In your exams/quizzes you might come across questions that ask you to define certain terms, so I’ve included a list of textbook definitions for each term that you might need to define.
Biotechnology-related terms
- Bioprocessing: The cultivation and use of living cells to for biological material or processes for medical or commercial purposes. A branch of biotechnology, often used for development of manufacturing processes.
- Biotechnology: Commercial techniques that use living organisms, or substances derived from living organisms, to make/ modify a product. This does not include agricultural/ranching unless genetic engineering has been used.
- –Industrial biotechnology: The use of living cells/and or their enzymes to produce or process commercial and industrial products. Usually it is cheaper than using traditional methods (i.e. extraction or catalysis).
- Bioengineering/ Biomedical Engineering: The application of engineering principles to biological or biomedical products.
- Medical Biotechnology: Medicine derived from the use of genetics, cell biology and other sciences.
- Bio-pharmaceuticals: Biologically significant compounds that are used to treat human disorders. This is different from pharmaceuticals because they are not chemically synthesised i.e insulin. Does not include compounds directly extracted from tissue.
- Regenerative Medicine: Any therapy that induces regeneration of an organ or tissue in the case of disease, injury or developmental defects.
- Tissue Engineering: The use of engineering and biological principles to create a viable substitute for an organ, with the aim of restoring, maintaining or improving the function or an organ or tissue.
- Biochemical Engineering: The use of bio-catalysts to produce a desired chemical transformation. Extends off chemical engineering.
Bioprocessing-specific terms
- Upstream Processing: The mass manufacture of a desired product using cell cultivation processes.
- Downstream Processing: The isolation, purification and formulation of a product from cell broth to form the final product format.
- Formulation: Techniques used to generate the final product form from the bulk product. The final product form is ready to be used commercially/ medicinally, or to be stored and transported.
- Quality control: Ensuring the product quality, safety, and efficacy are maintained within a certain range that meet the Good Manufacturing Practice standards set by the FDA.
- Unit operations: Individual steps in a process that change or separate components of the cell broth. For example: centrifugation, filtration.
I will go over the bioprocessing terms in more detail, in their own sections as they are topics of their own, but I hope this is useful for you guys when you are cramming/ need a reminder!
Bioprocessing Explained 