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Current Opinion in Biotechnology Aug 2012
Topics: Animals; Biodegradation, Environmental; Bioengineering; Biosensing Techniques; Biotechnology; DNA; Humans; Nanotechnology; Proteins
PubMed: 22683114
DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2012.05.002 -
Marine Drugs Aug 2015The production of pigments by halophilic archaea has been analysed during the last half a century. The main reasons that sustains this research are: (i) many... (Review)
Review
The production of pigments by halophilic archaea has been analysed during the last half a century. The main reasons that sustains this research are: (i) many haloarchaeal species possess high carotenoids production availability; (ii) downstream processes related to carotenoid isolation from haloarchaea is relatively quick, easy and cheap; (iii) carotenoids production by haloarchaea can be improved by genetic modification or even by modifying several cultivation aspects such as nutrition, growth pH, temperature, etc.; (iv) carotenoids are needed to support plant and animal life and human well-being; and (v) carotenoids are compounds highly demanded by pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food markets. Several studies about carotenoid production by haloarchaea have been reported so far, most of them focused on pigments isolation or carotenoids production under different culture conditions. However, the understanding of carotenoid metabolism, regulation, and roles of carotenoid derivatives in this group of extreme microorganisms remains mostly unrevealed. The uses of those haloarchaeal pigments have also been poorly explored. This work summarises what has been described so far about carotenoids production by haloarchaea and their potential uses in biotechnology and biomedicine. In particular, new scientific evidence of improved carotenoid production by one of the better known haloarchaeon (Haloferax mediterranei) is also discussed.
Topics: Animals; Biotechnology; Carotenoids; Haloferax; Humans
PubMed: 26308012
DOI: 10.3390/md13095508 -
Metabolic Engineering Jul 2017Engineered biological systems such as genetic circuits and microbial cell factories have promised to solve many challenges in the modern society. However, the artisanal... (Review)
Review
Engineered biological systems such as genetic circuits and microbial cell factories have promised to solve many challenges in the modern society. However, the artisanal processes of research and development are slow, expensive, and inconsistent, representing a major obstacle in biotechnology and bioengineering. In recent years, biological foundries or biofoundries have been developed to automate design-build-test engineering cycles in an effort to accelerate these processes. This review summarizes the enabling technologies for such biofoundries as well as their early successes and remaining challenges.
Topics: Biotechnology; Metabolic Engineering
PubMed: 28602523
DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2017.06.003 -
Trends in Biotechnology Nov 2017Age-related conditions are the leading causes of death and health-care costs. Reducing the rate of aging would have enormous medical and financial benefits. Myriad genes... (Review)
Review
Age-related conditions are the leading causes of death and health-care costs. Reducing the rate of aging would have enormous medical and financial benefits. Myriad genes and pathways are known to regulate aging in model organisms, fostering a new crop of anti-aging companies. Approaches range from drug discovery efforts to big-data methods and direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies. Challenges and pitfalls of commercialization include reliance on findings from short-lived model organisms, poor biological understanding of aging, and hurdles in performing clinical trials for aging. A large number of potential aging-associated interventions and targets exist, but given the long validation times only a small fraction can be explored for clinical applications. If even one company succeeds, however, the impact will be huge.
Topics: Aging; Animals; Biomedical Research; Biotechnology; Humans
PubMed: 28778607
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.07.004 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2023Field-flow fractionation (FFF) is a family of single-phase separative techniques exploited to gently separate and characterize nano- and microsystems in suspension.... (Review)
Review
Field-flow fractionation (FFF) is a family of single-phase separative techniques exploited to gently separate and characterize nano- and microsystems in suspension. These techniques cover an extremely wide dynamic range and are able to separate analytes in an interval between a few nm to 100 µm size-wise (over 15 orders of magnitude mass-wise). They are flexible in terms of mobile phase and can separate the analytes in native conditions, preserving their original structures/properties as much as possible. Molecular biology is the branch of biology that studies the molecular basis of biological activity, while biotechnology deals with the technological applications of biology. The areas where biotechnologies are required include industrial, agri-food, environmental, and pharmaceutical. Many species of biological interest belong to the operational range of FFF techniques, and their application to the analysis of such samples has steadily grown in the last 30 years. This work aims to summarize the main features, milestones, and results provided by the application of FFF in the field of molecular biology and biotechnology, with a focus on the years from 2000 to 2022. After a theoretical background overview of FFF and its methodologies, the results are reported based on the nature of the samples analyzed.
Topics: Biotechnology; Fractionation, Field Flow; Molecular Biology; Food; Industry
PubMed: 37687030
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28176201 -
BioTechniques Aug 2020
Topics: Automation; Biological Products; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Environment Design; Facility Design and Construction; Humans
PubMed: 32580570
DOI: 10.2144/btn-2020-0072 -
Current Microbiology Oct 2022Microbial biotechnology uses microorganisms and their derivatives to generate industrial and/or environmental products that impact daily life. Modern biotechnology uses... (Review)
Review
Microbial biotechnology uses microorganisms and their derivatives to generate industrial and/or environmental products that impact daily life. Modern biotechnology uses proteomics, metabolomics, quantum processors, and massive sequencing methods to yield promising results with microorganisms. However, the fundamental concepts of microbial biotechnology focus on the specific search for microorganisms from natural sources and their correct analysis to implement large-scale processes. This mini-review focuses on the methods used for the isolation and selection of microorganisms with biotechnological potential to empathize the importance of these concepts in microbial biotechnology. In this work, a review of the state of the art in recent years on the selection and characterization of microorganisms with a basic approach to understanding the importance of fundamental concepts in the field of biotechnology was carried out. The proper selection of isolation sources and the design of suitable selection criteria according to the desired activity have generated substantial changes in the development of biotechnology for more than three decades. Some examples include Taq polymerase in the PCR method and CRISPR technology. The objective of this mini review is to establish general ideas for the screening of microorganisms based on basic concepts of biotechnology that are left aside in several articles and maintain the importance of the basic concepts that this implies in the development of modern biotechnology.
Topics: Biotechnology; Proteomics
PubMed: 36302918
DOI: 10.1007/s00284-022-03082-2 -
Biosensors Mar 2022Microfabricated systems are increasingly being utilized in biotechnological, biomedical, and pharmaceutical research and development as replacements for traditional in...
Microfabricated systems are increasingly being utilized in biotechnological, biomedical, and pharmaceutical research and development as replacements for traditional in vitro cell cultures, bioreactors, and animal experiments (Figure 1) [...].
Topics: Animals; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Cell Culture Techniques
PubMed: 35448250
DOI: 10.3390/bios12040190 -
Chemical Society Reviews Jul 2016This review provides an overview of recent developments in "chemical virology." Viruses, as materials, provide unique nanoscale scaffolds that have relevance in chemical... (Review)
Review
This review provides an overview of recent developments in "chemical virology." Viruses, as materials, provide unique nanoscale scaffolds that have relevance in chemical biology and nanotechnology, with diverse areas of applications. Some fundamental advantages of viruses, compared to synthetically programmed materials, include the highly precise spatial arrangement of their subunits into a diverse array of shapes and sizes and many available avenues for easy and reproducible modification. Here, we will first survey the broad distribution of viruses and various methods for producing virus-based nanoparticles, as well as engineering principles used to impart new functionalities. We will then examine the broad range of applications and implications of virus-based materials, focusing on the medical, biotechnology, and energy sectors. We anticipate that this field will continue to evolve and grow, with exciting new possibilities stemming from advancements in the rational design of virus-based nanomaterials.
Topics: Agriculture; Biotechnology; Drug Delivery Systems; Gene Transfer Techniques; Genetic Engineering; Humans; Immunotherapy; Nanomedicine; Nanostructures; Nanotechnology; Viruses
PubMed: 27152673
DOI: 10.1039/c5cs00287g -
Science Translational Medicine Apr 2017The medical-technology sector must educate society in an unbiased rational way about the successes and benefits of biotechnology innovation. (Review)
Review
The medical-technology sector must educate society in an unbiased rational way about the successes and benefits of biotechnology innovation.
Topics: Biotechnology; Delivery of Health Care; Humans; United States
PubMed: 28404862
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aal4359