International Production
Biotechnology is a result of integration of natural and engineering sciences. It is production of essential to human products and materials with given properties, by means of living organisms, cultivated cells and biological processes. Biotechnology finds its application in medicine, food industry, as well as within the scope of addressing the issues of power industry, environmental protection, and in researches. The modern biotechnological processes are based on such domains of the world science as molecular biology, bioinformatics, biochemistry, physiology and genetic engineering.
Biotechnologists are involved in searching for aids to treatment of diseases incurable in the past. By means of genetic engineering methods there have been produced vaccines against such dangerous infections as Hepatitis B, foot-and-mouth disease, etc., as well as there have been developed the ways of early diagnostics of some inherited diseases and various viral infections. Preparations created by means of biotechnologies compare favorably from customary pharmaceutical preparations and those of natural origin. They allow a pin-point, efficient and rather safer effect on the body. As distinct from customary pharmaceutics, genetic engineering technologies allow the synthesis of drugs with predetermined properties.
As of today, microbiological industry produces more than 150 types of products. At present time, by means of microbiological synthesis there are produced antibiotics, enzymes, amino acids, semi-products for subsequent synthesis of various substances, pheromones1, organic acids, feed proteins, etc. Production technologies of these substances are well developed, and their microbiological way of production is cost efficient. So, there has been developed and practically applied the interferon2 production method – from 1 liter of culture fluid it is extracted the same amount of interferon, which was produced out of many tons of donor blood in the past.
The present microbiological production implies the availability of special technological culture. Products are made in highly sterile conditions: once a single cell of other type of microorganism turns to get into reactor, and the whole production may stop – the alien cell will start propagating and synthesizing unneeded products.
In pharmaceutical industry the issue of quality is today of great importance. Primarily, drugs should be not only efficient in use, but also safe for human.
1 Pheromones — collective name of substances — are secreted or excreted chemical factors, by some animal species that provide for chemical communication between zooids of the same species. Pheromones are biological markers of intrinsic species that govern neuroendocrine behavioral reactions, development processes, as well as many processes related to social behavior and reproduction. Pheromones modify behavior, physiological and emotional status or metabolism of other zooids of the same species. As a rule, pheromones are produced by specialized glands.
2 Interferons — general name, which now includes a line of proteins with similar properties excreted by the body cells in response to virus invasion. Due to interferons, cells become unsusceptible to a virus.
