Types Of Biotechnology: 4 Main (Red, Green, Blue, and White) and Others

What Is Biotechnology?

Biotechnology is the use of biology, living organisms, or parts of organisms to develop technologies or products that improve human life. Some key things to know about biotechnology:

It involves manipulating the genetic material of living things to generate desired traits or outcomes. This includes things like altering plant DNA to make crops more resistant to disease.

Historical Background of Biotechnology

6000 BC: Humans start using yeast to make bread.
3000 BC: Ancient Egyptians used yeast to make beer and wine.
17th century: Alchemists experiment with fermentation and develop new methods for making medicines and dyes.
18th century: Antoine Lavoisier develops a new method for making vinegar using Acetobacter aceti.
19th century: Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch made major discoveries in microbiology, laying the foundation for modern biotechnology.
20th century: The development of enzymes, DNA discovery, and genetic engineering development led to a major expansion of biotechnology.
21st century: Biotechnology continues to grow and develop, with new applications in medicine, agriculture, industry, and environmental science.

4 Major Types of Biotechnology

The biotechnology field comprises four main types:

Red biotechnology: also known as medical biotechnology
Green biotechnology: focuses on agricultural biotechnology
Blue biotechnology: another name is marine biotechnology
White biotechnology: sometimes called industrial biotechnology

1. Red Biotechnology: Advancing Human Health

Red biotechnology involves applying biological approaches to innovating healthcare solutions for preventing, diagnosing, and treating medical conditions.

It encompasses subfields like pharmacogenomics for developing personalized medicines tailored to a patient’s genetic profile as well as regenerative medicine leveraging stem cell therapies to regenerate damaged tissues and organs.

Examples Of Red Biotechnology

Recombinant Insulin

After the insulin gene was cloned in the late 1970s, genetically engineered bacteria were created to produce unlimited quantities of synthetic human insulin to treat diabetes. This replaced earlier insulin extracts from slaughtered livestock, allowing more effective and consistent disease control.

Vaccines

Viral antigens are mass-produced via organisms like bacteria, yeast, or cell cultures instead of growing viruses in eggs or animal tissues. This enables rapid, sterile vaccine production. Examples include the Hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.

Gene Therapies

Diseases caused by genetic abnormalities can potentially be cured by inserting healthy genes into a patient’s cells using modified viruses. In 2019, Zolgensma became the first approved gene therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a leading genetic cause of infant death.

Antibiotics Production

The development and mass production of antibiotics, such as penicillin and its derivatives, have been one of the most significant contributions of red biotechnology. These antibiotics have drastically reduced deaths from bacterial infections.

Monoclonal Antibodies

By fusing immune cells with cancer cells, monoclonal antibodies can be engineered to accurately target proteins driving disease while minimizing side effects. For instance, monoclonal antibodies like trastuzumab (Herceptin) successfully treat HER2-positive breast cancers.

Tissue Engineering

Stem cells derived from sources like bone marrow or fat hold promise for growing implantable biological tissues and organs like skin, cartilage, or heart muscle to repair or replace damaged body parts.

By enabling precise disease targeting and individualized treatments, red biotechnology continues advancing healthcare from reactive disease management toward more proactive and personalized medicine focused on optimizing health.

Applications of Red Biotechnology

Red biotechnology drives innovation across disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment:

Disease Prevention

Vaccines leveraging biotechnology remain the most effective approach for preventing infectious diseases. The HPV vaccine is projected to reduce cervical cancers by 60-90% and already cut pre-cancer diagnoses among teen girls by half. Genetic testing also enables screening embryos or fetuses to evaluate disease risk.

Diagnostics

Biosensors monitor biomarkers like blood glucose to track health conditions. Rapid diagnostic tests quickly identify pathogens like COVID-19 via lateral flow assays without complex equipment. Pharmacogenomics tests predict responses to therapies based on genetic makeup.

Treatment

Biologics like insulin, growth hormones, and antibodies manufactured in cell cultures make up over 40% of new drug approvals by the FDA in 2022. Gene and cell therapies can potentially cure diseases by editing mutations or regenerating tissues using stem cells.

Regenerative Medicine

Stem cells offer a means for regenerating damaged organs by growing healthy specialized cells to treat conditions like heart disease, neurological damage, joint degeneration, and wounded skin. 3D bioprinting also enables constructing organs for transplantation.

Personalized Medicine

By analyzing an individual’s genetic makeup, biomarkers, and microbiomes, healthcare professionals can develop treatments that address specific needs, leading to more effective results. This approach is especially helpful in precision medicine, where genetic testing is used to identify mutations or biomarkers that are linked to certain diseases, and treatment options are customized based on those findings.

Advantages of Red Biotechnology

Extending lifespans

COVID-19 vaccines have already saved over 14.4 million lives globally through late 2022 and routine childhood immunizations save about 4 million lives every year worldwide with measles vaccination alone having the potential to save nearly 19 million lives this decade.

Cancer death rates dropped by 27% from 1991 to 2017 aided by biologics and genomic testing for personalized treatments.

Reducing mortality/morbidity

Monoclonal antibodies cut ICU admissions/deaths among high-risk COVID-19 patients by 70-85%. Gene therapies effectively treat previously fatal childhood conditions.

Improving quality of life

Synthetic growth hormones treat deficiencies improving growth. Insulin analogs enable tighter glycemic control reducing diabetes complications.

Enabling regenerative solutions

Stem cells could eliminate the need for transplants by growing personalized organs from a patient’s cells.

2. Green Biotechnology: Sustainable Agricultural Biotechnology

Green biotechnology focuses on innovating agricultural and environmental products like genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as well as biological processes for eco-friendly manufacturing and remediation.

Examples of Green Biotechnology

Herbicide-Resistant Crops

Soy, corn, cotton, and other crops are genetically engineered to tolerate herbicides that eliminate weeds while leaving crops intact, reducing the need for plowing or toxicity. However, overreliance enabled resistant “superweeds”.

Pest-Resistant Crops

Genetically modified corn and cotton produce their insect toxins by inserting Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacterial genes. This allowed farmers to grow crops that kill pests trying to eat them while remaining safe for people.

However, some insects are now evolving resistance to the toxins, enabling them to withstand and feed on genetically engineered crops

Drought-Tolerant Crops

Various projects aim to engineer drought-resistant cereal crops like wheat, rice, and maize containing genes enabling improved water retention and heat tolerance mechanisms to maintain yields despite climate change pressures.

Applications of Green Biotechnology

Key applications driving growth in the green biotechnology market, projected to reach $66.6 billion by 2026, include:

Agriculture

GMOs protect crops despite reduced cultivation and chemical uses, thereby improving yields along with pesticide and water use efficiency compared to traditional techniques.

Food Production

Biofortified crops with improved nutritional profiles provide affordable access to key micronutrients like Vitamin A, iron, and zinc to combat malnutrition globally.

Biofuels

Using crops like corn and soybeans or inedible cellulosic biomass feedstocks like grass and wood wastes, industrial biotech converts plant sugars into renewable gasoline substitutes like ethanol and biodiesel fuels.

Bioremediation and Biosensing

Microbes or plants naturally absorb toxins from soil or water enabling low-cost environmental cleanup. Biosensors also aid real-time ecosystem monitoring.

Advantages of Green Biotechnology

There are several benefits to green and agricultural biotechnology including:

Increased Food Production

Between 1996 and 2018, genetically modified (GM) crops increased crop yields by 15% or more while raising farmers’ profits by 68% and preventing deforestation from expanded farmland needs. Biofortified crops also combat malnutrition.

Pesticide Reduction

GM insect-resistant (IR) crops reduced insecticide use by 8% (775 million kg) from 1996–2018. However, the impact of GM herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops on herbicide use is mixed, with estimates ranging from a 13 million kg decrease to a 239 million kg increase over the same period.

Climate Resilience

Drought-tolerant maize varieties, tested in 13 African countries, show 20-30% higher yields than regular ones, even under drought stress. With climate change estimated to cause a 10-30% decline in Africa’s maize yields by 2030, these varieties offer a crucial solution. Additionally, projected wheat losses in South Africa under warming scenarios could be reduced by adopting drought-tolerant strains.

Renewable Biofuels

Converting corn and soybeans or non-food plants into ethanol and biodiesel reduces reliance on finite fossil fuels.

3. Blue Biotechnology: Exploring the Marine Biopotential

Blue biotechnology refers to the use of marine and aquatic biological resources to create commercial products and services, including for purposes like energy production, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutritional supplements, agriculture, and more.

Representing over 70% of the planet’s surface, marine ecosystems comprise a rich trove of biodiversity we are only beginning to explore for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, nutritional, and industrial applications.

This blue ocean biotechnology leverages the huge potential of marine biodiversity for various commercial applications while aiming for sustainable and responsible use of these oceanic resources. It’s an emerging domain and an expanding frontier in the biotechnology sector.

Blue biotechnology Examples

Marine Pharmaceuticals

Unique chemicals from ocean creatures are being developed into multiple anticancer, antiviral, pain, and arthritis medications. For instance, ziconotide painkillers come from cone snail venom while eribulin chemotherapy derives from a sea sponge.

Nutraceuticals

Multiple omega-3 fatty acid supplements support heart health and infant development using fish and krill oils; compounds called cosmeceuticals from algae and fish also appear in various antioxidant anti-aging skincare products.

Enzymes

Heat-loving extremophile microorganisms discovered near hydrothermal vents withstand temperatures exceeding 150°C, enabling industrial applications from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to laundry detergents.

However, while oceans offer vast potential, most marine biodiversity remains unexplored and ecosystems are very sensitive to disturbance. Safeguarding marine environments will be vital for sustaining blue biotechnology advances.

Applications of Blue Biotechnology

Key areas of applying from aquatic life include:

Drug Discovery

With about 40 marketed marine-derived drugs and over 1000 more drug leads under investigation mainly for treating cancer as well as viral, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative diseases, marine life offers abundant potential for pharmacy.

Nutraceuticals

Omega-3 and antioxidants from fatty fish and algae not only supplement diets but also promise applications preventing heart disease, supporting infant cognitive development, and protecting skin health.

Cosmetics

Algae components like carotenoids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive peptides are common ingredients in skincare, hair care, sunscreen, and anti-aging products as well as cosmetics.

Industrial Enzymes

Extremozymes from organisms in extreme marine environments withstand challenging conditions for applications in manufacturing fine chemicals and drugs to biofuels, paper, textiles, and detergents.

Advantages of Blue Biotechnology

Blue biotechnology could support growth in the $7 billion global marine biotechnology industry through several key advantages:

Access to Novel Bioactive Compounds

The ocean is home to a wide variety of marine life, and it provides us with a treasure trove of over 34,000 natural products that have been discovered so far. Every year, hundreds more are found, giving us new and exciting opportunities for innovation.

Drug Development Potential

Extreme, competitive environments drive marine organisms to evolve specialized chemicals holding promise as pharmaceuticals, including to treat aging-related degenerative disorders.

Sustainable Use

Responsibly utilizing renewable ocean resources aims to avoid depleting finite terrestrial biodiversity and enables conserving fragile marine ecosystems.

4. White Biotechnology: Industrial Biotechnology

White biotechnology involves utilizing microbial life like yeasts, bacteria, and fungi as tiny cellular factories to manufacture products for pharmaceutical, chemical, food, agricultural, and other commercial applications.

By engineering organisms to overproduce target compounds or enzymes cost-effectively on an industrial scale, white biotech provides innovative alternatives to conventional manufacturing processes requiring high temperatures, pressures, or toxic chemicals.

White Biotechnology Examples

Biofuels

Metabolically engineered microalgae and yeasts efficiently convert plant sugars present in feedstocks like corn stalks into renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel substitutes.

Bioplastics

Bacterial fermentation enables producing biodegradable plastics like PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates) using renewable carbon sources as alternatives to environmentally persistent petroleum-based plastics.

Pharmaceuticals

Many life-saving medications from insulin to antibiotics are manufactured via bioengineered bacteria. The arthritis drug Humira became the world’s top-selling drug using this approach.

Applications of White Biotechnology

Industrial Manufacturing

Commercial biofactories culturing yeast, fungi, or bacteria enable efficient large-scale production of chemicals, enzymes, fuels, textiles, leathers, pulp and paper, minerals, and manufactured goods.

Renewables

In addition to bioalcohols, microbes create biohydrogen and methane from wastes and capture carbon emissions, enabling cleaner energy alternatives to petrochemicals.

Bioremediation

Customized microbes act as living cleansers to absorb toxic pollutants like oil spills from water and soils or extract scarce rare earth metals from discarded electronics more sustainably.

Waste Treatment

Microorganisms decompose organic wastes, filter contaminants from water, and convert effluents into clean bioenergy to reduce environmental footprints.

Advantages of White Biotechnology

Sustainable Manufacturing

Biomanufacturing enables cleaner production of chemicals, materials, fuels, and energy while reducing reliance on petrochemical feedstocks, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Renewable Inputs

Industrial biotech utilizes renewable raw materials from inexpensive widely available agricultural residues and wastes rather than limited fossil fuels.

Energy Security

Domestically produced biofuels and bioenergy bolster energy independence and rural development while lowering volatility from geopolitical fossil fuel market disruptions.

Other Types of Biotechnology

Traditional Biotechnology

Traditional biotechnology refers to the ancient yet advanced harnessing of biology to produce food, medicine, and materials that have supported human civilization for millennia.

The foundations of biotechnology emerged over 10,000 years ago as some of the first humans transitioned from hunter-gatherers to settling down in agricultural communities.

Some key aspects of traditional biotechnology include:

Fermentation

One of the earliest and most widespread applications of biotechnology. Involves using microorganisms like yeast or bacteria to convert sugars into alcohol or acids through anaerobic respiration.

Used to make products like bread, cheese, yogurt, wine, beer, and vinegar for thousands of years.

The fermentation process allowed early civilizations to preserve foods and beverages as well as enhance their nutrition and flavors.

Plant and Animal Breeding

Selective breeding of plants and animals to produce desired traits and characteristics.

Early farmers bred crops to increase yields, improve taste and texture, and introduce heartiness.

Livestock breeding focused on selecting for meat quality, milk production, docility, and other favorable attributes.

Established the foundation for modern plant and animal genetics.

Medicinal Uses

Cultivating plants for their medicinal benefits has occurred for millennia.

Traditional systems like Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and herbalism relied extensively on biological resources for preventative and curative therapies.

Microorganisms are also used in some fermented treatments. Yogurt, for example, is utilized as a probiotic.

Classical Biotechnology

Classical biotechnology refers to scientific techniques for modifying or manipulating living organisms to produce desirable changes, products or processes by exploiting natural biological systems.

Some key aspects include:

Built upon traditional applications, but focused on scientific control and causation principles
Relied on the growing understanding of microbiology, cell theory, metabolism, and genetics over the 19th and 20th centuries
Koch’s postulates, microbial isolations, and pure culture techniques established rigor
Used microbes for large-scale production of antibiotics, steroids, vitamins, amino acids
Penicillin was produced using mold in the 1940s
Grew plant tissues and cells in vitro for propagation of progeny
Enabled rapid, sterile mass cloning and breeding
Human insulin synthesized in bacteria in the 1970s

Modern Biotechnology

Modern biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.”

Applications Of Modern Biotechnology

Medicine: Creating better medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic tools.
Agriculture: Developing genetically modified crops for higher yields and disease resistance.
Environmental: Using microbes for bioremediation to clean pollutants from soil or water.
Industrial: Producing biofuels and bioplastics as sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products.

Examples Of Modern Biotechnology

Insulin Production: Using genetically modified bacteria to produce insulin for diabetes treatment.
Golden Rice: Genetically modified rice enriched with Vitamin A to address nutritional deficiencies.
CRISPR-Cas9: A revolutionary gene-editing tool for precise alterations in DNA, with applications in medicine, agriculture, and research.

Yellow Biotechnology

Yellow Biotechnology involves studying and using insects and their biological processes for applications in science, agriculture, medicine, and industry.

Yellow Biotechnology Applications

Pest Management: Utilizing insects for biological control of agricultural pests to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides.
Pollination: Exploiting the natural role of insects like bees in pollinating crops, which is vital for food production.
Medical Research: Using insects as model organisms in genetic and disease research due to their simpler biological systems.
Biomimicry: Drawing inspiration from insects for technological innovations in fields like robotics and materials science.

Yellow Biotechnology Examples

Silk Production: Harvesting silk from silkworms, which is used in textiles and increasingly in biomedical applications.
Honey and By-Products: Utilizing products derived from bees, such as honey, propolis, and royal jelly, for their nutritional, medicinal, and cosmetic values.
Insect Farming: Cultivating insects for animal feed, offering a sustainable and high-protein alternative to traditional livestock feeds.
Insect-based Bioconversion: Using insects to convert organic waste into valuable by-products, contributing to waste management and sustainability.

Brown Biotechnology

Brown Biotechnology refers to the use of biotechnological techniques for environmental protection, remediation, and sustainability. It employs living organisms, particularly microorganisms, or their components to improve the health and sustainability of our planet.

Applications of Brown Biotechnology

Bioremediation: Using microorganisms to clean up contaminated environments, such as soil or water polluted with chemicals, heavy metals, or oil spills.
Waste Management: Employing biological processes to treat and recycle waste, including industrial, agricultural, and domestic waste.
Bioenergy: Producing renewable energy from biological sources, such as biogas from waste decomposition or biofuels from crops and algae.
Sustainable Agriculture: Implementing biotechnological methods to enhance soil fertility and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Examples Of Brown Biotechnology

Microbial Cleanup: Utilizing bacteria to break down pollutants in oil spills or detoxify soils contaminated with heavy metals.
Composting and Anaerobic Digestion: Using microorganisms to convert organic waste into compost or biogas, which can be used as natural fertilizer or a clean energy source.
Phytoremediation: Employing plants to absorb or detoxify pollutants from contaminated sites, such as heavy metals or pesticides in soils.
Biosensors: Developing biological sensors to detect environmental pollutants and monitor the health of ecosystems.

Violet Biotechnology

Violet Biotechnology encompasses the use of biotechnological tools and techniques in forensic science to assist in legal investigations. It involves the analysis of biological samples for legal evidence.

Violet Biotechnology Applications

Forensic Investigations: Utilizing DNA fingerprinting to identify suspects or victims in criminal cases.
Legal Medicine: Applying biotechnological methods in pathology, toxicology, and other medical fields for legal purposes.
Biological Evidence Analysis: Analyzing biological evidence like blood, hair, or bodily fluids for crime scene investigations.
Paternity Testing: Conducting DNA tests to establish familial relationships in custody and inheritance disputes.

Examples Of Violet Biotechnology

DNA Profiling: Extracting and analyzing DNA from crime scenes to match suspects or identify unknown remains.
Drug Testing: Using biotechnology to detect the presence of drugs or toxins in bodily samples for legal cases or employment screening.
Wildlife Forensics: Employing genetic methods to combat illegal wildlife trade and poaching by identifying species and origins of seized materials.
Biometrics: Implementing biological markers like fingerprints, facial recognition, or DNA for identity verification and security purposes.

Purple biotechnology

Purple Biotechnology refers to the study and application of legal, ethical, and regulatory aspects in the field of biotechnology. It deals with the protection of intellectual property, ensuring biosafety, and compliance with legal standards in biotechnological research and development.

Applications of Purple Biotechnology

Intellectual Property Management: Managing patents for biotechnological inventions.
Biosafety and Regulation: Ensuring biosafety in biotech processes, especially with GMOs.
Ethical Considerations: Addressing ethical concerns in biotechnology, like genetic privacy.
Compliance with Regulations: Complying with legal standards and regulations in biotech.

Examples of Purple Biotechnology

Patent-related Legal Cases: Legal cases related to biotech patents.
GMO Regulations: Regulations governing genetically modified organisms.
Ethical Debates in Biotech: Ethical debates in biotechnology, such as gene editing ethics.

Orange Biotechnology

Orange biotechnology refers to the area of biotechnology focused on agricultural and food applications. It involves the use of biological and biochemical processes to improve crops, develop healthy and nutritious foods, as well as ensure food safety and quality.

Applications Of Orange Biotechnology

Genetic modification of crops

Genetic modification of crops to improve traits like disease resistance, nutritional content, and crop yields

Biopesticides and pest management

Development of biopesticides and integrated pest management techniques to reduce chemical pesticide usage

Biofortified crops

Creation of biofortified crops to address malnutrition issues

Food safety and testing

Use of rapid biosensor-based tests and kits to detect pathogens, chemicals, drug residues in food

Examples Of Orange Biotechnology

Disease resistant crops

Crops engineered to have resistance against citrus greening disease that affects citrus plants

Nutritionally rich crops

Golden rice biofortified with higher levels of Vitamin A precursors

Health research

Companies like Orange Grove Bio that research to develop treatments for diseases like cancer

Food safety testing

Rapid test kits to detect food spoilage organisms or antibiotic residues

Black Biotechnology

Black biotechnology refers to the application of biotechnological techniques for developing biological weapons or for purposes of bioterrorism.

Applications Of Black Biotechnology

Weaponizing Pathogens: Creating or modifying viruses, bacteria, or other pathogens for use as weapons.
Developing Biological Toxins: Producing toxins for use in warfare or terrorist attacks.
Genetic Engineering for Harmful Purposes: Altering genes to make pathogens more virulent, resistant to treatment, or targeted.
Ethical and Legal Considerations:
Prohibition and Regulation: The development and use of biological weapons are prohibited under various international treaties and laws.
Security and Control Measures: Efforts to prevent the misuse of biotechnological research and to protect against bioterrorism.

Gold Biotechnology

Gold Biotechnology, also known as bioinformatics, refers to the intersection of biology and information technology. It deals with the application of computational methods and techniques to capture and interpret biological data, especially genetic sequences.

Applications of Gold Biotechnology

Genomic Analysis: Analyzing genetic information to understand biological processes and genetic diseases.
Proteomics: Studying protein structures and functions through computational tools.
Drug Discovery: Using bioinformatics in identifying potential drug targets and in drug development.
Systems Biology: Integrating various biological data to understand complex biological systems and networks.
Examples in Gold Biotechnology:
Gene Sequencing Projects: Processing and analyzing large-scale gene sequencing data, like the Human Genome Project.
Biological Databases: Developing and maintaining extensive databases of biological information, such as GenBank.
Molecular Modeling: Creating computer models of biological molecules for research and educational purposes.

Grey Biotechnology

Grey Biotechnology, often associated with environmental biotechnology, refers to the application of biotechnology for environmental protection, improvement, and monitoring. It primarily focuses on the use of biological systems to remediate and restore the natural environment, particularly in urban and industrial settings.

Applications of Grey Biotechnology

Bioremediation: Using microorganisms to clean up contaminated soil and water, including treatment of industrial waste and oil spills.
Waste Management: Employing biological processes to treat and recycle waste, including organic waste and wastewater treatment.
Green Infrastructure: Integrating natural systems into urban planning to improve air quality, manage water runoff, and create sustainable urban environments.
Sustainable Resource Management: Developing biotechnological solutions for more sustainable use and recycling of resources.

Environmental Biotechnology

Environmental Biotechnology refers to the branch of biotechnology that focuses on the use of biological processes and organisms to address environmental challenges, such as pollution, waste management, and sustainability.

Applications of Environmental Biotechnology

Bioremediation: Using microorganisms to clean up contaminated soil and water bodies.
Waste Treatment: Employing biological methods to treat and recycle industrial, agricultural, and domestic waste.
Bioenergy Production: Generating renewable energy from biological sources like biogas and biofuels.
Sustainable Agriculture: Enhancing soil fertility and crop protection using biological products, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides.