(August 2004) Animal or plant cells, removed from tissues, will continue to grow if supplied with the appropriate nutrients and conditions. When carried out in a laboratory, the process is called Cell Culture. It occurs in vitro (‘in glass’) as opposed to in vivo (‘in life’). The culture process allows single cells to act as independent units, much like a microorganism such as a bacterium or fungus. The cells are capable of dividing, they increase in size and, in a batch culture, can continue to grow until limited by some culture variable such as nutrient depletion. Cultures normally contain cells…

(August 2004) Generally, this term refers to food crops that have been altered using a variety of molecular biology techniques in order to provide them with either new or enhanced characteristics. Examples of such enhancements of modifications are herbicide tolerance, pesticide resistance, greater nutritional content or increased tolerance of cold temperatures. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can also be referred to as transgenic organisms. Transgenic simply means that the organism’s genes come from more than one source. The idea of enhancing desired traits in food crops is not new. Upon domestication of many plants, farmers used the process of artificial selection…

(August 2004) Biotechnology is the application of scientific and engineering principles to process biological materials for goods and services. Biotechnology is, therefore, highly multidisciplinary with foundations in many fields including cell and molecular biology, physiology, immunology, microbiology, genetics, biochemistry and chemical and process engineering. Figure 1. The biotechnology tree. Biotechnologists uses techniques derived from a variety of disciplines (fig. 1). Their main objectives are the innovation, development and optimal operation of processes in which biochemical catalysis plays a fundamental role. Biotechnology relies on each contributing discipline to better understand the technical language, potential and limitations of other areas. Historically, biotechnology…

(August 2004) Stem cells have generated more excitement, scrutiny and controversy than any other area of recent scientific study. The first stem cells, which were discovered half a century ago, were isolated from blood. Now, scientists around the globe are researching various types of stem cells for their potential to regenerate lost tissue and revolutionize medicine. Embryonic stem (ES) cells are derived from the embryo when it exists as a blastocyst. They have the ability to develop into all the different cell types found in the body. Actually, when a sperm fertilizes an egg, the resulting single cell begins to…