Biotech

Topic

The biotechnology investment sector. Roelof Botha states that Sequoia is cautious in this area because the firm lacks deep scientific expertise (MDs, PhDs), emphasizing the importance of domain knowledge in venture capital.


First Mentioned

10/10/2025, 3:08:05 AM

Last Updated

10/10/2025, 3:10:48 AM

Research Retrieved

10/10/2025, 3:10:48 AM

Summary

Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that integrates natural and engineering sciences to apply organisms and their parts for products and services. The term was first coined in 1919 by Károly Ereky. It harnesses biological systems like bacteria, yeast, and plants to perform specific tasks or produce valuable substances, utilizing key techniques such as genetic engineering, tissue culture, and fermentation. This field has led to significant advancements, including life-saving drugs, biofuels, genetically modified crops, and environmental solutions like biodegradable plastics. While offering immense potential to address global challenges and improve quality of life, it also raises ethical and societal questions regarding genetic modification and intellectual property rights, leading to ongoing debate and regulation. Venture capital firms, such as Sequoia Capital, acknowledge the complexity and specialized knowledge required in biotechnology, sometimes adopting a cautious approach due to limited in-house scientific expertise, despite past successes like their investment in Natera.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Applications

    Life-saving drugs, biofuels, genetically modified crops, biodegradable plastics, environmental cleanup, food products (beer, wine, cheese, bread), vaccines, pest-resistant crops, novel pharmaceuticals.

  • Core Principle

    Harnessing biological systems and organisms (e.g., bacteria, yeast, plants) to perform specific tasks or produce valuable substances.

  • Key Techniques

    Genetic engineering, tissue culture, fermentation, cell and tissue culture technologies, bioinformatics, biochemical engineering.

  • Related Fields

    Bioengineering, Biomedical engineering.

  • Underlying Sciences

    Molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, genetics, microbiology.

  • Definition (General)

    Multidisciplinary field integrating natural and engineering sciences for the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services.

  • Challenges/Considerations

    Ethical and societal questions (genetic modification, intellectual property rights), ongoing debate and regulation, potential for expanding inequality, aggravating international competition, intensifying ethical debates about what it means to be human.

  • Definition (Merriam-Webster)

    The manipulation (as through genetic engineering) of living organisms or their components to produce useful usually commercial products (such as pest resistant crops, new bacterial strains, or novel pharmaceuticals).

  • Definition (American Chemical Society)

    The application of biological organisms, systems, or processes by various industries to improve materials and organisms, such as pharmaceuticals, crops, and livestock.

  • Definition (European Federation of Biotechnology)

    The integration of natural science and organisms, cells, parts thereof, and molecular analogues for products and services.

Timeline
  • The term 'biotechnology' was first used by Károly Ereky to refer to the production of products from raw materials with the aid of living organisms. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1919-XX-XX

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists in the field are known as biotechnologists. The term biotechnology was first used by Károly Ereky in 1919 to refer to the production of products from raw materials with the aid of living organisms. The core principle of biotechnology involves harnessing biological systems and organisms, such as bacteria, yeast, and plants, to perform specific tasks or produce valuable substances. Biotechnology had a significant impact on many areas of society, from medicine to agriculture to environmental science. One of the key techniques used in biotechnology is genetic engineering, which allows scientists to modify the genetic makeup of organisms to achieve desired outcomes. This can involve inserting genes from one organism into another, and consequently, create new traits or modifying existing ones. Other important techniques used in biotechnology include tissue culture, which allows researchers to grow cells and tissues in the lab for research and medical purposes, and fermentation, which is used to produce a wide range of products such as beer, wine, and cheese. The applications of biotechnology are diverse and have led to the development of products like life-saving drugs, biofuels, genetically modified crops, and innovative materials. It has also been used to address environmental challenges, such as developing biodegradable plastics and using microorganisms to clean up contaminated sites. Biotechnology is a rapidly evolving field with significant potential to address pressing global challenges and improve the quality of life for people around the world; however, despite its numerous benefits, it also poses ethical and societal challenges, such as questions around genetic modification and intellectual property rights. As a result, there is ongoing debate and regulation surrounding the use and application of biotechnology in various industries and fields. Biotechnology encompasses a wide range of procedures for modifying living organisms for human purposes, going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants, and "improvements" to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and hybridization. Modern usage also includes genetic engineering, as well as cell and tissue culture technologies. The American Chemical Society defines biotechnology as the application of biological organisms, systems, or processes by various industries to learning about the science of life and the improvement of the value of materials and organisms, such as pharmaceuticals, crops, and livestock. As per the European Federation of Biotechnology, biotechnology is the integration of natural science and organisms, cells, parts thereof, and molecular analogues for products and services. Biotechnology is based on the basic biological sciences (e.g., molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, genetics, microbiology) and conversely provides methods to support and perform basic research in biology. Biotechnology is the research and development in the laboratory using bioinformatics for exploration, extraction, exploitation, and production from any living organisms and any source of biomass by means of biochemical engineering where high value-added products could be planned (reproduced by biosynthesis, for example), forecasted, formulated, developed, manufactured, and marketed for the purpose of sustainable operations (for the return from bottomless initial investment on R & D) and gaining durable patents rights (for exclusives rights for sales, and prior to this to receive national and international approval from the results on animal experiment and human experiment, especially on the pharmaceutical branch of biotechnology to prevent any undetected side-effects or safety concerns by using the products). The utilization of biological processes, organisms or systems to produce products that are anticipated to improve human lives is termed biotechnology. By contrast, bioengineering is generally thought of as a related field that more heavily emphasizes higher systems approaches (not necessarily the altering or using of biological materials directly) for interfacing with and utilizing living things. Bioengineering is the application of the principles of engineering and natural sciences to tissues, cells, and molecules. This can be considered as the use of knowledge from working with and manipulating biology to achieve a result that can improve functions in plants and animals. Relatedly, biomedical engineering is an overlapping field that often draws upon and applies biotechnology (by various definitions), especially in certain sub-fields of biomedical or chemical engineering such as tissue engineering, biopharmaceutical engineering, and genetic engineering.

Web Search Results
  • What Is Biotech? | MCPHS

    Biotechnology—or biotech—is a field of science that involves using living organisms, cells, and biological processes to develop products and technologies for various applications, particularly in health, agriculture, industry, and environmental management. It merges biology with technology, allowing advancements that have transformed multiple industries. [...] Academics | 11/25/2024 # What Is Biotech? ## What Is Biotech? Biotechnology is a diverse field full of opportunities for learners. Is this the right industry for you? Learn about degree options through MCPHS. [...] Does the idea of creating new products and technology excite you? Are you someone who loves research and innovation? If so, a career in biotechnology may be the right path for you. Professionals in this life sciences field help push the boundaries of modern-day medical, agricultural, and industrial solutions, introducing different processes for improved health and well-being.

  • What is Biotech and How to Get Into It - Johns Hopkins University

    Merriam-webster.com defines Biotechnology as: “the manipulation (as through genetic engineering) of living organisms or their components to produce useful usually commercial products (such as pest resistant crops, new bacterial strains, or novel pharmaceuticals).”

  • Biotechnology - Wikipedia

    Biotechnology is the research and development in the laboratory using bioinformatics for exploration, extraction, exploitation, and production from any living organisms and any source of biomass by means of biochemical engineering where high value-added products could be planned (reproduced by biosynthesis, for example), forecasted, formulated, developed, manufactured, and marketed for the purpose of sustainable operations (for the return from bottomless initial investment on R & D) and gaining [...] Biotechnology encompasses a wide range of procedures for modifying living organisms for human purposes, going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants, and "improvements" to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and hybridization "Hybrid (biology)"). Modern usage also includes genetic engineering, as well as cell and tissue culture technologies. The American Chemical Society defines _biotechnology_ as the application of biological organisms, systems, or [...] Biotechnology is a rapidly evolving field with significant potential to address pressing global challenges and improve the quality of life for people around the world; however, despite its numerous benefits, it also poses ethical and societal challenges, such as questions around genetic modification and intellectual property rights. As a result, there is ongoing debate and regulation surrounding the use and application of biotechnology in various industries and fields. (

  • What is Biotechnology? | BIO

    Modern biotechnology provides breakthrough products and technologies to combat debilitating and rare diseases, reduce our environmental footprint, feed the hungry, use less and cleaner energy, and have safer, cleaner and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes. HEAL THE WORLD Biotech is helping to heal the world by harnessing nature's own toolbox and using our own genetic makeup to heal and guide lines of research by: [...] Skip to main content # What is Biotechnology? At its simplest, biotechnology is technology based on biology - biotechnology harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health of our planet. We have used the biological processes of microorganisms for more than 6,000 years to make useful food products, such as bread and cheese, and to preserve dairy products. FacebookXLinkedInEmail [...] Currently, there are more than 250 biotechnology health care products and vaccines available to patients, many for previously untreatable diseases. More than 13.3 million farmers around the world use agricultural biotechnology to increase yields, prevent damage from insects and pests and reduce farming's impact on the environment. And more than 50 biorefineries are being built across North America to test and refine technologies to produce biofuels and chemicals from renewable biomass, which

  • The Future of Biotech - DNI.gov

    BROADER SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS Biotech offers the possibility of improving human health, the environment and agriculture while creating more sustainable modes of production. Conversely, biotech and the growth of the bioeconomy may also create disruptions and compound existing challenges, including expanding inequality, aggravating international competition, and intensifying ethical debates about what it means to be human. Unequal Access and Benefit [...] Biotech is likely to receive increasing attention and support in the coming years as a way to sustain sufficient production in the face of changes in global norms and policies related to land and water usage or carbon emissions. The emergence of policies that give preference to environmentally constrained or carbon-neutral technologies could endow some biotech solutions with global or regional regulatory, normative, or market advantages. Some environmental changes could create situations in [...] Many forecasts during the past 30 years have anticipated amazing advances in biotech—including cures for disease, eradication of hunger, and the means to transition away from petrochemical dependence—but the story of biotech has been one of incremental gains in food and material production, and medical advances. During the next 20 years, however, biotech is likely to transform a broader range of human experiences. A more multidisciplinary, digital, and data-rich approach to life sciences is

Location Data

Biotech, Calle Luis de Canoens, Zona Industrial La Trinidad, La Trinidad, Caracas, Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Municipio Baruta, Distrito Metropolitano de Caracas, Miranda, 1080, Venezuela

industrial

Coordinates: 10.4349785, -66.8651384

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