If the desired product cannot be extracted from the cell, the bacteria must be destroyed and the cell walls chemically broken up. The solution to this problem would be a continuous process in which the bacterium excretes the product into the culture medium by itself and in large quantities. In the course of this work, proteins were discovered in the cell wall which actively transport substances out of the cell. By optimizing these transport proteins using genetic engineering, it will in future be possible to inexpensively produce large quantities of high-grade vaccines. Today detergents contain enzymes which contribute to getting laundry clean even at low temperatures.
Biotechnology can thus indirectly help to save energy.
Sensitive mammalian cells also grow on microsubstrates of glass. Pumice stone and porous glass beads have been successfully tested as growth substrates. Monoclonal antibodies are required above all in medical diagnostics for the unambiguous identification of infections such as German measles, HIV or hepatitis. Experiments on cultivating and reproducing bone marrow parent cells are currently being initiated. These cells support a patient's immune system after high-dose chemotherapy and contribute to faster convalescence.