Textbook Of Blue Biotechnology

The term 'Blue Biotechnology' has been used to describe the marine and aquatic applications of biotechnology, but its use is relatively rare. Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. Of the many different definitions available, the one formulated by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity is one of the broadest: Biotechnology means any techno-logical application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use."

With its integral treatment of ecosystem and resource management, this is the only overview of the field to address current thinking and future trends. All contributions have been written with the novice in mind, explaining the basics and highlighting recent developments and achievements. Unmatched in scope, this two-volume reference covers both traditional and well-established areas of marine biotechnology, such as biomass production, alongside such novel ones as biofuels, biological protection of structures and bioinspired materials. In so doing, it ties together information usually only found in widely dispersed sources to assemble a grand unified view of the current state of and prospects for this multi-faceted discipline. The combination of the breadth of topics and the focus on modern ideas make this introductory book especially suitable for teaching purposes and for guiding newcomers to the many possibilities offered by this booming field.

Biotechnology is the technical application that uses living organisms or biological systems to make products that have a profound impact on agriculture, environment, and human health. In this text book, a color-coded classification is used to present basic chapters on white, red, green and blue biotechnology. Beside traditional biotechnical processes, the book will address principles of modern biotechnology research and applications. Each chapter has a general introduction and concluding paragraph, gives key terms, will address problems, and recommends additional readings. This text book is ideally suited for advanced graduate or master students and will also be a good reference for PhD students, physicians, engineers, attorneys, or non-specialist with an interest into biotechnology.

The updated fifth edition of John Smith's popular textbook, ideal for introductory course in biotechnology.

This book describes the discovery of molecules from unexploited extreme marine environments, and presents new approaches in marine genomics. It combines the current state of knowledge in marine genomics and advanced natural products’ chemistry to pursue the sustainable production of novel secondary metabolites (lead compounds), as well as pharmacologically active peptides/proteins, with antimicrobial, neuroprotective, anti-osteoporotic, anti-protozoan/anti-plasmodial, anti-ageing and immune-modulating effects. Further, it employs molecular-biology-based approaches and advanced chemical techniques to obtain and to select candidate compounds for pre-clinical and clinical studies.

This book serves as essential reading for research scientists and biotechnologists from both academia and industry working in marine biotechnology and related disciplines. The book discusses recent advances and challenges in terms of science, technology, innovation, and policy for the development of the field; and how marine biotechnology may provide new solutions to some of the grand challenges faced by our society. Written in an accessible language, the book is also recommended as a reference text for decision-makers in government and non-governmental organizations in their efforts to foster the development of a global blue economy. With less than 5 % of the vast and rich marine environment explored, our seas and oceans represent a virtually unexplored resource for the discovery of novel product, processes, and development of bio-inspired synthetic drugs with biotechnological potential. As such, the marine environment has been considered Earth's last frontier of exploration. Recent advances in molecular techniques are providing the necessary tools to access on a larger scale the still-untapped ocean resources and, consequently, unveil the promise of the blue biotechnology. Governments are recognizing the potential of marine biotechnology to provide solutions to some of the Grand Challenges of the 21st Century such as sustainable energy and food sources, identification of novel drugs for improved health treatments, and providing new industrial materials and processes. For this reason, advances in marine biotechnology may foster the much-needed source of innovation and economic growth in many countries, and pave the way towards the development of a global blue economy, i.e. a new economic model based on the sustainable exploration of our ocean ecosystems.

This textbook introduces marine biotechnology by collecting the key knowledge on genetics, fish breeding, genetic diversity, seaweed production and microalgae biotechnology, and explores marine biomaterials and how they can benefit human health. Covering the latest applications of marine biotechnology in natural product development, genomics, transgenic technology, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceutical development, it particularly focuses on future biological resources, developing functional materials from marine life, production of marine bioenergy and marine microbial resources and biotechnology. The author explains the structure of the book in an introductory note, and each chapter offers a detailed overview and conclusion to help readers better grasp the acquired knowledge. Lastly, the final part provides a comprehensive glossary with brief explanations of the key concepts in marine biotechnology. Written by a leading expert in the field with more than 30 years of teaching experience, this book broadens students’ understanding of the basics and recent developments in marine biotechnology.