Biotechnology: a selective survey

Biotechnology is a selective amalgam of the ideas and techniques of many fields, particularly biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, and developmental biology. The identifying signature of biotechnology is the calculated manipulation, modification, and even creation of new genetic entities. This review examines such aspects of biotechnology as: (a) the analysis and cloning of DNA; (b) the production of transgenic organisms and some speculations on the use of this technology in animal husbandry; and (c) the construction and uses of monoclonal-antibody-secreting hybridomas.