Larger public sector role sought on biotech

Increasing opposition to field tests of genetically altered organisms is causing the biotechnology industry to look to some form of government regulation as a way to calm the public's fears. Industry leaders are concerned that future developments will be subject to costly legal delays unless an efficient regulatory system is in place, although neither the federal government nor industry has been able to determine what standards are needed or what classes of products should be regulated. The two biotechnology trade associations have begun to work on their positions, regulatory legislation has been introduced in Congress, and the roles of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture are about to be defined. There is a divergence of opinion about federally-supported intermediate test facilities, which some industry spokesmen believe would be unnecessary.     

Synthetic biology: regulating industry uses of new biotechnologies

In our view, synthetic biology is an extension of the continuum of genetic science that has been used safely for more than 40 years by the biotechnology industry in the development of commercial products. Examples of synthetic biology use by biotechnology companies illustrate the potential to substantially reduce research and development time and to increase speed to market. Improvements in the speed and cost of DNA synthesis are enabling scientists to design modified bacterial chromosomes that can be used in the production of renewable chemicals, biofuels, bioproducts, renewable specialty chemicals, pharmaceutical intermediates, fine chemicals, food ingredients, and health care products. Regulatory options should support innovation and commercial development of new products while protecting the public from potential harms.     

Biotechnology in pharmaceuticals: the Japanese challenge

The products of biotechnology are being developed for new diagnostics and therapeutics, and it is predicted that they will have great impact on the pharmaceutical industry. In the United States, pharmaceutical companies are incorporating biotechnology into their research and development programs, often with the contractual assistance of small biotechnology firms. Their strongest competition is arising in Japan, where there are now concerted government and industry efforts to expand biotechnology capabilities and to optimize commercialization. Strategies used by the United States and Japan to incorporate biotechnology into their pharmaceutical industries are examined and compared.     

台湾农业生物技术产业发展现状与经验

台湾农业生物技术产业经过20多年的发展,已取得良好成效,动物疫苗和植物种苗产品已处于成熟期,技术成熟度高,生物性肥料和生物性农药产业正处于快速发展阶段。其经验在于当局制定了农业生技产业的奖励措施,并利用农业生技园区促进生技产业聚落效应,同时也辅导民间产业投入农业生物技术研发,且强化知识产权保护,推动农业知识经济化。     

Gene splicers square off in patent courts

Staff morale and billions in potential profits are riding on the outcomes of current patent disputes within the biotechnology industry. Fox reports on the participants and products involved in six actions, some over substances that are still being tested. Companies often use these legal contests to gain an edge on the competition; some firms without the resources to wage long court cases will go under or be bought out, while others will be forced to disclose research secrets to defend themselves against charges of patent infringement. Given the nature of the genetic engineering industry, patent battles are expected for years to come.     

β-半乳糖苷酶研究进展

随着生物技术的发展,β-半乳糖苷酶不仅在食品工业中的用途越来越广泛,在生物技术领域如基因工程、酶工程、蛋白质工程等方面也都发挥着重要作用,并开始广泛应用于医药等领域。文章对β-半乳糖苷酶的性质、来源、作用机理、应用情况等进行概述,着重介绍了β-半乳糖苷酶在研究上的新进展和应用上的一些新领域。     

植物基因叠加技术的研究进展

将不同外源基因转入植物并实施基因叠加是植物基因工程技术发展的一个重要方向.虽然在商业化的转基因作物中,一部分已经实现了基因叠加和优良性状的重组,但只是极少数转基因事件实现了3个或者更多外源基因的导入.为此,综述了基因叠加的几种主要方法,分析了其面临的问题,并对其发展前景进行了展望.     

生物技术产业风险投资中知识产权保护问题探讨

风险投资可以解决生物技术产业发展的资金短缺问题,但对生物技术产业知识产权保护提出更高要求。通过知识产权法律和生物基因技术措施来保护生物技术研发的知识产权,是世界生物技术产业产权保护的两种主要手段,笔者分析了国际现行的这两种保护手段及其存在的争议,并提出了一些加强生物技术产业知识产权保护的建议。     

台湾中草药生技产业技术进步之经济分析

台湾中草药生技产业包含四大产业分别是生技新药、传统制药、保健食品、传统食品,其间虽历经近30年台湾的大力扶持与积极推动,中草药之需求及产业发展仍然迟滞,而且缺乏明确的发展战略。为充分掌握目前台湾中草药生技产业发展现况及制约因素,推动台湾农业迈向高新农业发展,进而缓和三农问题并促进全民健康,该研究拟建立计量经济模型,估计出台湾中草药生技产业之主要产品及其所使用之主要生产要素之产出价格弹性、供给与需求价格弹性、技术倾向等,确认产业及技术发展方向,就供给、需求及技术等面向提出具体发展之建议。     

酶制剂在食品领域中的应用

酶制剂是一种生态型高效催化剂,具有高效、安全、生态和环保等特点,能够有效带动相关领域技术水平的提高,在食品产业开发新产品、提高质量、节能降耗、保护环境等方面具有广阔的应用价值,并将产生巨大的社会效益和经济效益。     

Agricultural biotechnology research: Practices,consequences, and policy recommendations

This paper reviews current trends in the development of agricultural biotechnology, including (1) the recent and potential biotechnology products and processes in the plant, animal and food sciences, and (2) the enormous increase in Federal and State government and industrial investments in biotechnology research. Next we analyze the impacts and possible consequences of agricultural biotechnology for public and private agricultural research and for the structure and nature of the food system in this country and around the world. We conclude with a range of proposals for agricultural research policies. Among the possible consequences we discuss are: (1) a shift in disciplinary emphasis in the research community to molecular biology, (2) reduction of research on systems, ecology, and the social sciences, (3) increased concentration of research funds at a small number of institutions, (4) reduction of long-term research in the public sector, (5) increased collaboration between industry, government and universities with a restriction of scientific communication, and a potential for conflict of interest, favoritism and increased scientific misconduct, (6) a change of the primary goals and agenda of the public sector research community, and (7) increased concentration in the agribusiness sector and the industrialization of the food system. Our policy suggestions include: (1) maintaining and strengthening an independent public research and teaching system, (2) striking a balance between short-term proprietary biotechnology and long-term nonproprietary research, (3) maintaining an extension system that delivers biotechnology information and products to all potential users, (4) developing a regulatory system that adequately protects the public and provides clear guidelines to industry. (5) assisting developing nations to reap the benefits of the biotechnology revolution, and (6) establishing mechanisms to foster broad-based understanding of the social and ethical issues relating to agricultural biotechnology and to promote research on the social and ethical impacts.     

Is risk regulation a strategic influence on decision making in the biotechnology industry?

This paper discusses strategic decision making in firms pursuing biotechnology innovation and the influence of risk regulation on firm strategy. Data from three research projects, involving interviews with over 60 managers from agricultural and food related biotechnology companies and also over 60 key participants in the regulatory process in the UK and EC, shows a diversity of strategy and opinion. While some industry representatives identified new risk regulations governing the release of genetically manipulated organisms (GMOs) as the primary constraint on biotechnology innovation, the findings of the study painted a more complex picture. The controversies surrounding the issue of risk regulation and its impact on innovation are best understood if viewed in the context of other political and economic factors. We conclude that the actual impact of risk regulation on industry strategies is probably less than the rhetoric of industry lobbyists would suggest. At the same time, the very act of lobbying so forcefully could lead to a public backlash against industry that would be much more damaging than the regulation itself.     

芒果生物技术研究进展

概述了近年来在芒果的组织培养、分子标记、遗传转化、基因克隆等领域取得的可喜进展,并展望了芒果产业发展的未来。     

生物技术在我国现代产业中的应用现状研究

随着全球经济的迅速发展,石化资源消耗殆尽,生态环境受到破坏。生物技术产业以其科技含量高、低污染、能源消耗低等特点,已成为各国竞争的战略重点。文中总结了生物技术在我国现代农业、工业、环境产业中的应用现状,展望了生物技术产业的应用前景,以期为我国生物技术产业的可持续发展提供借鉴。     

现代生物技术在木薯育种中的应用

木薯是世界上重要粮食作物和经济作物,其遗传改良日益受重视。现代生物技术在培育优良木薯品种方面具有时间短、效率高等优势。本文介绍了近年来诱变育种、分子标记辅助选择育种、转基因工程等现代生物技术在木薯育种中的研究与利用概况,为利用现代生物技术加快获得具有产量高、抗逆性强、品质高等优良特性的木薯新品种提供参考。     

Biotechnology as an intellectual property

Recent advances in biotechnology have created many public policy and legal issues, one of the most significant of which is the treatment of biotechnological industrial products, particularly under the patent system. Patents represent one of several types of intellectual property; their ownership confers the right to exclude others from benefitting from the tangible products of a proprietary subject matter. Intellectual property law and its protections will play a major role in the rate at which biotechnology develops in the United States. In this article biotechnological intellectual property issues are reviewed in the context of their underlying legal requirements. The implications of other factors, such as international competition, research funding, and gene ownership, are also considered.     

DISCIPLINE SYSTEM OF ALFALFA BIOLOGY: FROM MULTIOMICS TO BIOLOGICAL BREEDING

● This review systematically raises the subject concept of alfalfa biology. ● The discipline of alfalfa biology has been divided into six major sections. ● The recent advances from the perspective of discipline system have been reviewed. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is the main leguminous forage crop with great ecologic and economic value. The research of alfalfa in various fields has exploded, but has not been included in a systematic framework. This paper summarizes the status of global alfalfa research over the past 10 years, raise the subject concept of alfalfa biology, and review the recent advances from the perspective of discipline system as germplasm resources, multiomics and biotechnology, environmental biology, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, biological breeding and cultivation. This paper proposes the key unsolved scientific and technical issues in alfalfa biology, and hope to appeal the research interest of more plant scientists and to promote the development of alfalfa industry.     

Recent Progress of Commercially Available Biosensors in China and Their Applications in Fermentation Processes

Biosensors, which are the products of the biotechnology industry, are among the key projects of the 7th, 8th, and 9th Fiveyear Plans of China Science ＆ Technology Developing Programs, respectively, and they play an important role in developing and reforming traditional biotechnology. SBA series biosensor analyzer, as the only one commercial biosensor in China, has attracted lots of attention in the process of information gathering and measurement for biological industry with the development of technology and society. In this paper, we presented an overview of the most important contributions dealing with the monitoring of the biochemical analytes in fermentation processes using SBA series biosensor analyzers in China. Future trends of the biosensor analyzer in China were also mentioned in the last section.     

生物技术在蔬菜上的应用

生物技术是一门新兴、综合性的学科,在蔬菜生产上的应用越来越广泛。概述了植物细胞工程、分子育种、分子标记等生物技术在蔬菜上的研究现状,并对生物技术在蔬菜上的应用进行了展望。     

Biotechnology in food production and processing

The food processing industry is the oldest and largest industry using biotechnological processes. Further development of food products and processes based on biotechnology depends upon the improvement of existing processes, such as fermentation, immobilized biocatalyst technology, and production of additives and processing aids, as well as the development of new opportunities for food biotechnology. Improvements are needed in the characterization, safety, and quality control of food materials, in processing methods, in waste conversion and utilization processes, and in currently used food microorganism and tissue culture systems. Also needed are fundamental studies of the structure-function relationship of food materials and of the cell physiology and biochemistry of raw materials.