Algae are simple, primitive, heterogeneous, autotrophic, eukaryotic or prokaryotic organisms that lead a symbiotic, parasitic or free-living mode of life. Microalgae and macroalgae possess great potential in various fields of application. Microalgae are ubiquitous and extremely diverse microorganisms that can accumulate toxic contaminants and heavy metals from wastewater, making them a superior candidate to become a powerful nanofactory. Algae were discovered to reduce the presence of metal ions, and afterwards aid in the biosynthesis of nanoparticles. Since algae-mediated biogenic nanoparticles are eco-friendly, cost-effective, high-yielding, speedy and energy-efficient, a large number of studies have been published on them in the last few years. This book focuses on recent progress on the utilization of algae for the synthesis of nanoparticles, their characterization and the possible mechanisms involved. Bioprospecting Algae for Nanosized Materials describes the synthesis of algal nanomaterials and its application in various fields for sustainable development. This book outlines the procedures to prepare phyconanomaterials, techniques to utilize the nanomaterials, and applications in agriculture, environment and medicine.

Organoid Technology for Disease Modelling and Personalised Treatment provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge of the organoid as a human-organ-in-a-dish, a powerful new technology for studying fundamental aspects of human organ development and disease progression in the search for drugs for personalised treatment. This preclinical tool is extensively being utilised as a model for studying human diseases in a dish, which is critical for accurate predictive modelling in precision medicine. The chapters in this book introduces readers to the numerous applications of organoids in various fields of study, as well as ethical considerations associated with organoids. In stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, where chimaera research, biomaterials for tissue vascularisation, gene-editing technologies, and their use in clinical procedures especially issues related to ethical concern over the use of human organoids have gotten much attention. Organoid Technology for Disease Modelling and Personalised Treatment is an excellent resource for in-depth research on one of the most interesting and significant topics in stem cell and regenerative medicine. This book's chapter collection covers a fresh viewpoint on organoid technology that scholars will require reading.

This book explores a sampling of the most powerful and enterprising efforts to achieve biotechnological goals by means of various interdisciplinary approaches. From the fabrication of extremely small units to achieve specific objectives through nano-bio-technology, to devices with artificial intelligence, gene therapy for cerebrovascular anomalies, biodegradable plastics, the use of phyto-stem cells in cosmetology, CarT cell immune therapy, targeted therapies for cancer, 3D printed bones developed by the University of Wollongong in Australia, the sickle cell chip developed by IIT Bombay, and innovative sustainable energy solutions, the book includes a colorful spectrum of reviews on current and future biotech products. Gathering contributions by an international team of researchers, this book offers its audience, and particularly younger readers, revealing information on current and upcoming smart technologies.

Phyto-pathogens are one of the dominating components which badly affect crop production. In light of the global food demand, sustainable agricultural plans utilizing agrochemicals became necessary. The role of beneficial microbes in the defense priming of host plants has been well documented. This book details new aspects of microbial-assisted plant protection and their role in agricultural production, economy, and environmental sustainability.

This book describes the development of genetic resources in amaranths, with a major focus on genomics, reverse, and forward genetics tools and strategies that have been developed for crop improvement. Amaranth is an ancient crop native to the New World. Interest in amaranths is being renewed, due to their adaptability, stress tolerance, and nutritional value. There are about 65 species in the genus, including Amaranthus caudatus L., A. cruentus L., and A. hypochondriacus L., which are primarily grown as protein-rich grains or pseudocereals. The genus also includes major noxious weeds (e.g., A. palmeri). The amaranths are within the Caryophyllales order and thus many species (e.g., A. tricolor) produce red (betacyanin) or yellow (betaxanthin) betalain pigments, which are chemically distinct from the anthocyanins responsible for red pigmentation in other plants. A. hypochondriacus, which shows disomic inheritance (2n = 32; n= 466 Mb), has been sequenced and annotated with 23,059 protein-coding genes. Additional members of the genus are now also been sequenced including weedy amaranths, other grain amaranths, and their putative progenitors.

Highlights the impact of Covid 19 on science, health and health care system Includes evolution, structure, and mode of infection by virus as well as strategies to attack various organs in the body. Describes emergence of various strains of virus Emphasis new techniques to detect and control the virus Discusses vaccine development to control the pandemic

This book reviews the latest technological developments of bioengineering approaches in cell and tissue research. It is meant to have life and spirit, and to become a pioneer in technology and sciences, especially the life science. The chapters are written by excellent scientists on advanced, frontier technology and address scientific questions that need considerable thinking in terms of engineering. The aims are to provide the readers, including students, faculty, and all scientists working in academia and industry, new information on bioengineering in cell and tissue research to enhance their understanding and innovation.

Biomining uses microorganisms to recover metals, in particular copper and gold, from ores and concentrates. This book takes a strong applied approach to the study of biomining. It describes emerging and established industrial processes, as well as the underlying theory of the process, along with the biology of the microorganisms involved. Chapters have been contributed by experts from leading biomining companies, consultants and internationally recognized researchers and academics.

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the application level for various agricultural biotechnologies across Sub-Saharan Africa. The authors examine the capacity available as well as the enabling environment, including policy and investments, for facilitating agricultural biotechnology development and use in the region. For each Sub-Saharan country, the status of biotechnology application is assessed in four major sectors; Crops, Livestock, Forestry and Aquaculture. Examples such as the number and requisite skill levels of trained personnel, biosafety frameworks and public awareness are surfaced in these chapters. This work also discusses the impact of push-pull factors on research, training and food security and identifies opportunities for investment in biotechnology and local agribusiness. Development partners, policy makers, agricultural consultants as well as scientists and private sector investors with an interest in biotechnology initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa will find this collection an important account to identify key gaps in capacity and policy, as well as priority areas going forward. The volume highlights ways to develop technology and increase agricultural production capacity through international cooperation and inclusive economic growth, making it a valuable practice guide in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 2 Zero Hunger and SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth. Clear case studies round off the reading experience.

Sustainable increase in agricultural production while keeping the environmental quality, agro-ecosystem function and biodiversity is a real challenge in current agricultural practices. Application of PGPR can help in meeting the expected demand for increasing agricultural productivity to feed the world's booming population. Global concern over the demerits of chemicals in agriculture has diverted the attention of researchers towards sustainable agriculture by utilizing the potential of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). Use of PGPR as biofertilizers, biopesticides, soil, and plant health managers has gained considerable agricultural and commercial significance. The book Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR): Prospects for Sustainable Agriculture has contributions in the form of book chapter from 25 eminent global researchers, that discusses about the PGPRs and their role in growth promotion of various crop plants, suppression of wide range of phytopathogens, their formulation, effect of various factors on growth and performance of PGPR, assessment of diversity of PGPR through microsatellites and role of PGPR in mitigating biotic and abiotic stress.This book will be helpful for students, teachers, researchers, and entrepreneurs involved in PGPR and allied fields. The book will be highly useful to researchers, teachers, students, entrepreneurs, and policymakers.

This comprehensive guide to gene cloning provides beginning and advanced readers with the background, standard techniques, practical applications, and ethical and safety considerations in the field. A one-stop reference for students, researchers in academia and industry, and anyone interested in a thorough but accessible overview.

This edited book highlights the gravity and efficacy of next-generation breeding tools for the enhancement of stress-resilience in cereals, especially in the context of climate change, pests, diseases, and abiotic stresses. The content of the book helps in understanding the application of emerging genetic concepts and neoteric genomic approaches in cereal breeding. It collates all the latest information about enhancing the stress resilience in cereal crops for overcoming food security issues. Cereals have predominantly been used as a staple food since time immemorial and contribute more than 50% of the caloric requirement of the global population. However, in cereals, the yield losses due to various stresses are very high, considering the crop growth stage and stress sensitivity. Therefore, to feed and nourish the generations in the era of climate change, it is imperative to develop stress-resilient cereal cultivars. This book explores newly developed next-generation breeding tools, viz., genome-wide association studies, genomic prediction, genome editing, and accelerated generation advancement methodologies, which revealed promising outcomes by enhancing the stress resilience in cereals with yield potential. This book is useful for postgraduate students specializing in plant breeding, plant stress physiology, plant genomics, agriculture, and agronomy. It is of immense value to scientific community involved in teaching, research, and extension activities related to cereal cultivation.

Artificial Protein and Peptide Nanofibers: Design, Fabrication, Characterization, and Applications provides comprehensive knowledge of the preparation, modification and applications of protein and peptide nanofibers. The book reviews the synthesis and strategies necessary to create protein and peptide nanofibers, such as self-assembly (including supramolecular assembly), electrospinning, template synthesis, and enzymatic synthesis. Then, the key chemical modification and molecular design methods are highlighted that can be utilized to improve the bio-functions of these synthetic fibers. Finally, fabrication methods for key applications, such as sensing, drug delivery, imaging, tissue engineering and electronic devices are reviewed. This book will be an ideal resource for those working in materials science, polymer science, chemical engineering, nanotechnology and biomedicine.

Over the last thirty years, the study of liquids containing polymers, surfactants, or colloidal particles has developed from a loose assembly of facts into a coherent discipline with substantial predictive power. These liquids expand our conception of what condensed matter can do. Such structured-fluid phenomena dominate the physical environment within living cells. This book teaches how to think of these fluids from a unified point of view showing the far-reaching effects of thermal fluctuations in producing forces and motions. Keeping mathematics to a minimum, the book seeks the simplest explanations that account for the distinctive scaling properties of these fluids. An example is the growth of viscosity of a polymer solution as the cube of the molecular weight of the constituent polymers. Another is the hydrodynamic radius of a colloidal aggregate, which remains comparable to its geometrical radius even though the density of particles in the aggregate becomes arbitrarily small. The book aims for a simplicity, unity and depth not found in previous treatments, and includes numerous figures, tables and problems. It will be an ideal textbook for teaching undergraduates in physical science how to understand soft matter, but will also be of interest to industrial scientists, who want to gain a broader understanding of soft matter systems.

This up-to-date reference book discusses the synthesis, production, and application of various microbial enzymes and metabolites for health. Microorganisms like bacteria (lactic acid bacteria, Bacillus species), yeasts, and filamentous fungi have been globally exploited for their biotechnological applications. This book discusses ways to use them commercially. Chapters include the production of fibrinolytic enzymes, microbial lipases, bacteriocin production by lactic acid bacteria, and bioactives produced. It also covers microbial synthesis of alkaloids, terpenoids, and steroids. The book is useful for researchers, academicians, and industry experts in microbiology and biotechnology.

Stem cell research, and particularly embryonic stem cell research, while offering the prospect of developing theories for serious life-threatening diseases, also raises a number of difficult and controversial moral questions. This is reflected in a variety of moral perspectives and regulatory regimes, already adopted or in the process of being developed, in EU Member States. In particular the "moral exclusion" clause in Article 6 of the EC Directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions has created much uncertainty in this field.
This collection of original essays provides comprehensive analysis of the EU patent system as applied to biotechnological inventions and particularly stem cell research, dealing with the overlapping EPC, EU, international and national law regimes bearing on the exclusion of patents in a morally fragmented and contested field. In this multidisciplinary study, the editors aim to clarify the legal scope of Article 6, which they deem essential for the fostering of research and investment in Europe, while ensuring that such research is conducted within clear ethical limits which address the concerns of society.
As well as a complete overview of the application of the European patent law in the field of human embryonic stem cells, topics covered include legal and philosophical accounts of the boards of the European Court of Justice and European Patent Offices' reasoning in the leading litigated cases, as well as the institutional tensions between national and transnational European research and patent regimes. With its broad research in the fields of patent law, ethics and philosophy, the book analyzes a wide range of issues in a way no other book has previously done and suggests solutions to unblock the current stalemate surrounding the patentability of human embryonic stem cell related inventions. The book will be welcomed by a broad readership, including experts and academics in both ethical and legal disciplines as well as policy makers and regulators in the field of embryonic stem cell research in Europe.

This book provides a broad overview how extremophiles can be used in biotechnology, including for the production and degradation of compounds. It reviews various recent discoveries and applications related to a large variety of extremophiles, considering both prokaryotes as well as eukaryotes.

Healthy environment is important for any kind of biota on earth. It provides the basic elements of life such as clean water, fresh air, fertile soil and supports ecosystem of the food chain. Pollution drastically alters quality of the environment by changing the physico-chemical and biological aspects of these components. Accordingly, toxic metals, combustible and putrescible substances, hazardous wastes, explosives and petroleum products are all examples of inorganic and organic compounds that cause contaminations. Specifically, pollution of toxic and heavy metal in the environment is a growing problem worldwide, currently at an alarming rate. Toxic metals threaten the aquatic ecosystems, agriculture and ultimately human health. Traditional treatment techniques offer certain advantages such as rapid processing, ease of operation and control and flexibility. But, they could not maintain the quality of the environment due to the high operational costs of chemicals used, high energy consumption and handling costs for sludge disposal and overburden of chemical substances which irreversibly affect and destroy biodiversity, which ultimately render the soil useless as a medium for plant growth. Therefore, bioremediation and biotechnology, carried out by living assets to clean up, stabilize and restore contaminated ecosystems, have emerged as promising, environmental friendly and affordable approaches. Furthermore, the use of microbes, algae, transgenic plants and weeds adapted to stressful environments could be employed to enhance accumulation efficiency. Hence, sustainable and inexpensive processes are fast emerging as a viable alternative to conventional remediation methods, and will be most suitable for developing countries. In the current volume, we discuss pollution remediation challenges and how living organisms and the latest biotechnological techniques could be helpful in remediating the pollution in ecofriendly and sustainable ways.

This book covers various aspects of microbial biotechnology to produce bioenergy. It focuses on production of biofuels from plant and microbial biomass including agri-food residues and other wastes. It educates readers about various biomass resources, major aspects of production of renewable energy and fuels based on biochemical conversion routes. There is special focus on the microbial system and biotechnological processes as well as process optimization and industrial scale-up. The book brings together current challenges and potential solutions to enhance biomass to biofuel bioconversion. It is relevant for researchers, academicians, students as well as industry professionals working on biomass-based biorefineries.

Agriculture is considered as a backbone of developing nations as it caters the needs of the people, directly or indirectly. The global agriculture currently faces enormous challenges like land degradation and reduced soil fertility, shrinking of land, low production yield, water accessibility and a dearth of labor due to evacuation of individuals from farming. Besides, the global population increases at an exponential rate and it is predicted that the global population will be 9 billion by 2050 that in turn leads to food crisis in near future. Although, green revolution revolutionizes the agriculture sector by enhancing the yield but it was not considered as a sustainable approach. Exorbitant use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to boost the crop yield is definitely not a convenient approach for agriculture sustainability in the light of the fact that these chemical fertilizers are considered as double-edged sword, which on one hand enhance the crop yield but at the same time possess deleterious effect on the soil microflora and thus declines its fertility. Besides, it cause irreversible damage to the soil texture and disrupts the equilibrium in the food chain across ecosystem, which might in turn lead to genetic mutations in future generations of consumers. Thus, the increased dependence on fabricated agricultural additives during and post green revolution has generated serious issues pertaining to sustainability, environmental impact and health hazards. Therefore, nano-biotechnology has emerged as a promising tool to tackle the above problems especially in the agriculture sector. Nano-agribusiness is an emerged field to enhance crop yield, rejuvenate soil health, provide precision farming and stimulate plant growth. Nano-biotechnology is an essential tool in modern agriculture and is considered as a primary economic driver in near future. It is evaluated that joining of cutting edge nanotechnology in agribusiness would push the worldwide monetary development to approximately US$ 3.4 trillion by 2020 which clearly indicates that how agri-nanobiotechnology plays a pivotal role in the agricultural sector, without any negative impact on the environment and other regulatory issues of biosafety. Agri-nanobiotechnology is an innovative green technology, which provides the solution to global food security, sustainability and climate change. The current book is presenting the role of nano-biotechnology in modern agriculture and how it plays a pivotal role to boost the agri-business.

Advances and Avenues in the Development of Novel Carriers for Bioactives and Biological Agents provides sound data on the utility of biological and plant-based drugs and describes challenges faced in all aspects offering indispensable strategies to use in the development of bioactive medicines. Bioactive based medications are commonly used throughout the world and have been recognized by physicians and patients for their therapeutic efficacy. Bioactive formulations, including their subordinates and analogs, address 50% of all medicines in clinical practice. Novel bioactive medicine transporters can cure many disorders by both spatial and transitory approaches and have various justifications in medicinal potential. This book presents information on the utility of natural, plant, animal and bioengineered bioactive materials. It is a fundamental source of information and data for pharmacognosists, pharmaceutical analysts, drug transport scientists and pharmacologists working in bioactive medications.

This detailed second edition volume expands upon the prior edition by addressing newly emerged technologies as well as improved existing protocols in nucleic acid delivery via nanotechnology. The book addresses topics ranging from chemical synthesis of macromolecules and bioconjugates, novel and established nanoformulations, characterization of these nanoformulations for biophysical, biological and toxicological aspects, and also protocols dealing with application and imaging of such carrier systems in vivo. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective chapters, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and up-to-date, Nanotechnology for Nucleic Acid Delivery: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition serves as an ideal guide to researchers seeking to use this vital area of study in their own lab work or to progress knowledge within the field itself.

The most commonly used biological wastewater treatment technologies still have serious technical-economical and sustainability-related limitations, due to their high energy requirements, poor effluent quality, and lack of energy and resource recovery processes. In this thesis, novel electrochemical membrane bioreactors (EMBRs), which take advantage of membrane separation and bioelectrochemical techniques, are developed for wastewater treatment and the simultaneous recovery of energy and resources. Above all, this innovative system holds great promise for the efficient wastewater treatment and energy recovery. It can potentially recover net energy from wastewater while at the same time harvesting high-quality effluent. The book also provides a proof-of-concept study showing that electrochemical control might offer a promising in-situ means of suppressing membrane fouling. Lastly, by integrating electrodialysis into EMBRs, phosphate separation and recovery are achieved. Hence, these new EMBR techniques provide viable alternatives for sustainable wastewater treatment and resource recovery.