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At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed2026

Thermophilic bacteria of the Arabian Gulf and their emerging biotechnological applications: current insights and future prospects.

Thermophilic bacteria represent a powerful class of extremophiles whose ability to thrive at elevated temperatures makes them indispensable to modern biotechnology. The Arabian Gulf characterized by extreme heat, geothermal systems, hot springs, oil reservoirs, and hypersaline habitats hosts a rich yet understudied reservoir of these organisms. This review consolidates current insights into the diversity, ecological niches, and biotechnological relevance of thermophilic bacteria isolated from the region. Dominant genera such as Bacillus, Geobacillus, Thermus, Anoxybacillus, and Brevibacillus exhibit remarkable physiological and molecular strategies that enable survival under intense thermal, saline, and pH stress. Their capacity to produce thermostable enzymes, including proteases, amylases, lipases, cellulases, and DNA polymerases, positions them as high-value contributors to sectors spanning bioenergy, pharmaceuticals, food processing, agriculture, and environmental remediation. Beyond enzyme production, emerging applications such as antimicrobial compound discovery, hydrocarbon bioremediation, wastewater treatment, and sustainable bioprocessing highlight the region's untapped biotechnological potential. However, systematic exploration remains limited, hindered by sparse isolation efforts, incomplete physiological profiling, and a lack of genomic and omics-driven studies. The review underscores the need for integrated approaches that merge classical microbiology with advanced molecular and systems-level tools. Collectively, thermophilic bacteria from the Arabian Gulf constitute a promising yet underutilized biological resource poised to drive sustainable industrial innovation and environmental solutions.

Arabian Gulf↗
PubMed1993

Strategic planning for the management of biotechnologic products: development of a biotech committee.

Strategies and tactics for managing biotechnologic products are critical to cope with the increasing number and cost of such products. One strategy is to develop a biotech committee to formulate long-term goals for managing biotechnologic products and to evaluate controversial or extremely expensive new products and recommend their formulary status to the P & T Committee. Involvement of the P & T Committee is crucial to establish strict criteria and monitors to ensure the appropriate and cost-effective use of these products. Involvement of the pharmacy department is also essential to detect usage patterns and reimbursement profiles of approved biotechnologic products in the hospital, as well as their potential financial impact on the hospital's budget.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed1995

Developing guidelines for biotechnology drug use: experience with antithrombin III.

Development of institutional guidelines for use of high-cost biotechnology drugs, such as antithrombin III, is a valuable tool in formulary management. This article describes the process by which the University of California Davis Medical Center used an ad hoc committee to the P & T Committee to develop guidelines for antithrombin III use. Performing an objective analysis of available literature to address the appropriate role of a biotechnology agent is necessary to develop consensus guidelines. Approval of use guidelines by the P & T Committee provides the necessary structure for optimal use of biotechnology agents, such as antithrombin III.

Antithrombin III↗
PubMed1998

Biotechnology: an overview of the tools, therapeutic agents, and applications to pharmacy practice.

The promise of pharmaceutical biotechnology and its applications to health care is now being realized. Over 30 therapeutic agents produced by the tools of biotechnology are now available and nearly 300 more are in various stages of development. Recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies, gene therapy, and vaccines can provide effective treatments and cures for diseases we could only mitigate in the past. The availability of these drugs presents several interesting challenges and opportunities to pharmacists. The expense, complexity, and unique properties of biotechnology agents will continue to alter not only the knowledge base of pharmacy but also the way pharmacists perform their professional responsibilities.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1986

Biotechnology: the view from the FDA.

What is biotechnology? This is not a naive question. The Office of Technology Assessment has found differing definitions of biotechnology emanating from eight foreign countries and three international organizations. FDA's working definition of biotechnology is the application of biological systems and organisms to technical and industrial processes. This definition is necessarily broad. It takes in both the "old" and "new" science: the age-old techniques for making beer or yogurt as well as the most advanced uses of recombinant DNA technology. It takes in many applications, from production of enzymes for laundry detergents, to selective breeding of plants and animals, to genetic engineering of bacteria to clean up oil spills. As with any new technology, ethical issues are raised. But in the case of genetic engineering and cloning, many of the primordial fears of man concerning the power of science are awakened.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed1999

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↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Biotechnology and molecular diagnostics.

Molecular diagnostic applications of biotechnology have allowed the exploitation of biological processes for the industrial production of bio-products that are used for diagnostic purposes. Advances in genetic-related technologies together with a multidisciplinary interplay of several fields led to the development of genomics which is focusing at the detection of pathogenetic events at the genome level. Both structural and functional genomic approaches are shaping the technological challenge of the discovery of disease-related genes and the identification of their structural alterations or elucidation of gene function. Some of the emerging technologies and diagnostic applications of both structural and functional genomics will be summarised, including the issues related to identification of disease-genes, detection of genetic alterations, mutation scanning and DNA chip technology or those related to expression genetics (hybridisation-, PCR- and sequence-based technologies), two-hybrid technology and bioinformatics and computational biology, respectively. Further advances of genetic engineering have also revolutionised immunoassay biotechnology via engineering of antibody-encoding genes and the phage display technology. A comment will also be given about some of the issues related to the commercialisation and widespread diffusion of genetic information derived from the exploitation of the biotechnology industry and the development and marketing of diagnostic services.

Biotechnology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Social perception of biotechnology: a new tool for decision making].

The increase in critical opinions of scientific and technological development in advanced societies has led to the development of studies examining the links between science, technology and society. Among these studies are those on public perception, a particularly topical issue being the perception of biotechnology. There has been considerable European activity in this area of reflection and research, as evidenced by the wide range of initiatives at European Union and member state level. Some special instruments, such as the consensus conferences which began in Scandinavian countries, are now being applied in various EU countries. In Spain several public bodies and foundations are involved in a growing number of activities in this field. Biotechnology has become a particularly interesting research area for promoting new conditions for analysis of the social and economic repercussions of advances in science and technology. The study of the social perception of biotechnology is a crucial instrument for policy design and management and hence a methodological review is warranted.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed2001

Biotechnology and human rights.

Biotechnology permits our world to progress. It's a tool to better apprehend the human being, but as well to let him go ahead. Applied to the living, biotechnologies present the same finality. But since their matter concerns effectively the living, they are the sources of specific dangers and particularly of that one to use the improvements obtained on the human to modify the human species. The right of the persons has to find its place to avoid that the fundamental rights of the human personality shall undergo harm. This mission assigned to the right of the persons is as so much invaluable that the economical stakes are particularly important in the domain of the biotechnologies.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed2002

Biotechnology's foreign policy.

From its inception, biotechnology has been a uniquely international enterprise. An American and an Englishman working together elucidated the structure of DNA almost 50 years ago; more recently, the Human Genome Project linked researchers around the world, from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston to the Beijing Human Genome Center. Today our industry's researchers hail from African villages and Manhattan high rises; from Munich and Melbourne; from London, Ontario, and London, England; from Scotland and Nova Scotia--New Scotland; from Calcutta and Calgary. But in the beginning, the infrastructure that supported these efforts--intellectual property, venture capital, streamlined technology transfer--was less widely dispersed and the world's brightest biotech researchers clustered in only half a dozen scientific Meccas. Previous technological revolutions have spread around the world. Following in their footsteps, biotechnology's global diaspora seems inevitable, especially since governments are promoting it. But as our science and business emigrate from early strongholds in the United States, Canada and Europe across oceans and borders and into new cultures, international tensions over biotechnology continue to grow. In just the last few years, controversies have rolled over R&D spending priorities, genetic patents, bioprospecting, transgenic agriculture and drug pricing. My premise today is that our industry needs to formulate its first foreign policy, one which is cognizant of the miserable judgments and mistakes of other industries--and avoids them.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed2003

Policy and ethical issues in applying medical biotechnology in developing countries.

A brief review of some of the key issues in policy relating to the ethical issues raised by medical biotechnology in developing countries is presented, using India as an example. A series of some key issues is discussed, including information obtained from interviewing Indian government policy makers. Some of the issues discussed include: Economic and social incentives to encourage biotechnology; Health policy and ethics review; Patents on drugs; Medical genetics; Relationship to traditional medical practices; Positive public attitudes to biotechnology; Limited public participation; Infrastructural hurdles; Indian progress in stem cell research; and dilemmas of expensive technologies. The results show that although the needs of developing countries are different to those of rich countries, government policy utilizing guidelines and ethics committees has evolved as mechanisms to aid ethical health care delivery in India. In all countries there may be some of these concerns that are raised here, however, the integration of traditional medicine and advanced medical technology, and access to medical services by people in need, are particularly important challenges in developing countries. Better public involvement in policy making will require education and infrastructural organization as well as mutual willingness on the part of policy makers and citizens.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The biotechnology for the removal of specific pollutants.

In the last century, thanks to the development of molecular trials such as those involving genetic modification, biotechnologies have asserted themselves in diversified sectors and their evolution has been rapid, resulting in an enormous impact on the productive sector, on the quality of life, and on the consequences that their employment can have for man and, above all, for the environment. In particular, the application of biotechnologies in the sector concerned with the management and disposal of dangerous and non dangerous wastes, as well as in the sector concerned with the remediation of grounds contaminated by organic and inorganic pollutants, has led to the development of systems and processes that represent a valid and consolidated methodology for environmental improvement. This paper reviews the various different ways in which biotechnologies have been employed in the above sectors, citing the conditions necessary for their successful application, and stressing the great potential that these methodologies have, if optimised by means of further research, for solving environmental problems.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed2003

[Toxicologic and hygienic aspects in evaluating the risk due to isolated and combined action of biotechnologic products].

The article covers topics of evaluating the risk caused by biotechnologic products action both isolated and combined with chemical factor. The biotechnologic products under study were complete proteous preparations and microorganisms producers of nutritive supplements. The authors revealed peculiarities and patterns of body response to biotechnologic synthetic products.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed1990

A TAFE strategy for biotechnology skills training.

The outline of a strategy for training technicians who will undertake biotechnology-oriented tasks as employees is the focus of this review. Technical and Further Education (TAFE) in Western Australia has recently restructured electives offered in certificate and diploma courses of Applied Science. The aim of restructuring was to allow a broader choice catering for specialized streams. With a few additions it would be possible to list a set of biotechnology options for technicians specializing in this area. After identifying employers in Western Australia, data on technician employment characteristics and training needs was gathered through a survey and used to formulate a future development strategy. In the past little attention has been given anywhere in Australia to the training needs of this group. The availability of such appropriately trained employees will increasingly be recognized as a vital link in the success of any biotechnology enterprise.

Australia↗
PubMed1990

Commercialization of biotechnology in the Asian region. Report of meeting of Asian Productivity Organization (APO) in Osaka, Japan.

Detailed studies on the commercial development of biotechnology in five countries in the Asian Region (viz. Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, India) indicate a very significant role played by government in strategic planning and R & D financing. Strong growth is projected in some traditional biotechnology products e.g. amino acids such as monosodium glutamate and L-lysine, animal and human vaccines, and in environmental applications of biotechnology. The cash flow from these products will underpin future development and marketing of diagnostics, anticancer and antiviral drugs, particularly in Japan and Korea.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed2004

[Molecular identification methods of yeasts of biotechnological interest].

Yeasts have numerous applications in modern and traditional biotechnology. They take place in production of food, unicellular protein and products with added value, and in the last decades they have been incorporated to the biotechnology industry as host in the production of eukaryotes proteins. Apart from their advantages, some genera are the causes of mycosis on man and in some cases, are opportunistic pathogens associated to diseases such as HIV. They are also agents responsible for the damaging of fresh and elaborated food for human consumption. For these reasons, the quick and accurate identification of industrially, environmentally and clinically significant yeasts is important. Yeast taxonomy has been supported by conventional techniques, based on morphological and physiological descriptions of species and genera, but depend on strain culture conditions, therefore they have introduced errors in yeast taxonomy and originated the duality of their nomenclature. These difficulties have been solved with the application of molecular techniques, based on the sequence analysis of nucleic acid, specially karyotiping electrophoresis, microsatellite analysis, mitochondrial DNA length polymorphism, restriction fragment length polymorphism of ribosomal RNA, ramdom amplified polymorphic DNA and low molecular weight RNA. In this review all those methods are described, which have allowed the development of identification kits for clinical and industrial application for the clearance of phylogenetic relationships among species and genera of yeasts of biotechnological interest.

Biotechnology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Biodiversity, biotechnologies and the philosophy of biology.

The thesis of this paper is that in front of the development of biotechnology and of the capacity of techniques of altering the living, there is still a very old philosophy of biology. A rapid historical view is given where the rise and diffusion of the reductionistic paradigm is presented and the connections between this paradigm and biotechnologies are traced. Curiously biotechnologies are still based on the philosophy of F. Bacon. Then the necessity of a new paradigm in biology based on the recent discoveries of complexity is underlined. It is reminded that the main discovery of science of the XX century is that we are living in a small planet of limited resources and frail equilibriums. This discovery asks for a different view of the scientific progress, more linked to the conservation of the Biosphere than to its alteration. Stability is the task for the future interactions of human-kind with nature. For this reason the relationships between stability and diversity are summarised. Finally, as the species is the main step of Biodiversity, a brief discussion of the problems posed by the altering of species barriers is presented.

Biodiversity↗
PubMed2005

Biotechnology of temperate fruit trees and grapevines.

Challenges concerning fruit trees and grapevines as long lived woody perennial crops require adapted biotechnological approaches, if solutions are to be found within a reasonable time frame. These challenges are represented by the need for correct identification of genetic resources, with the foreseen use either in conservation or in breeding programmes. Molecular markers provide most accurate information and will be the major solution for questions about plant breeders rights. Providing healthy planting material and rapid detection of newly introduced pathogens by reliable methods involving serological and molecular biological tools will be a future challenge of increases importance, given the fact that plant material travels freely in the entire European Union. But also new breeding goals and transgenic solutions are part of the biotechnological benefits, e.g. resistance against biotic and abiotic stress factors, modified growth habits, modified nutritional properties and altered processing and storage qualities. The successful characterization of transgenic grapevines and stone fruit trees carrying genes of viral origin in different vectors constructed under ecological consideration, will be presented. Beyond technical feasibility, efficiency of resistance, environmental safety and Intellectual Property Rights, also public acceptance needs consideration and has been addressed in a specific project. The molecular determination of internal quality parameters of food can also be addressed by the use of biotechnological tools. Patient independent detection tools for apple allergens have been developed and should allow to compare fruits from different production systems, sites, and genotypes for their content of health threatening compounds.

Animals↗