Biotechnology is the term for techniques of managing biological systems for human benefit. The best-known form of biotechnology is genetic engineering, which involves altering the genes of a living organism. Other examples of biotechnology include cell cultures (growths of animal or plant cells in the laboratory) and monoclonal antibodies (specialized protein molecules). See Culture; Genetic engineering; Monoclonal antibody.
Biotechnology has important applications in medicine, agriculture, industry, and other fields. For example, genetically altered microbes can manufacture a wide range of products, including human protein drugs, animal growth hormones, and raw materials for industrial chemicals.
However, biotechnology has generated public concern, particularly about the ethics and safety of certain uses of genetic engineering. In the United States, a number of federal agencies regulate biotechnological research and its products.
