Biotechnology is technology based on biology, agriculture, food science, and medicine. Modern use of the term usually refers to genetic engineering as well as cell- and tissue culture technologies. However, the concept encompasses a wider range and history of procedures for modifying living organisms according to human purposes, going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants and "improvements" to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and hybridization. By comparison to biotechnology, bioengineering is generally thought of as a related field with its emphasis more on mechanical and higher systems approaches to interfacing with and exploiting living things. United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as:[1]
"Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use."
Biotechnology draws on the pure biological sciences (genetics, microbiology, animal cell culture, molecular biology, biochemistry, embryology, cell biology) and in many instances is also dependent on knowledge and methods from outside the sphere of biology (chemical engineering, bioprocess engineering, information technology, biorobotics). Conversely, modern biological sciences (including even concepts such as molecular ecology) are intimately entwined and dependent on the methods developed through biotechnology and what is commonly thought of as the life sciences industry.
Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (BiotechCorp) | |
BiotechCorp is an agency under the purview of Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and is wholly-owned by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated. BiotechCorp is governed by the Biotechnology Implementation Council and advised by the Biotechnology International Advisory Panel, both chaired by the honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia.
The objective of the establishment of BiotechCorp amongst others is to identify value propositions in both R&D and commerce and support these ventures via financial assistance and developmental services.
BiotechCorp’s key mandates are as follows:
- Act as a one-stop-centre
- Nurture and accelerate growth of Malaysian biotechnology companies
- Actively promote foreign direct investments in biotechnology
- Create conducive environment for biotechnology
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