Biotechnology Information

Biotechnology is the combination of biology and technology. The biotech industry involves the use of living organisms (or parts of living organisms) to produce foods, drugs, or other products. The oldest biotechnologies include fermentation and animal and plant hybridization. The newest biotechnologies range from protein separation technologies to genomics and combinational chemistry.

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) -  As a national resource for molecular biology information, NCBI's mission is to develop new information technologies to aid in the understanding of fundamental molecular and genetic processes that control health and disease.

The NCBI has been charged with creating automated systems for storing and analyzing knowledge about molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics; facilitating the use of such databases and software by the research and medical community; coordinating efforts to gather biotechnology information both nationally and internationally; and performing research into advanced methods of computer-based information processing for analyzing the structure and function of biologically important molecules.

Council for Biotechnology Information - The council communicates science-based information about the benefits and safety of agricultural and food biotechnology. Its members are the leading biotechnology companies and trade associations. The site is divided into four sections for journalists, consumers, farmers, and students and teachers.

Genomics - A lot of research revolves around genomics which involves the complete set of genetic information of an organism including DNA and RNA. A genome is all the DNA in an organism, including its genes. Genes carry information for making all the proteins required by all organisms. These proteins determine, among other things, how the organism looks, how well its body metabolizes food or fights infection, and sometimes even how it behaves.

The U.S. Government is actively involved in 3 main areas of genome research:

Human Genome Project (HGP) - The Human Genome Project was a 13-year project coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health which ended in 2003. The main goals were: to identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA; determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA; store this information in databases; improve tools for data analysis; transfer related technologies to the private sector; and address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.

The Genomics (GTL) - research program focuses on developing technologies to understand and use the diverse capabilities of plants and microbes for innovative solutions to DOE energy and environmental mission challenges.

Microbial Genome Project (MGP) - Microbes make up the foundation of the biosphere and sustain all life on earth. DOE has sponsored the genome sequencing of key model plants and some 200 microbes relevant to generating clean energy, cleaning up toxic waste from nuclear weapons development, and cycling carbon from the atmosphere.

Education and University Biotechnology Programs - Many Institutes and Universities are involved in ground-breaking biotechnology education and research. The mission of  The Biotechnology Institute is to engage, excite, and educate the public, particularly young people, about the promise and challenges of biotechnology.  Some of the top College programs include: The Biotech Project at the University of Arizona, Fralin Biotechnology Center at Virginia Tech and the Biotech program at University of California - Berkley (UCBtech).

Nasdaq Biotechnology Index - The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index contains companies engaged in using biomedical research for the discovery or development of new treatments and cures for human disease. The index is one of eight sub-indexes of the Nasdaq Composite Index, which measures all common stocks listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market.