The HaloEd Project

A web site dedicated to biotechnology education

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Introduction

Biotechnology

 

Biotechnology is “The application of science and engineering to the direct or indirect use of living organisms, or parts or products of living organisms, in their natural or modified forms.”

Another term for biotechnology is “Transgenics”, referring to the transfer of beneficial genetics traits from one species to another to enhance or protect that an organism.  Often this is done at the industrial level to produce food, drugs, or other products.

Biotechnology has been done throughout history. 

 

Halobacteria have numerous biotechnological applications including in:

 

1.       1.       Design of new antibiotics.

2.       2.      Production of recombinant gas vesicles for separation, antigen presentation and vaccine development.

3.       3.      Large-scale production (in settings such as salterns) of biopolymers, novel enzymes and proteins.

4.       4.      Genetic engineering of plants to increase their salt tolerance.

5.       5.      Development of stable enzymes for catalysis (including those which may be active in organic solvents).

6.       6.      Use of proteases for oriental fish and soy sauces.

7.       7.      Development of purple membrane films for holography bio-computer chips.

8.       8.      Extraction of carotene for use as food supplements or food coloring

9.       9.      Use of metabolic pathways for clean up of polluted hypersaline brines.

10.   10.   Use of lipases for detergents.

 

Teacher’s nook

Ecology

Role in food chain

Motility

Radiation resistance

Cellular energetics

Physiology

Genome sequence

Bioinformatics

Biotechnology

Patents

Lesson plans

Co-teaching hints

Molgent

FAQ

Further reading

Contacts

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