Biotechnology in Asia

Cover illustration: The Asian Federation of Biotechnology (AFOB, http://www.afob.org ) was established to promote cooperation between all those interested in biotechnology in Asia and stimulate innovation and technology transfer with the goal of advancing biotechnology in Asia and the rest of the world. BTJ continues its cooperation with AFOB and Asian Congress on Biotechnology (ACB-2011), with a special issue of articles from selected invited speakers at the congress, edited by Jian-Jiang Zhong (Chair ACB-2011 Organizing Committee; SJTU, China), and Sang Yup Lee (BTJ's Editor-in-Chief; KAIST, Korea). Read the Editorial: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/201100445     

非洲：生物科技发展日趋重要

非洲是世界上生物科技最不发达的地区,现代生物科技在许多非洲国家还是新鲜事物。但近年来,非洲国家对生物科技的发展充分重视,不断加强生物人才培养,积极开展国际合作,高度重视生物安全,参与各种UNEP/GEF生物安全计划,并在非盟组织以及国际机构的引导和支持下,成立了生物科技高水平专家组（ABP）,撰写了“非洲生物技术发展报告”提出非洲生物技术发展构想。了解和研究非洲生物科技发展现状及动态对我国生物科技的发展以及开展中非合作有着重要的意义。     

Biotechnology and human health

Biotechnology can contribute to improved human health. Such improvement will also enhance significantly the economic development of the lesser developed nations. If one has in the biomedical sciences the skill and the will, one can utilize the powerful tools of biotechnology to better the well-being of makind throughout the world.     

Plant Biotechnology

Cover illustration This Special Issue of Biotechnology Journal is edited by Prof. Eva Stöger and covers the latest breakthroughs in plant biotechnology. The cover image shows genetically modified corn producing an anti-HIV antibody along with DsRed as a visual marker. Image courtesy of Dr. Thomas Rademacher (RWTH and Fraunhofer IME, Aachen, Germany). Border around image: © boulemon – Fotolia.com.     

Biotechnology and world food supply.

Biotechnology, the use of molecular and cellular tools to genetically modify and improve food supply, will play an increasing and important role in the continuing struggle to produce sufficient food for an ever increasing world population. Many of the approaches will supplement and enhance conventional breeding and also address environmental concerns and help to stabilize food production. This review provides a perspective dealing specifically with crops and three areas of biotechnology, namely, genome analysis with molecular markers, cell- and tissue-culture procedures, and the rapid and precise incorporation of genes via transformation. One must remember that biotechnology is still in its infancy, and that approaches will be greatly improved and more efficiently utilized in the future for the betterment of mankind.     

Biotechnology and sustainability: the role of transatlantic cooperation in research and innovation

Life sciences and biotechnology are increasingly providing sustainable solutions in a wide range of areas from medicine to industry, agriculture and the environment. The United States and Europe are the two largest regions in which the revolution in life sciences and biotechnology has been taking place. Established in 1990, the EC-US Task Force on Biotechnology Research has provided a fruitful forum for the exchange of information, for the discussion of ideas and for the joint sponsoring of research activities between the US and the European Union.     

生物技术在食品工业中的应用

生物技术是一门新兴的高新技术 ,对解决人类面临的食物、资源、健康、环境等重大问题发挥着越来越大的作用。根据国内外食品工业领域中生物技术的研究应用状况 ,主要阐述生物技术在功能食品开发、食品疫苗、海洋食物资源开发利用和啤酒工业中等方面的研究进展。     

生物技术与绿色化学

介绍了绿色化学与生物技术的研究内容与特点,分析了生物技术在绿色化学技术中的特殊地位,提出了生物技术是一项绿色科技,是实现绿色化学的有效手段,生物技术与绿色化学的交叉与融合产生的化学生物学、生物化工等新兴学科必将为社会与经济的可持续发展提供有效途径。     

欧盟现代农业生物技术应用热点

农业是现代生物技术最重要的应用领域之一,随着人类对农业生物技术认识的不断深入,相关国家纷纷把农业生物技术作为提高国家农业竞争力的突破口。欧盟作为科技发达国家和比较发达国家的联合体,其科技实力在世界占有显著地位。作者简要分类评述了欧盟在植物养殖、家畜繁殖、鱼类繁殖、饲料添加剂、动物保健、食品诊断等领域的相关技术应用,为我国相关研究提供参考。     

生物技术发展趋势与预测

预测了未来10～20年内生物技术在人类医学领域、农业生物技术领域、工业生物技术领域、生物计算学领域、材料学领域、生物工程领域和环境生物工程领域的主要发展趋势,对生物技术的发展进程也作了预测,并对生物技术在人类疾病治疗方面、农业领域、工业领域、数学领域、材料学科、生物工程方面和环境生物工程领域作出了实际预测。     

白色生物技术及其应用进展

“白色”生物技术也叫做工业生物技术,是利用某些微生物或酶进行物质转化,生产新产品或改进原有工业处理过程的技术。其产品可生物降解,生产过程能耗低,废弃物少。它是一门涉及生物学、微生物学、分子生物学、化学以及工程学等多学科的研究领域。综述了白色生物技术的产业优势及其涉及的研究领域,并从生物催化、生物材料、生物能源等方面概述了白色生物技术的应用进展。     

生物技术的商业化原则及其未来

生物技术就是应用自然科学及工程学的原理 ,依靠微生物、动物、植物作为反应器 ,将物料进行加工以提高产品来为社会服务的技术。文章在重点分析了世界生物技术研究开发、产业发展状况及其管理策略基础上 ,探讨了生物技术及其产业的商业化系统模型以及系统各要素之间的关系 ,阐明了建立生物技术商业化系统的 4项原则 ,即相对优势的竞争原则 ,行业的乘数效应原则 ,投资的获得与运营原则和协调管理的价值实现原则 ,并提出了生物技术未来发展的设想。     

Biotechnology and sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa

Whether development is defined by the long-standing economic parameter of per capita gross national product (GNP) or by the newly introduced Human Development Index (HDI), which is not based exclusively on per capita GNP, the countries of sub-Saharan Africa rank at or near the bottom of the developing world. Agriculture and agro-based processing are the mainstays of the economies of the majority of these countries. Because of this, and also because many of the diseases endemic in these countries are communicable, the application of modern biotechnology (including genetic engineering, tissue culture and monoclonal antibody technology) and related biotechnologies could play an important part in creating sustainable development in the region. There is, therefore, an urgent need to train more of the region's indigenous citizens, and to equip more laboratories, in modern biotechnology. It is suggested that, in order to accelerate the harnessing of the fruits of biotechnology, more countries in the region should affiliate with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). It is further suggested that a regional equivalent of the ICGEB be built and the services of non-governmental biotechnology organizations used.The author is with Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P. M. B. 5025, Awka, Nigeria. Address correspondence to P. M. B. 1457, Enugu, Nigeria     

Biotechnology essay competition: Biotechnology Journal contributes to World Environment Day

In celebration of this year's World Environment Day, June 5, Biotechnology Journal is hosting an essay competition for high school students with the topic "biotechnology and the green economy". Submission is open to all - see article for further details.     

英国生物技术成果转化经验及若干启示

英国是生物技术产业发展强国,综合实力仅次于美国.英国生物技术行业今天的繁荣,是与英国几十年对生物技术成果转化的政策扶持和一系列配套措施分不开的.本文回顾了自20世纪50年代起,英国政府在生物技术成果转化方面的政策和经验、政府的引领和投入以及一系列的孵化政策,促成了英国生物技术产业当今的成就.关注英国在生物技术产业成果方面的经验,旨在为我国发展生物技术产业健康、迅速发展提供参考.     

Cover Picture: Biotechnology Journal 11/2012

This “regular” issue of Biotechnology Journal gathers the state‐of‐the‐art in biotechnology, with articles on bioenergy, biofuels, medical biotechnology, biomaterials, etc. Image: © Sergej Khackimullin – Fotolia.com.     

The Biotechnology Facility for International Space Station

The primary mission of the Cellular Biotechnology Program is to advance microgravity as a tool in basic and applied cell biology. The microgravity environment can be used to study fundamental principles of cell biology and to achieve specific applications such as tissue engineering. The Biotechnology Facility (BTF) will provide a state-of-the-art facility to perform cellular biotechnology research onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The BTF will support continuous operation, which will allow performance of long-duration experiments and will significantly increase the on-orbit science throughput.     

我国生物技术基地平台现状与发展建议

生物技术是21世纪以来新一轮科技革命和产业变革的核心,而生物技术基地平台是开展生物技术研究、生产和服务的载体,是生物技术创新体系的重要组成部分。对世界主要发达国家及我国生物技术基地平台的总体规模和建设情况进行梳理分析,并借鉴国外经验,提出改进我国生物技术基地平台建设的政策建议,以供参考。     

Cover Picture: Biotechnology Journal 3/2014

This “regular” issue of Biotechnology Journal gathers the state‐of‐the‐art in biotechnology, including articles on CHO cells, plant biotechnology and tissue engineering. The cover image shows immunohistochemical staining of tissue sections using antibodies recognizing different target proteins (www.proteinatlas.org) and is provided by Sophia Hober et al., authors of “Antibody performance in western blot applications is context‐dependent” (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/biot.201300341)     

Biotechnology and fish culture

Biotechnology can currently be considered of importance in aquaculture. The increase in the production of aquatic organisms over the last two decades through the use of biotechnology indicates that in a few generations biotechnology may overtake conventional techniques, at least for the commercially more valuable species. In the last few years, genetics has contributed greatly to fish culture through the application of the more recent techniques developed in biotechnology and in genetic engineering. At present, the most commonly used methods in fish biotechnology are chromosome manipulation and hormonal treatments, which can be used to produce triploid, tetraploid, haploid, gynogenetic and androgenetic fish. These result in the production of individuals and lineages of sterile, monosex or highly endogamic fish. The use of such strategies in fish culture has as a practical objective the control of precocious sexual maturation in certain species; other uses are the production of larger specimens by control of the reproductive process and the attainment of monosex lines containing only those individuals of greater commercial value. The use of new technologies, such as those involved in gene transfer in many species, can result in modified individuals of great interest to aquaculturists and play important roles in specific programmes of fish production in the near future.