Blue biotechnology
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The application of the methods of biotechnology to living beings from the sea is called blue biotechnology .
term
Blue biotechnology is one of several additions to the three established directions of biotechnology :
- The Green biotechnology is used for modification of plants to improve their properties or transfer of new properties (High yields and pest resistance).
- The Red Biotechnology focuses on medical applications for humans from diagnosis to treatment.
- The White biotechnology uses biological resources for optimization of industrial processes.
In contrast to the color coding of these three biotechnology directions, blue biotechnology does not aim at the area of application, but at the origin of the products. The name of the blue biotechnology is derived from the color of the sea, whose biological organisms are the subject of this discipline.
object
In particular, bacteria that live in the great depths of the oceans and under extreme conditions are seen as a possible source of biological substances that can be used for technical processes. While normal enzymes, such as those used in white biotechnology , denature at too high temperatures , the biocatalysts of deep-sea bacteria also work in the extreme environment of hot deep-sea vents .
method
To obtain the samples and explore the deep sea, u. a. Diving robots, also called " Remote Operated Vehicle " or "ROV" for short, are used. Currently (July 2007) the IFM-Kiel (Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften) is receiving the ROV Kiel 6000 - according to its own information - the most modern unmanned diving robot in the world, which is to accelerate the exploration of the deep sea in the next few years. With a diving depth of 6,000 meters, the diving robot will theoretically be able to examine more than 90 percent of the seabed of the world's oceans, which represents a new dimension for marine science in Germany. The "ROV Kiel 6000" is equipped with the latest digital observation technology for high-resolution mapping of the seabed and can carry out measurements and experiments in the deep sea with the help of the gripper arms and take water, sediment and rock samples that also contain microorganisms.
The improvement of the microorganisms then takes place in the same way as white, red or green biotechnology, only the spectrum of the starting material is richer due to the diversity of marine organisms, and the researchers have a rich field of activity to study genomes that control the metabolism under extreme conditions.
Specifically, mutants of the microorganisms that show differences in the amino acid sequences of their proteins are generated using chemical and enzymatic methods . In the subsequent screening process , improved protein variants are sought. If an enzyme variant has been found in a species that is more effective, the associated gene is the starting point for the next guided evolutionary round. This process is repeated in iterative cycles until the desired improvements are achieved.
The potential of blue biotechnology
The potential for using blue biotechnology is considered to be considerable. The following arguments show why this is so:
- There are probably more biotechnological "treasures" in the sea; H. Biotechnologically usable organisms, hidden than on land, because the oceans are much less intensively researched than the land and for the most part are still a difficult to access habitat.
- Life comes from the sea - evolution in the sea had about 3 billion years more time to produce forms and functions than on land, so the biological diversity in the sea is, as expected, very high. We do not know how high it actually is. However, it can be said that - with one exception - all 33 existing animal phyla (the top level of the systematic subdivision of animals) occur in the sea and only about half on land. 15 tribes occur exclusively maritime.
- The environment in the sea is similar to that of the internal human environment in many ways: it consists primarily of water. In addition, the ratio of salts and trace elements in seawater and in human blood plasma is almost identical - an important basic requirement for many medical applications.
Marine microbes were able to adapt to the most varied of environmental conditions and today are just as at home under the ice of the Antarctic as they are in the glowing chimneys of the deep-sea volcanoes. 90 percent of marine organisms live below four degrees Celsius. We can learn to save energy from the low temperature processes that take place in their cells. For example, detergents could be developed that also work at low temperatures.
First research results raise hopes in the industry and a.
- the cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula , which occurs mainly in coral reefs and overgrows bleaching reefs. Its more than 200 bioactive substances include antibiotics, tumor-inhibiting as well as anti-inflammatory and antiviral substances. The bacterium is thus a small "chemical factory".
- Other heat-stable enzymes from bacteria in the hot deep-sea vents could simplify the duplication of genes for medical purposes (see PCR ).
- It is also conceivable to wrest the secret of silicon metabolism from sponges and diatoms. Which enzymes are necessary to allow silicon structures, as shown in the filigree structures of diatoms , to grow? Silicon crystals are used in the production of computer chips.
Many companies are still reluctant to invest. On the one hand, blue biotechnology is extremely expensive: the operation of a research vessel alone is very expensive. On the other hand, experience shows that it takes several years until the first products are ready for the market and can be sold.
The fields of activity of the biotechnology companies worldwide are structured as follows:
- Red biotechnology: 73%
- Green biotechnology: 13%
- White biotechnology: 13%
- Blue biotechnology: 1%
However, blue biotechnology is predicted to grow rapidly.
advancement
Blue biotechnology is funded by the EU and national institutions. The “Biotechnology Center North” has existed in Bremerhaven since 2003 and has committed itself to promoting the application of blue biotechnology. This is only part of the extensive efforts made by the state of Bremen to promote this technology.
swell
- ↑ According to the 2004 Biotechnology Report by the auditing firm Ernst & Young
- ↑ The "blue biotechnology" comes to Seestadt , Die Welt May 17, 2003
- ↑ Communication from the Senate of October 22, 2002 “Blue Biotechnology / Functional Food from the Sea” (PDF; 34 kB)