Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are handmade receptors that mimic the binding of natural antibodies. In other words, MIPs can selectively bind to the target molecule and qualify as bio-inspired synthetic materials. Today, MIPs are used extensively and are being developed further for biological applications. High cost and time consuming techniques are compelling factors for the field of biochemistry, biomedicine and biotechnology (3B), and there is an urgent need for an alternative, cheap, easy to produce, fast and effective method in these fields. MIPs stand out as a promising way for this purpose. MIPs have superiorities such as specific recognition specificity, excellent sensitivity selectivity and reusability. From this point of view, we examined MIP-related drug delivery studies, cell recognition, enzyme applications, in vivo applications, and applications for some important biomolecules. The aim of this review is to compile the utilizations, advantages, important developments and future expectations of MIPs for the fields of 3B.
GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid), a crucial neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, has gained significant attention in recent years due to its extensive benefits for human health. The review focused on recent advances in the biosynthesis and production of GABA. To begin with, the investigation evaluates GABA-producing strains and metabolic pathways, focusing on microbial sources such as Lactic Acid Bacteria,
Graphical Abstract
Animal biotechnologies have the potential to improve the sustainability and security of our global food systems. Government regulatory authorities are responsible for ensuring the safety of food their citizens consume, whether it is produced via conventional breeding methods or biotechnologies. While some countries have implemented animal biotechnology oversight policies, many countries have yet to develop theirs. Historically, regulatory approvals were required before products of biotechnology could enter the marketplace, and the high cost of the approval process limited the number and types of animal and plant products that sought approval. Only one biotech animal in the world that was developed for food production has reached the market under a GMO or rDNA approval process. The advent of genome editing techniques has revolutionized the scientific approach to introducing changes into DNA sequences and how biotechnology can be used to enhance agricultural breeding. Regulatory dialogs about biotechnology also have changed as a result of these new technologies. Regulatory agencies have begun to respond to these scientific advances, and a growing number of countries are looking to modernize regulatory approaches for these products, based on risk (or lack thereof) and similarity to organisms that could be produced via conventional breeding methods. Advances in animal biotechnology, especially genome editing, can accelerate the incorporation of valued phenotypes in animals, including enhanced yield, disease resistance, resilience to changing climate, and improved animal welfare, as well as food qualities valued by consumers. For animals with these biotechnology-introduced traits to enter agricultural production and reach consumers, clear risk-proportionate regulatory approaches must be in place, and to facilitate international trade of animal products, regulatory processes need to be aligned and compatible. Effective scientific public communication is crucial to build public trust in precision animal biotechnology and risk-proportionate regulatory approaches. An international workshop on regulatory approaches for animal biotechnology was convened in 2022 with 27 countries represented. We synthesize here technical progress, development of regulatory policy, and strategies for engagement with diverse publics on animal biotechnology reported in the workshop. Our goal is to encourage development and implementation of risk-proportionate regulatory approaches and policies in a global context.
Thanks to recent and continuing technological innovations, modern microfluidic systems are increasingly offering researchers working across all fields of biotechnology exciting new possibilities (especially with respect to facilitating high throughput analysis, portability, and parallelization). The advantages offered by microfluidic devices—namely, the substantially lowered chemical and sample consumption they require, the increased energy and mass transfer they offer, and their comparatively small size—can potentially be leveraged in every sub-field of biotechnology. However, to date, most of the reported devices have been deployed in furtherance of healthcare, pharmaceutical, and/or industrial applications. In this review, we consider examples of microfluidic and miniaturized systems across biotechnology sub-fields. In this context, we point out the advantages of microfluidics for various applications and highlight the common features of devices and the potential for transferability to other application areas. This will provide incentives for increased collaboration between researchers from different disciplines in the field of biotechnology.
A semiannual snapshot of job expansions, reductions and availability in the biotech and pharma sectors.
Sugarcane plays a central role in sugar and ethanol production. Ethanol from sugarcane is considered sustainable since lignocellulosic residues can increase crop productivity without altering planted areas, providing a valuable portion of the compensation for carbon dioxide emissions caused by fossil fuels. In this way, developing biotechnologies applied to increase sugarcane productivity is essential, especially in coping with stressful environments, which may cause a loss of productivity. This review first scrutinizes the literature to analyze the international collaborations among researchers working with sugarcane biotechnology, driven by sugarcane-producing countries, to understand its biochemical and molecular physiology associated with local environmental features. We then examine the literature to highlight some scientific improvements related to genetics and genomics and the use of omics tools for understanding sugarcane physiology. These new technologies have helped improve sugarcane’s physiological performance, addressing increased productivity without expanding the planting area, to important traits for resistance to stresses associated with global climate change. However, one of the most critical challenges remains the sequencing of the sugarcane genome, which still needs to be improved for precise genetic engineering strategies. We conclude that systems biology approaches integrating large amounts of data are essential. We need integration capable of affording specific modifications in the sugarcane genome (e.g., using CRISPR-Cas9 technology) to control plant behavior precisely. Coupled with modeling tools (e.g., Integration Assessment Modeling), this approach could provide the necessary precision control of designed plants to cope with a changing environment.
New drug approvals reached an all-time high in 2023, with five gene therapies, the first CRISPR–Cas9-edited therapy and a disease-modifying Alzheimer’s drug.
Key message
Single-cell transcriptomic techniques have emerged as powerful tools in plant biology, offering high-resolution insights into gene expression at the individual cell level. This review highlights the rapid expansion of single-cell technologies in plants, their potential in understanding plant development, and their role in advancing plant biotechnology research.
Abstract
Single-cell techniques have emerged as powerful tools to enhance our understanding of biological systems, providing high-resolution transcriptomic analysis at the single-cell level. In plant biology, the adoption of single-cell transcriptomics has seen rapid expansion of available technologies and applications. This review article focuses on the latest advancements in the field of single-cell transcriptomic in plants and discusses the potential role of these approaches in plant development and expediting plant biotechnology research in the near future. Furthermore, inherent challenges and limitations of single-cell technology are critically examined to overcome them and enhance our knowledge and understanding.
Yam is an important staple in sub-Saharan Africa, but the availability of quality seed yam is majorly constrained by the low propagation ratio. This is because the propagating explant is limited to the tuber and nodal parts as yam rarely flowers. There are several reports of the use of somatic embryogenesis (SE) in the rapid propagation of different crop species and as a regenerative pathway in plant genetic engineering. However, SE deployment in yam is still at the protocol development stage. This review thus exploits the status of SE application in improving the yam propagation rate. This article reviews the potential of the various yam propagation techniques in rapidly multiplying disease-free yam with their propagating explants. The advantages SE offers are rapidly propagating yam, the factors to consider in the protocol optimization of SE application in rapidly multiplying different yam varieties, and as a platform for full utilization of genetic engineering in yam. The findings so far show that SE potentially offers a faster rate of propagating yam varieties. However, due to the differences in varietal endogenous hormonal and gene products, response to SE in yam is constrained by varietal specificity. Hence, the applicability of SE in yam is still at the protocol development state. This review, thus, presents the need for more research efforts to elucidate the molecular and phytochemical controlling mechanisms of SE in yam to improve the yam multiplication rate and lay an efficient platform for the exploitation of other biotechnological advancements in improving yam species.