Chapter 14 - Omics Approaches in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering

Abstract

The constant uncontrolled rise in the population calls for the efforts to ensure the timely availability of biopharmaceuticals to address the prophylactic and therapeutic needs of the masses. This, hence, calls for the constant upgradation and optimization of the industrial bioprocesses. Improving the output of bioprocesses to make them more cost effective and time efficient requires the incorporation and use of newer techniques. Most industrial biotechnological products involve the involvement of at least one biological organism. Therefore in order to enhance the output of these processes, an intelligent optimization of the bioprocesses has to be carried out. The advent of omics has been a tantamount to the progress in all the fields of biotechnology. A number of tools have been employed by the biotechnologists, systems biologists, and bioprocess engineers for optimizing and developing efficient industrial process for biological applications. The efficient production of quality biological products is based on the selection, optimization, and engineering of appropriate biological mechanisms. Recent advances in the field of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics have led to an overall increase in the industrial output and, hence, an improvement in the biomedical outcomes. This chapter addresses the history of the inculcation of omics technologies in the field of industrial biotechnology followed by the tools developed for improving the industrial output. The challenges faced in this sector have also been addressed.