Currently, we are using genetic modification to produce new and safer vaccines. Antisense Technology decreases the production of specific proteins by using small nucleic acids to block the genes responsible for making these proteins. Currently, researchers are investigating how to use this technology to slow food spoilage. Protein Engineering Technology will often be used in conjunction with genetic modification to improve existing proteins, usually enzymes, and to create proteins not found in nature. These new and improved proteins will encourage the development of ecologically sustainable industrial processes because they are renewable, biodegradable resources.
Enzymes trigger the biochemical reactions on which all living organisms depend.
Unlike most chemical catalysts used in industrial manufacturing processes, these biocatalysts dissolve in water and work best at neutral pH and comparatively low temperatures. In addition, because biocatalysts are more specific than chemical catalysts, they produce fewer unwanted by-products. The chemical, textiles, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, food and feed, metal and minerals and energy industries have all benefited from cleaner, more energy-efficient production made possible by incorporating biocatalysts into their production processes. The traits that make biocatalysts environmentally advantageous may, however, become detrimental in certain industrial processes. Enzymes function in a narrow temperature range, and most fall apart at temperatures above 1000 F. Scientists are circumventing these limitations by using protein engineering to increase enzyme stability under harsh manufacturing conditions.