The biotech sector includes companies whose products help humans by treating illnesses with life-saving treatments and drugs, improving agricultural yields and generating sustainable chemicals and fuels. Bioinformatics is another area which involves the study of biological processes and information and can be applied to a variety of industries.
Biotech began in the early 1970s when the technology of Resources recombinant DNA (genetic engineering) was developed and patent. This technique lets scientists create production cells that then begin to produce useful protein molecules.
Biotechnology is widely used in the target-discovery programs of a majority of pharmaceutical companies today. The industry also includes small upstarts that employ exclusive techniques to create therapeutic drugs.
Other biotechnology-related applications are being explored by companies focused on agrobiology, cosmetics and the environment, food technology as well as industrial biotechnology and nutraceuticals as well as vet medicine. Fully integrated Pharma companies are massive commercial companies that conduct research and develop generic or brand medicines.
Biotech is going through a transformation as a result of new technologies. Companies can now validate their platforms for conditions with understood mechanisms, such as sickle cell anemia, and also reach greater patient populations. Some companies are even trying to create novel treatments that target untreated diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a terminal illness.
