, An unlimited amount of potentially safer products, Superior therapeutic and diagnostic approaches, Higher clinical effectiveness because of the biological basis of the disease being known, Development of vaccines for immunity, Treatment of diseases, Cultured Stem Cells and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Skin related ailments and use of cultured cell, Genetic Counseling, Forensic Medicine, Gene Probes, Genetic Fingerprinting, Karyotyping.

Medical biotechnology refers to a medicinal or diagnostic product or a vaccine that consists of or has been produced in living organisms and may be manufactured via recombinant. Medical Biotechnology  has a tremendous impact on meeting the needs of patients and their families as it not only encompasses medicines and diagnostics that are manufactured using a biotechnological process, but also gene and cell therapies and tissue engineered products.

Today, the majority of innovative medicines, whether manufactured using biotechnology or via a chemical synthesis like a traditional small molecule medicine, as well as many diagnostic products, are made available by applying modern biotechnology in their development and manufacturing.

Plant biotechnology is the technique used to manipulate the plants for specific needs or requirement.  In traditional process seed is the major source for germinating a new plant but the advance method is independent that combines multiple needs to get the required traits. Plant biotechnology meets the challenge that includes genomics, genetic engineering, tissue culture, and transgenic crops etc. The recent advances in plant biotechnology provide potential way to make improvements much more quickly than conventional plant breeding techniques. Plant tissue culture is a part of plant biotechnology which is the collection of many techniques that is used to maintain and grow plant, plant cells, plant tissues under controlled sterile conditions over the nutrient medium. The main advantage of this method is to produce exact and multiple copies of plants with good desired properties like good flowers, fruits and other characters within small span of time. Production of multiple plants without seed, production of genetically modified plants, the tissue culture plants are resistant to the diseases, pathogens and pests, also it is the best method to store the gene pools and many more.

Agricultural biotechnology is a collection of scientific techniques used to improve plants, animals and microorganisms. Based on an understanding of DNA, scientists have developed solutions to increase agricultural productivity. Starting from the ability to identify genes that may confer advantages on certain crops, and the ability to work with such characteristics very precisely, biotechnology enhances breeders’ ability to make improvements in crops and livestock. Biotechnology enables improvements that are not possible with traditional crossing of related species alone.

Food biotechnology encompasses the use of living organisms to make products, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microbes for specific uses. It includes genetically modified (GM) crops, functional foods, aquaculture as well as more traditional food products such as cheeses, breads and beer. It is estimated that in the next 20-30 years demand for food will increase by 70%. Biotechnology will be key to meeting this demand. In the US there is a general public acceptance of biotech-enabled innovation in food and in North America, more than 60% of all processed food products are reported to contain GM ingredients. Consumer resistance to GM crop and foods containing GM ingredients remains high in Europe and there are significant regulatory constraints.

Marine Biotechnology is a relatively new field of study, having emerged in the past few years.  It began in 1998 when scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and various departments of the University of California, San Diego, came together and formed the Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine.

The Specialty Marine Biotechnology is intended to host scientific contributions in marine science that are based on the enormous biodiversity of marine ecosystems and the genetic uniqueness of marine organisms to develop useful products and applications.

Animal biotechnology is a branch of biotechnology in which molecular biology techniques are used to genetically engineer animals in order to improve their suitability for pharmaceutical, agricultural or industrial applications. Many animals also help by serving as models of disease.  If an animal gets a disease that's similar to humans, we can use that animal to test treatments.  Animals are often used to help us understand how new drugs will work and whether or not they'll be safe for humans and effective in treating disease.

Environmental biotechnology is biotechnology that is applied to and used to study the natural environment. Environmental biotechnology could also imply that one try to harness biological process for commercial uses and exploitation. The International Society for Environmental Biotechnology defines environmental biotechnology as "the development, use and regulation of biological systems for remediation of contaminated environments (land, air, water), and for environment-friendly processes (green manufacturing technologies and sustainable development).

Nano biotechnology refers to the intersection of nanotechnology and biology. Given that the subject is one that has only emerged very recently, Bio nanotechnology and Nano biotechnology serve as blanket terms for various related technologies. The most important objectives that are frequently found in Nano biology involve applying Nano tools to relevant medical/biological problems and refining these applications. Developing new tools, such as peptoid Nano-sheets, for medical and biological purposes is another primary objective in nanotechnology.

New Nano-tools are often made by refining the applications of the Nano-tools that are already being used. The imaging of native biomolecules, biological membranes, and tissues is also a major topic for the Nano-biology researchers. Other topics concerning Nano biology include the use of cantilever array sensors and the application of Nano-photonics for manipulating molecular processes in living cells.

Industrial and Microbial Biotechnology uses enzymes and micro-organisms to make biobased products in sectors such as chemicals, food and feed, detergents, paper and pulp, textiles and bioenergy (such as biofuels or biogas). In doing so, it uses renewable raw materials and is one of the most promising, innovative approaches towards lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The application of industrial biotechnology has been proven to make significant contributions towards mitigating the impacts of climate change in these and other sectors.

In addition to environmental benefits, biotechnology can improve industry’s performance and product value and, as the technology develops and matures, white biotechnology will yield more and more viable solutions for our environment. These innovative solutions bring added benefits for both our climate and our economy.

The applications of biotechnology are so broad, and the advantages so compelling, that virtually every industry is using this technology. Developments are underway in areas as diverse as pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, textiles, aquaculture, forestry, chemicals, household products, environmental cleanup, food processing and forensics to name a few. Biotechnology is enabling these industries to make new or better products, often with greater speed, efficiency and flexibility. Biotechnology holds significant promise to the future.

Stem cells and Regenerative medicine is a part of translational research in tissue engineering and molecular biology which deals with the process of replacing, engineering or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function. This works on engineering damaged tissues and organs via stimulating the body's own repair mechanisms to functionally heal previously irreparable tissues or organs.

The growth of Biotechnology industry as per Transparency Market Research is estimated to observe substantial growth during 2010 and 2017 as investments from around the world are anticipated to rise, especially from emerging economical regions of the world. The report states that the global market for biotechnology, studied according to its application areas, shall grow at an average annual growth rate of CAGR 11.6% from 2012 to 2017 and reach a value worth USD 414.5 billion by the end of 2017. This market was valued approximately USD 216.5 billion in 2011.  The market of bioagriculture, combined with that of bioseeds, is projected to reach a value worth USD 27.46 billion by 2018. The field of biopharmaceuticals dominated the global biotechnology market and accounted for 60% shares of it in the year 2011.  Many biotechnological industries flourished by the technological advancements leading to new discoveries and rising demands from the pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors.