24^th Biotechnology Congress: Research & Innovations October 24-25, 2018 Billerica, Massachusetts, USA

Genome editing (also called gene editing) is a group of technologies that give scientists the ability to change an organism's DNA. These technologies allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at particular locations in the genome. Several approaches to genome editing have been developed. A recent one is known as CRISPR-Cas9, which is short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9. The CRISPR-Cas9 system has generated a lot of excitement in the scientific community because it is faster, cheaper, more accurate, and more efficient than other existing genome editing methods.

DNA repair is a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. In human cells, both normal metabolic activities and environmental factors such as radiation can cause DNA damage, resulting in as many as 1 million individual molecular lesions per cell per day. Many of these lesions cause structural damage to the DNA molecule and can alter or eliminate the cell's ability to transcribe the gene that the affected DNA encodes. Other lesions induce potentially harmful mutations in the cell's genome, which affect the survival of its daughter cells after it undergoes mitosis. As a consequence, the DNA repair process is constantly active as it responds to damage in the DNA structure. When normal repair processes fail, and when cellular apoptosis does not occur, irreparable DNA damage may occur, including double-strand breaks and DNA cross linkages. This can eventually lead to malignant tumors, or cancer as per the two hit hypothesis.

Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies the approaches & methods of physics to study biological structures. Biophysics covers all aspects of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations which includes structure & dynamics of molecules, cells & tissues, the influence of environment, energy transformation &  transfer, thermodynamics, biological motility, population dynamics & cell differentiation modeling, biomechanics & tissue rheology, non-linear phenomena, mathematical cybernetics modeling of complex systems, computational biology.

Biochemistry is a chemical processes which deals with the structures, functions and interactions of biological macromolecules which determines the structure of cells and mostly depends upon the reaction of smaller molecules and ions occurring inside a cell. Biochemistry covers a wide range of scientific disciplines which covers forensics, molecular biology, genetics, plant science and medicine and that why from last 100 years many advance researches and challenging research works has been carried out in this field.

Biochemistry has become the foundation for all biological processes. It underlies & includes such exciting new fields as molecular genetics and bioengineering. Biochemistry is also unique in providing teaching and research in both protein structure/function and genetic engineering.

Biochemistry also includes many subspecialties such as neurochemistry, bioorganic chemistry, clinical biochemistry, physical biochemistry, molecular genetics, biochemical pharmacology and immunochemistry. Recent advances in these areas have created links among technology, chemical engineering and biochemistry.

Business Development referred as the activity of pursuing strategic opportunities for a particular business or organization, for example by cultivating partnerships or other commercial relationships, or identifying new markets for its products or services. Business development activities extend across different departments, including sales, marketing, project management, product management and vendor management. Networking, negotiations, partnerships, and cost-savings efforts are also involved. All these different departments and activities are driven by and aligned to the business development goals. In the simplest terms, business development can be summarized as the ideas, initiatives and activities aimed towards making a business better. This includes increasing revenues, growth in terms of business expansion, and increasing profitability by building strategic partnerships, and making strategic business decisions. Business development activities extend across different departments, including sales, marketing, project management, product management and vendor management. Networking, negotiations, partnerships, and cost-savings efforts are also involved. All these different departments and activities are driven by and aligned to the business development goals. Since business development involves high-level decision making, the business developer should remain informed about current state of the business in terms of SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). The current state of overall industry sector and growth projections, Competitor developments, Primary sources of sales/revenues of current business and dependencies, the customer profile, New and unexplored market opportunities, New domains/products/sectors eligible for business expansion, which may complement the existing business, the long-term view, especially with regards to the initiatives being proposed, the cost areas, and the possible options of cost-savings.

Biosafety as currently discussed in the International “Convention on Biological Diversity” (CBD) and designed to create internationally binding protocols on biosafety. The application of biotechnology to food and agriculture can bring not only potential risks and benefits as any technology can, but also concerns about the human dimensions coupled with biotechnology. These include both positive and negative impacts on stake holders, social institutions, economy and communities. Different areas associated with biosafety include: (i) Agriculture and food system issues (ii) Market and consumer issues (iii) Institutional issues, business issues and (iv) Social issues. Biosafety is the prevention of large-scale loss of biological integrity, focusing both on ecology and human health. These prevention mechanisms include conduction of regular reviews of the biosafety in laboratory settings, as well as strict guidelines to follow. The international Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety deals primarily with the agricultural definition but many advocacy groups seek to expand it to include post-genetic threats: new molecules, artificial life forms, and even robots which may compete directly in the natural food chain. ‘Biosafety’ means the need to protect human and animal health and environment from the possible adverse effects of the products of modern biotechnology. Bioethics is the study of the typically controversial ethical issues emerging from new situations and possibilities brought about by advances in biology and medicine. It is also moral discernment as it relates to medical policy and practice. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy. The scope of bioethics can expand with biotechnology, including cloning, gene therapy, life extension, human genetic engineering, astroethics and life in space, and manipulation of basic biology through altered DNA, XNA and proteins. These developments will affect future evolution, and may require new principles that address life at its core, such as biotic ethics that values life itself at its basic biological processes and structures, and seeks their propagation.

The applied biotechnology major deals with the scientific background and laboratory experience necessary for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, or for advanced study in the applications of biotechnology and molecular biology for the use and improvement of plants, animals, and micro-organisms. In addition, it can be to prepare for professional programs in medicine. Multi discipline science of interest in chemistry, biotechnology, microbiology. This interdisciplinary major brings together areas of study such as animals, food science, forestry, entomology, and plants to improve the knowledge and skills necessary to use biotechnology for the improvement of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Gaining theoretical as well as hands-on knowledge in the areas of molecular biology, structural biology and biotechnology furthermore, studies in the areas of protein engineering, synthetic biology and molecular biotechnology for renewable energy. Thanks to the courses in project management, marketing and entrepreneurship, one will also gain insight into business management and learn how projects are planned and carried out in the bio­technology industry.  

Industrial biotechnology is a set of practices that use living cells (such as bacteria, yeast, algae) or component of cells like enzymes, to generate industrial products and processes. Industrial biotechnology can be used to: Create new products, such as plant-based biodegradable plastics; Replace petroleum-based feedstocks by processing biomass in biorefineries to produce electricity, transport fuels or chemicals; Modify and develop new industrial processes, such as by using enzymes to reduce the amount of harsh chemicals used the textile or pulp and paper industries; Reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing; for example by treating industrial wastewater onsite using biological mediums such as microbes; Industrial biotechnology is one of the most promising new approaches to pollution prevention, resource conservation, and cost reduction. It is often referred to as the third wave in biotechnology. If developed to its full potential, industrial biotechnology may have a larger impact on the world than health care and agricultural biotechnology. It offers businesses a way to reduce costs and create new markets while protecting the environment. Also, since many of its products do not require the lengthy review times that drug products must undergo, it's a quicker, easier pathway to the market. Today, new industrial processes can be taken from lab study to commercial application in two to five years, compared to up to a decade for drugs

Cell biology is a branch of biology that studies the different structures and functions of the cell and focuses mainly on the idea of the cell as the basic unit of life. Cell biology explains the structure, organization of the organelles they contain, their physiological properties, metabolic processes, Signaling pathways, life cycle, and interactions with their environment. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level as it encompasses prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells. Knowing the components of cells and how cells work is fundamental to all biological sciences; it is also essential for research in bio-medical fields such as cancer, and other diseases. Research in cell biology is closely related to genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, and developmental biology.

From manipulation of mutant genes to enhanced resistance to disease, biotechnology has allowed advances in medicine. Biotechnology is used in medicinal field such as Pharmacogenomics, Genetic Diagnosis and Gene Therapy. The study of pharmacogenomics can result in the development of tailor-made vaccines for people, more accurate means of determining drug dosages, improvements in drug discovery and approval, and the development of safer vaccines.  Modern biotechnology can be used to manufacture drugs more easily and cheaply, as they can be produced in larger quantities from existing genetic sources.  Genetic diagnosis involves the process of testing for suspected genetic defects before administering treatment through genetic testing. In gene therapy, a good gene is introduced at a random location in the genome to aid the cure of a disease that is caused by a mutated gene.

Food biotechnology is the application of technology to modify genes of animals, plants, and microorganisms to create new species which have desired production, marketing, or nutrition related properties. Genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified (GM) foods, they are a source of an unresolved controversy over the uncertainty of their long-term effects on humans and food chains. Food biotechnology is and will continue to be an important area in science as the world’s human population continues to increase and the world’s agricultural lands continue to decrease. Food biotechnology employs the tools of modern genetics to enhance beneficial traits of plants, animals, and microorganisms for food production.  It involves adding or extracting select genes to achieve desired traits. Food biotechnology offers the potential to further improve our nation’s health and the health of developing nations. The work currently being done with “golden rice” and the potential it has to help combat hunger and malnutrition related diseases. Purchase fruits and vegetables with increased antioxidant content that may reduce risk for cancer. Plant-made pharmaceuticals are the latest evolution within the realm of biotechnology.  As the name suggests, this process uses genetics to enable plants to produce protein-based medicines to treat diseases and save lives.  These proteins are extracted from the plant and developed into pharmaceuticals. Edible vaccines are among the most innovative approaches for administering new vaccines.  For example, researchers have investigated putting a vaccine into bananas that would protect against food borne pathogens

The ocean has the oldest, most diverse, most numerous and least studied organisms on earth. It covers almost three fourths of our planet and has the potential to feed the world and supply cures for many diseases. Studying sea plants and animals is a challenge that is becoming easier due to advanced technologies such as deep-sea submersibles, sonar, lasers, videos, and satellites. Biotechnology contributes to current or potential uses of marine products in the areas of: Aquaculture, Conservation of marine ecosystems Therapeutics/medicines, Aquatic animal health and seafood safety, Biomedical research Algae cultivation. 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. Marine Biotechnology is the study of how the various organisms and actions of the ocean can be used to provide services and products to us. Marine Biotechnology is the use of living marine resources at (eco)system, concept, organism or molecular level to provide beneficial solutions for the society. Scientists in this field of Marine Biotechnology are studying the various enzymes and proteins of marine life in hopes of solving many problems that plague the area of Agriculture and Industry today.  These problems include trying to find anti-corrosive coatings and "self-cleaning" surfaces for industrial use.

Agricultural biotechnology is a part of agricultural science involving the utilization of scientific tools and techniques, includes genetic engineering, molecular markers, molecular diagnostics, vaccines, and tissue culture, to modify living organisms: plants, animals, and microorganisms. Crop biotechnology is one aspect of agricultural biotechnology that has been greatly developed upon in recent times. Desired traits are exported from a specific species of Crop to an entirely different species. These transgene crops possess fascinating characteristics in terms of flavor, color of flowers, growth rate, size of harvested products and resistance to diseases and pests.

Nanobiotechnology is the multidisciplinary subject which combines engineering principles and molecular biology. Nanobiotechnology has the potentiality to create biological and biochemical materials and devices at molecular and atomic levels. It presents new class of multifunctional systems and devices for biological analysis with better sensitivity and much specificity. Nanobiotechnology subsumes the application of the tools and processes of nanotechnology to control biological systems. The nanobiotechnology includes new techniques such as 3D imaging in live cells, real-time imaging, and single molecule imaging bioanalytical microarrays and biosensors and microfluidic devices. This discipline helps to indicate the subsume of biological research with various fields of nanotechnology. Concepts that are enhanced through nanobiology comprises: nanodevices (such as biological machines), nanoparticles, and nanoscale phenomena that available within the discipline of nanotechnology. This technical approach to biology allows scientists to envisage and create systems that can be used for biological research. Biologically inspired nanotechnology uses biological systems as the encourisation for technologies not yet created. However, as with nanotechnology and biotechnology, bionanotechnology does have many potential ethical issues associated with it.

Tissue engineering is the use of a integration of cells, engineering and materials principles, and suitable biochemical and physicochemical factors to improve or replace biological tissues. It involves the use of a scaffold for the formation of new viable tissue for a medical purpose. Tissue engineering cover a broad range of applications,  that repair or replace portions of or whole tissues (i.e., bone, cartilage, blood vessels, bladder, skin, muscle etc.). The definition of regenerative medicine is often used same sense with tissue engineering, although those involved in regenerative medicine place more emphasis on the use of stem cells or progenitor cells to produce tissues.

Protein engineering is the synthesis proteins by manipulation of sructure and process of developing useful or valuable proteins. It is a new discipline, with much research taking place into the understanding of protein folding, structure and recognition for protein design principles. It is also a product and services market, with an estimated value of $178 billion by 2018. In the future, more detailed knowledge of protein structure, folding and function, as well as advancements in modern technology, may greatly expand the potentiality of protein engineering. Eventually, even unnatural amino acids may be incorporated, owning to a new method that allows the inclusion of novel amino acids in the genetic code. Proteins have important role in physiological processes and they are involved in movement, recognition, catalysis, regulation etc. Moreover, proteins also have several therapeutical and industrial applications. Enzyme engineering is the modifying an enzyme's structure (and, thus, its function) or modifying the catalytic activity of enzymes to produce new metabolites, to allow new (catalyzed) pathways for reactions to occur, or to convert certain compounds into others (biotransformation). These products are useful as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fuel, food industries, or agricultural additives. In the future, enzymes may be restructured to fit more appropriately into industrial processes for the production of desired metabolites.

Genetic engineering is the manipulation of an organism's genome using biotechnology Principles. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including the transfer of genes within and across species domains for the production of improved or novel organisms. Genetic engineering has applications in medicine, research, industry and agriculture and can be used on a wide range of plants, animals and micro organisms. Tissue engineering is the use of a integration of cells, engineering and materials principles, and suitable biochemical and physicochemical factors to improve or replace biological tissues. It involves the use of a scaffold for the formation of new viable tissue for a medical purpose. Tissue engineering cover a broad range of applications,  that repair or replace portions of or whole tissues (i.e., bone, cartilage, blood vessels, bladder, skin, muscle etc.). The definition of regenerative medicine is often used same sense with tissue engineering, although those involved in regenerative medicine place more emphasis on the use of stem cells or progenitor cells to produce tissues.

Biomedical engineering is the multydisplinary subject which uses engineering principles and techniques to the medical field. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine.It combines the Principles and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve healthcare diagnosis and treatment. This is evident throughout healthcare, from diagnosis and analysis to treatment, care, and recovery, and has entered the public domain though the multiplication of implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers and artificial hips, to more state of the art technologies such as stem cell engineering and the 3-D printing of biological organs. Biomedical engineering focuses on the advances that improve human health and health care at all levels. There are potentialities in industry for innovating, designing, and developing new technologies; in academia furthering research and pushing the frontiers of what is medically possible as well as implementing, testing and developing new diagnostic tools and medical equipment; and in government for establishing safety standards for medical devices.

Pharmaceutical biotechnology is a comparatively new and growing field in which the principles of biotechnology are applied to the designing and production of drugs. Pharmaceutical companies manufacture and market drugs, livestock feed supplements, vitamins, and a host of other products. Consistently, Pharmaceutical companies are one of the most profitable industries in the U.S. with sales exceeding $320 billion per year. The Biotechnology industry uses modern technologies in genetics research to develop products for human diseases, includes companies engaged in drug discovery and research, production and biologically engineered food production. Biotech opportunities largely mirror those in the pharmaceutical industry yet this industry is still in its’ infancy stage developmentally. A majority of therapeutic drugs in the current market are bioformulations, such as antibodies, nucleic acid products and vaccines. Such bioformulations are developed through several stages that include: understanding the principles involed in health and disease; the fundamental molecular mechanisms governing the function of related biomolecules; production and purification of the molecules; determining the product shelf life, stability, toxicity and immunogenicity; drug delivery systems; patenting; and clinical trials. The future of bio-pharmaceuticals belongs to protein based therapeutics. Designing stable and effective therapeutic proteins requires knowledge of protein structure and the interactions that stabilise the structure necessary for function.