Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering
Biotechnology applies cellular and biomolecular processes to develop agricultural, medical, and industrial solutions. Recombinant DNA technology, pioneered by Paul Berg, Herbert Boyer, and Stanley Cohen in the 1970s, enabled the insertion of foreign genetic material into host plasmids to manufacture human insulin. In 2012, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna adapted the bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 immune mechanism into a revolutionary precision genome-editing tool, winning the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. India's Department of Biotechnology (DBT), established in 1986 under the Ministry of Science and Technology, oversees national biosafety protocols through the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986.
Key Concepts & Examination Highlights
- Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology.
- The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Ministry of Environment is the apex statutory body regulating GMOs in India.
- Recombinant human insulin (Humulin), synthesized using genetically engineered E. coli bacteria, was first approved for commercial use in 1982.