Biotechnology: The Future Unfolded


Book Description

Biotechnology is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field that harnesses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives to develop innovative solutions to address a wide range of challenges in various sectors, including medicine, agriculture, industry, and environmental management. This scientific discipline integrates principles from biology, chemistry, genetics, and other related fields to manipulate and modify living organisms at the molecular and cellular levels for practical applications. The term “biotechnology” itself encompasses a broad spectrum of techniques, methodologies, and technologies that utilize biological systems or derivatives to create products, improve processes, or develop new technologies. One of the fundamental aspects of biotechnology is genetic engineering, which involves the intentional alteration of an organism’s genetic material using various molecular biology techniques. This manipulation can lead to the creation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) with desired traits, such as increased resistance to diseases, enhanced nutritional content, or improved tolerance to environmental conditions. Genetic engineering has revolutionized medicine, enabling the production of therapeutic proteins, vaccines, and genetically modified cells for treating various diseases.




Science Business


Book Description

Why has the biotechnology industry failed to perform up to expectations? This book attempts to answer this question by providing a critique of the industry. It reveals the causes of biotech's problems and offers an analysis on how the industry works. It also provides prescriptions for companies, seeking ways to improve the industry's performance.




Fighting for the Future of Food


Book Description

When scientists working in the agricultural biotechnology industry first altered the genetic material of one organism by introducing genes from an entirely different organism, the reaction was generally enthusiastic. To many, these genetically modified organisms (GMOs) promised to solve the challenges faced by farmers and to relieve world hunger. Yet within a decade, this “gene revolution” had abruptly stalled. Widespread protests against the potential dangers of “Frankenfoods” and the patenting of seed supplies in the developing world forced the industry to change course. As a result, in the late 1990s, some of the world’s largest firms reduced their investment in the agricultural sector, narrowed their focus to a few select crops, or sold off their agricultural divisions altogether. Fighting for the Future of Food tells the story of how a small group of social activists, working together across tables, continents, and the Internet, took on the biotech industry and achieved stunning success. Rachel Schurman and William A. Munro detail how the anti-biotech movement managed to alter public perceptions about GMOs and close markets to such products. Drawing strength from an alternative worldview that sustained its members’ sense of urgency and commitment, the anti-GMO movement exploited political opportunities created by the organization and culture of the biotechnology industry itself. Fighting for the Future of Food ultimately addresses society’s understanding and trust (or mistrust) of technological innovation and the complexities of the global agricultural system that provides our food.




Biotechnology in the Time of COVID-19


Book Description

47 leaders from across the biotechnology industry tell their stories of battling the global scourge of COVID-19. Pandemics have killed at least a half billion people over the past two millennia. But in the age of biotechnology, humanity is no longer defenseless. The biotechnology industry is a diverse community of scientists, doctors, patients, entrepreneurs, investors, bankers, analysts and reporters, all committed to treating and curing disease. Over the past forty years, it has produced medical advances at an electrifying rate. As the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, hundreds of companies quickly pivoted to combating the virus. The contributors to this book offer inside views of this seminal industry, with historical and personal perspectives, lessons learned, and looks into the future. Diverse as these leaders are, they are united by their conviction that science and medicine will light humanity’s way to greater health and longevity.




Leading Strategic Change in an Era of Healthcare Transformation


Book Description

This book focuses on how to lead transformative and strategic change in the healthcare industry in times of great uncertainty. Written for senior healthcare leaders, it will provide new tools, processes, examples and case studies offering an effective framework in which to transform healthcare systems. Specifically, leaders will be able to answer the following questions: • Why change? What has led us to today, and what is the current situation in healthcare? • What to change? What areas for change are most promising—areas with the greatest potential to yield significant benefits? • How to change? Will incremental changes meet the need, or are true transformations required? • When to change? Should changes start now, or should change wait for the stars to come into some special alignment? Healthcare is personal. Healthcare is local. And at the same time, healthcare is one of the greatest challenges faced by countries around the world. All major economies confront similar issues: “demand-side” growth in the care of aging populations in the face of “supply-side” resource constraints driven by ever-increasing costs of providing such care. While cultural, historical, and political differences among nations will yield different solutions, healthcare leaders across the globe must deal with ever-increasing uncertainty as to the scope and speed of their healthcare systems’ evolution. The magnitude of these challenges calls for fundamental change to address inherent problems in the healthcare system and ensure sustainable access to healthcare for generations to come. The problem is understanding where and how to change. Failures of strategy are often failures to anticipate a reality different than what organizations are prepared or willing to see. Both system-wide and organizational transformation means doing current activities more efficiently while layering on change. This book aims to provide leaders with the tools to help organizations and health care systems adapt and evolve to meet the new challenges of healthcare as it continues to evolve. Praise for Leading Strategic Change in an Era of Healthcare Transformation "The authors make the case for healthcare transformation, and more importantly outline the required steps from changing mindsets to opinions development...a useful guide for all future healthcare leaders."- John A. Quelch, Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School "There are several lifetimes of knowledge in the book about leading strategic transformation in the healthcare sector... Strategic transformation requires 2 ingredients: expertise in the healthcare sector and knowledge about leading change. This volume accomplishes both."- Karen Hein, Former President of the William T. Grant Foundation, Adjunct Professor of Family & Community Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School and Visiting Fellow, Feinstein International Center, Tufts University "An essential guide for healthcare leaders seeking to transform their organization in these demanding times."- Dr. Mario Moussa, President, Moussa Consulting and co-author of The Art of Woo: Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell Your Ideas and Committed Teams: Three Steps to Inspiring Passion and Performance




Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science


Book Description

This symposium, which was held on March 10-11, 2003, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, brought together policy experts and managers from the government and academic sectors in both developed and developing countries to (1) describe the role, value, and limits that the public domain and open access to digital data and information have in the context of international research; (2) identify and analyze the various legal, economic, and technological pressures on the public domain in digital data and information, and their potential effects on international research; and (3) review the existing and proposed approaches for preserving and promoting the public domain and open access to scientific and technical data and information on a global basis, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries.




Recent Advances in Food Biotechnology


Book Description

This book highlights important aspects of food biotechnology. It is very thoughtfully divided into five sections. The first section introduces the readers to food biotechnology and discusses functional foods, use of plant and animal biotechnology in improving food quality. The second section deals with food microbiology and includes topics such as application of microbial surfactants, use of probiotics, beneficial microorganisms used in food industry etc. The third section describes important macro and micromolecules in foods. It includes chapters on food enzymes, gluten free formulations, use of biopolymers, biofortification of food and other important topics. The next section discusses novel technologies such as use of nanotechnology in food industry, reverse micelle techniques, genome editing in food crops etc. The book culminates with a section on food quality and management. It describes important topics about biosafety and regulatory issues in food biotechnology. This book is meant for students, researchers and course instructors in food science, food technology and biotechnology. It is also useful for industry experts in the area of food technology.




Lords Of The Harvest


Book Description

Once confined to the research laboratory, the genetic engineering of plants is now a big business that is changing the face of modern agriculture. Giant corporations are creating designer crops with strange powers-from cholesterol-reducing soybeans to plants that act as miniature drug factories, churning out everything from vaccines to insulin. They promise great benefits: better health for consumers, more productive agriculture-even an end to world hunger. But the vision has a dark side, one of profit-driven tampering with life and the possible destruction of entire ecosystems. In Lords of the Harvest, Daniel Charles takes us deep inside research labs, farm sheds, and corporate boardrooms to reveal the hidden story behind this agricultural revolution. He tells how a handful of scientists at Monsanto drove biotechnology from the lab into the field, and how the company's opponents are fighting back with every tool available to them, including the cynical manipulation of public fears. A dramatic account of boundless ambition, political intrigue, and the quest for knowledge, Lords of the Harvest is ultimately a story of idealism and of conflicting dreams about the shape of a better world.




GRASPED Unfolding Horizons


Book Description

"GRASPED: Unfolding Horizons" dives into the limitless potential of creativity and innovation, exploring how AI reshapes our understanding of what's possible. Through stories of pioneers and personal insights, it invites readers to transcend traditional boundaries and embark on a journey of discovery and transformation. The book uniquely combines personal narratives with in-depth explorations of AI's impact on creativity, offering both inspiration and practical insights for navigating the evolving landscape of innovation and imagination. The introduction sets the stage for a journey into the vast possibilities unlocked by human creativity and AI. It challenges readers to question their perceived limitations and to explore the "what ifs" that lie at the heart of innovation.




ASM News


Book Description