Biotechnology: The future of Mankind

Muhammad Nibras Azza Adhikara (19R57011)

Innovation System HW#1

Biotechnology, a well-known field that had been discovered back then by the previous
generation. However, a great potential and opportunity are still kept inside. Biotechnology can be
define as the manipulation of living organism of their parts or components to produce useful
products through its manipulation to replace or sustains its original condition. Various
applications of biotechnology can be easily mentioned such as technologies based on DNA,
cellular biology, biochemistry, biomaterials and many more that include living things.[1]
Development and research in biotechnology will drive to the medical progress can be create to
help and enhance the quality of life. Problems such as expensive health care, increasing
population, resource deficit, food security, energy shortage and climate change become the
mains problem in today’s civilization of human kind. Through the development and application
of biotechnology, hopefully those problem can be easily tackled.[2]

Existing biotechnologies can be found today which can come to reality on 2025. The
development and research still might boosting to the future to help human kind with several
problems that we faced. For instance, personalized medicine might tailored through the
customization of health care and medicine to reduce scarcity. Customization is based on the
patient’s genetic content or any molecular analysis that are useful for the drug metabolism.
Second, is the microbiome manipulation.[3] It can be define as the collection with different
microbial type and population that live in different place and condition. The manipulation of
microbiome can help people to cure several disease in a short period of time due to the rapid
development of the desired microbiome to our body. Moreover, microbe developing can be
focused to prevent dangerous microbe imbalances in our body. Third, is gene therapy. Gene
therapy is useful to introduce a genetic material into its original cell to replace any abnormal
genes or to create a beneficial protein in it. Mutated gene might cause any necessary protein to be
malfunctioning or maybe missing. Gene therapy might help to introduce a copy of the original
gene to restore the original function of the protein.[4] The method is by engineering the virus to
carry and delver healthy copies of the genes into the patients. However the development of gene
therapy showing disappointment on the previous decade. But recently, the progressions of this
biotechnology might emerge on future biotechnology field. Beside those example, biotechnology
play a big role in today’s civilization that involving living things. Development and research will
grow rapidly in the future, and dependency to biotechnology might happen to help human kind
survive through the mentioned problems. [5]

As the development of biotechnology seems promising, pros and contra of biotechnology

are appear due to unethical method that biotechnology might create. First of all, the pros of
biotechnology varied based on its function. Biotechnology can improve health, increase life
expectancy and reduce food scarcity. Biotechnology has helped the nutritional content to the
food supply by manipulating and create it on purpose. Necessary vitamins, and minerals can be
purposely inserted into the croplands or raw foods. Eventually it will help to reduce health issues
that are mainly related to nutrients deficiency. On the other hands, biotechnology might
improves cropland nutritional density so that people can eat less and still get the proportional
nutritional values and allows more people to receive the food they need. Second, biotechnology
might create flexible within the food chain. By the usage of biotechnology, we can produce
croplands under its irregular condition. For instance, we can create crops that can grow anywhere
in different kind of soil. Secondly, due to the lack of land, finding a new development of planting
crops can be really beneficial for human being. This solution might solve the food scarcity
problem. Third, the presence of biotechnology might offer a medical advancement and
improvement of today’s medical field. Uncured disease can be cured by using biotechnology
through the manipulation, and human genome research. On the other hands, creating more
effective treatment for curing cured disease can happen on the future and possibly extend the
average human lifespans. Fourth, biotechnology might help human to preserve resources
especially foods. Biotechnology might help to extend the lifespan of the food supplies through
the technology that have been discovered. For instance, pasteurization of milk to extend the life
span of the milk itself. This kind of simple biotechnology is really important for human kind.
Fifth, it can reduce any infectious disease. Biotechnology had helped human being to create
vaccine. It is able to create treatments and reduce diseases. [6]
 As mention above about the pros of biotechnology, it also come up with the contra. First,
biotechnology might create lack of genetic diversity. It might create a genetic bottleneck effect.
Second, biotechnology might ruin the existing cropland. Many crops, get its nutritional content
from the soil. If the soil is overcrowded by the crop, it might cost its viability and reduce the
growing time of each land segment is able to provide. Third, biotechnology can be used for
destruction. Biotechnology might create a societal class which is created for the research purpose
only and leave the ethical reason behind. As mention above about the contras, there are lots of
effort that need to be made to convince our society about the benefit of biotechnology. Ethical
consideration also need to be made during creating a biotechnology invention to avoid any
controversy on the society.[7]

Development of biotechnology can be clearly been seen. On the future human kind, can
depend on biotechnology. However, biotechnology always come with pros and contras. Slowly
and well developed biotechnology are needed so that a small chance of negative side of
biotechnology can be created and provide a beneficial effect to human being. [8] In the future,
genome editing, food engineering, human augmentation, and digital health growth might lead the
path of biotechnology and help to enhance human life expectancy and tackle challenges that we
face todays that related to food scarcity and uncured disease. [9] With the development of
artificial intelligence, the development of biotechnology can go hand in hand and improve the
human civilization on the future.[10]

Resources

 [1] Perkins, Edward J. and Jeffrey A. Steevens. “Future Application of Biotechnology”.

Small Wars Journal, Small Wars Foundation, smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/future-
applications-of-biotechnology.
 [2] O’Day, Elizabeth and Sang Yup Lee. “Who Holds the Key to the Future of
Biotechnology? You Do.”. World Economic Forum, World Economic Forum,
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/future-of-biotechnology-depends-on-your-
data/.
 [3] “10 Recent Biotechnology Advance in Medicine”. Explore Biotech, Explore Biotech,
https://explorebiotech.com/10-recent-biotechnology-advances-in-medicine/.
 [4] “Stem Cells: What They Are and What They Do”. Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for
Medical Education and Research, https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-
marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-20048117.
 [5] “Cool Innovations in Biotechnology”. Husson University Online, Husson University,
https://online.husson.edu/cool-innovations-biotechnology/.
 [6] “11 Biotechnology Pros and Cons”. Vittana Personal Finance blog, Vittana,
https://vittana.org/11-biotechnology-pros-and-cons.
 [7] “Benefits and Risk of Biotechnology”. Future of Life Institute,
https://futureoflife.org/background/benefits-risks-biotechnology/?cn-reloaded=1.
 [8] “The Future of Biotechnology”. CK Science, CK group,
https://ckscience.co.uk/candidate/biotechnology/next-steps-in-your-biotech-career/the-
future-of-biotechnology/.
 [9] Vairavan, Arvind. “5 Biotech Trends Shaping the Future”. Data Driven Investor,
https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/5-biotech-trends-shaping-the-future-
68279160f707.
 [10] Fernandex, Clara Rodriguez. “How Will Biotech Influence the Technology of the
Future?”. Labiotech, https://www.labiotech.eu/bioart/nicole-spit-future-biotechnology/.