Biotechnology: The Creation of a Policy Field

Abstract

Modern biotechnology refers to the techniques of genetic mani­pulation, modification and recombination, the processes collectively described as genetic engineering. The primary function of these advances in biotechnology is the transfer of genetic information or the altering of genetic material in ways that do not occur in nature. Today, the areas of research and development in which biotechnology can be employed are so various, and constantly expanding, that it has become customary to group them together and distinguish them roughly by the different types of end products. According to this categorisation and terminology, ‘red biotechnology’ refers to the application of biotechnology for medical purposes, for example in the production of antibiotics and insulin. ‘White biotechnology’ covers the industrial use, such as in the production of decomposable plastics that are beginning to replace traditional petroleum-based products, or in the production of ordinary washing powder. Finally, ‘green biotechnology’ comprises the use of the technology in agri­culture and includes for example the development of new crop plants.