Biotechnologies: past history, present state and future prospects

Abstract

The paper presents a chronological review of biotechnologies, ancient and modern. It outlines the discovery of naturally occurring drugs by Babylonians, Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks and Romans, and the evolution of extraction, preservation and transformation technologies. It describes how pharmaceuticals progressed from empiricism, through chemical identification and synthesis to modern advances in genomics, proteomics, bio-informatics and syntheses by cultured cells from various genetically modified organisms. While biotechnologies for drugs first progressed through chemistry, until relatively recently food technologies evolved by mechanisation, the gradual replacement of human hands by machines. Present and predicted industrial demand for bioengineers exceeds supply. The cost and complexity of emerging biotechnologies call for significant revision of curricula and reorganisation of acedemic departments related to life sciences and biotechnologies. Urgently needed is active interdisciplinary cooperation in research and development, both in universities and industries, cooperation involving biochemists, bioengineers, mathematicians, computational scientists, systems analysts and specialists in bioinformatics. Bioscientists and biotechnologists must acquire more sensitive awareness of civil societies concerns and the ability to communicate with private citizens, politicians and the media. Recognising the inexorably rising demand for reliable health services, for safe and adequate food supplies, present and future opportunities for employment in industries devoted to food and drug technologies have never been greater.