These days, pieces of news like, ‘Genetically modified mosquitoes resist dengue virus or ‘Plants manipulate the soil environment to ensure a consistent supply of nutrients’, abound on the internet and science journals. This is so, because the practices associated with biotechnology have been widely accepted and adopted in almost every industry, today. However, contrary to the popular belief, biotechnology has been in practical usage, since ancient times. For example, in 1857, Louis Pasteur highlighted the lactic acid fermentation by microbes. Later, in 1920, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin leading to its mass scale manufacturing in 1944.
With the development of genetic engineering in the 1970s, research in biotechnology found wings because of the newfound possibility of being able to make changes in the DNA of organisms. Since then, the field has remained the cynosure of all eyes. There have been developments and discoveries every year, with major advancements in the field of biotechnology.
With human imagination paving the way for reality and the advent of cloning, gene-therapy, genetically modified food products, optogenetics, robotics, and biometrics, biotechnology has never seen the sun setting on itself. This branch of science has proved its practical importance in multiple fields, such as medicine, for instance, development of new vaccines, antibiotics and, modes of treatment; agriculture, such as development of bio-fuels, pest-resistant crops, biological treatment of waste, selective plant breeding or industrial biotechnology, for instance, production of chemicals, textiles, food preservatives, and edible products.
The current edition of CIO-Applications brings to you, “Top 10 Biotech Solution Providers - 2020”. The list includes the most promising and prominent companies in the domain of biotechnology. The companies featured in this issue exhibit comprehensive business process knowledge along with integrated and innovative strategies in the space of biotechnology.