Biotechnology

Insect Biotechnology

Insect biotechnology creates goods or services by applying biotechnological techniques to insects (or their cells). These novel chemicals have potential in industrial biotechnology, medicine, and sustainable plant protection. This indicates that the conceptual frameworks of biotechnology are applied to insect biotechnology. In particular, scientific advances in molecular biology—particularly the creation of tools and methods that permit the genetic characterization and engineering of organisms and cells, as with recombinant DNA technology and plant protoplast fusion—have influenced and inspired insect biotechnology. Recently, bacteria were modified to carry and express silk genes from the mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori. These bacteria were then utilised to produce synthetic silk, a natural protein fibre that can be weaved into textiles in some forms.