Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Key Terms

Learn the complex language of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry

Biotechnology breaks down processes to the molecular and cellular levels for use in clinical research of medicine. Biotechnology breakthroughs can lead to the development of new pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pain and disease. Many who work in the industry find it to be an exciting and rewarding career. It takes a degree in pharmaceutics or other scientific fields of study to fully understand biotechnology, as well as a considerable amount of practice in the industry. However, consider the following key terms for a basic knowledge.

 

Biotechnology

Biotechnology refers to an area of study and practice that uses cells and molecular processes to solve problems or make useful products. Biotechnology has many applications, including medical testing and treatment.
Try: Check out a timeline of important biotechnology events through The Biotech Communications Group. Review a list of medical uses for biotechnology from the New Zealand Organisation for Rare Disorders.

Biopharmaceutics

Biopharmaceutics is known as the study of the physical make-up of drugs and the chemicals they contain. Biopharmaceutics also studies how chemicals react within the body.
Try: The Amsterdam Center for Drug Research's Division of Biopharmaceutics explains its application of biopharmaceutics to atherosclerosis research. Find further information from the FDA about biopharmaceutics drug classifications.

Nanobiotechnology

Nanobiotechnology combines biotechnology with the study of single-molecule techniques in science. Nanobiotechnology uncovers helpful uses of molecular mechanisms by utilizing biological processes.
Try: Review the techniques used in nanobiotechnology through Cornell University's Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Pharmacotherapy

Pharmacotherapy is used in a broad sense to refer to the use of drugs to treat disease. The term is used commonly in the treatment of mental disorders.
Try: Review this Merck article on the effect of placebos, an often studied aspect of pharmacotherapy.

Tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is the act of producing tissue cells from other somatic cells. For example, stem cells from skin or cartilage can be grown outside the body and later transplanted to the patient.
Try: Check out this BioTissue Technologies definition of tissue engineering as used in the regenerative medicine field.

Bioleaching

A process commonly used in biotechnology, bioleaching is the process of extracting metals from ores or soil through bacteria micro-organisms. This process is used frequently in the development and manufacture of pharmaceuticals.
Try: Review this information on bioleaching from AZoM Online.

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