Joseph H.Hulse Trends in Food Science Technology 15(2004)3-18 衣 In the year 2000,world-wide investment in biotechnol- present known is almost nothing in comparison with ogies amounted to $37 billion USD which,according to what remains to be discovered....We could free our- a recent Canadian study,is expected to increase by selves from an infinity of maladies of body and mind if 30%/year over the foreseeable future.According to a we had knowledge of their causes and the remedies McKinsey Company report,biotechnology research and provided by nature” industrial development appear attractive to venture capital of which,in Canada,90%is invested in the health care sector. Chronologies of biotechnologies for food and drugs Whether or not these predictions of future growth will be precisely accurate,expansion and diversification of BCE (BC) bioscience and bioindustries seems inevitable given that most governments among European Union and North 4th/3rd Millennium American nations declare health care,food safety and Egyptians developed grain milling,baking, environmental protection related to human and animal brewing health as high priorities. At the time when pharmaceuticals were mainly derived from medicinal plants and chemical synthetics, 3rd Millennium factory engineers were mostly chemical engineers.It is Chinese Emperor Fu-Hsi proposed health food now evident that classical chemical engineering is principles of Yin,Yang. inadequate for modern and advancing techniques of Chinese Shen-Yung Originator of acupuncture biosynthesis.extraction,isolation and purification of and natural drug therapy. biologicals produced by various cell cultures and Prescribed 1800 biological and chemical reme- genetically modified organisms. dies. The academic qualifications and experience needed in Egyptians,Sumerians preservation of milk, industrial bioengineers are rapidly changing.To provide vegetables by acid fermentations. the knowledge and skills industries need,universities must evolve from traditional unidisciplinary,narrowly specialised departments into integrated interdisciplinary 2nd Millennium units. Egyptians prescribed plant remedies for rheu- The Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre [MIB] matism,diabetes,schistosomiasis. illustrates how academic bioscientific research and Sumerians treated hepatic diseases,gonorrhoea, teaching must be organised in the future.In a newly strokes and scabies. designed facility,the MIB will be staffed by biophysi- Chinese distilled ethanol.Burnt sponge (iodine) cists,biochemists,mathematicians,computation scien- to alleviate goitre. tists bioengineers and systems analysts.Bioengineers, together with all other involved disciplines,must work Ist Millennium cooperatively from the early synthesis through to fac- Natural,open-air freeze-drying of potatoes by tory-scale processes,the whole being integrated into an Andean Amerindians. orderly organisation by mathematically-trained systems analysts.An academic evolution to active,organized interdisciplinary teaching,research and development is 5th/4th Century essential for all biosciences and biotechnologies:phar- Hippocrates School of Medicine Hippocratic maceuticals,food and all else on which healthy lives Oath:70 medical treatises:300 remedies. depend. Recognizing the rate at which bioscience is expanding and diversifying,university departments could profit- 4th Century ably emulate their schools of management colleagues by Aristotle classified known plants and animals; offering short,intensive courses to enable industrial Theophrastus wrote History of plants'. biotechnologists and bloengineers continually to Greek word 'Pharmacon'means both medicine upgrade their knowledge and skills.To satisfy the evol- and poison. ving needs of modern bioindustries,universities must critically assess and,in some instances,restructure their departmental organizations,curricula and research 2nd Century programmes. Dioscorides:Father of Materia medica:pre- An obiter dictum from Rene Descartes''Discourse on scribed >600 drugs and remedies. Method'seems apposite and appropriate."All that is at Romans invented the water wheelIn the year 2000, world-wide investment in biotechnol￾ogies amounted to $37 billion USD which, according to a recent Canadian study, is expected to increase by 30%/year over the foreseeable future. According to a McKinsey Company report, biotechnology research and industrial development appear attractive to venture capital of which, in Canada, 90% is invested in the health care sector. Whether or not these predictions of future growth will be precisely accurate, expansion and diversification of bioscience and bioindustries seems inevitable given that most governments among European Union and North American nations declare health care, food safety and environmental protection related to human and animal health as high priorities. At the time when pharmaceuticals were mainly derived from medicinal plants and chemical synthetics, factory engineers were mostly chemical engineers. It is now evident that classical chemical engineering is inadequate for modern and advancing techniques of biosynthesis, extraction, isolation and purification of biologicals produced by various cell cultures and genetically modified organisms. The academic qualifications and experience needed in industrial bioengineers are rapidly changing. To provide the knowledge and skills industries need, universities must evolve from traditional unidisciplinary, narrowly specialised departments into integrated interdisciplinary units. The Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre [MIB] illustrates how academic bioscientific research and teaching must be organised in the future. In a newly designed facility, the MIB will be staffed by biophysi￾cists, biochemists, mathematicians, computation scien￾tists bioengineers and systems analysts. Bioengineers, together with all other involved disciplines, must work cooperatively from the early synthesis through to fac￾tory-scale processes, the whole being integrated into an orderly organisation by mathematically-trained systems analysts. An academic evolution to active, organized interdisciplinary teaching, research and development is essential for all biosciences and biotechnologies: phar￾maceuticals, food and all else on which healthy lives depend. Recognizing the rate at which bioscience is expanding and diversifying, university departments could profit￾ably emulate their schools of management colleagues by offering short, intensive courses to enable industrial biotechnologists and bloengineers continually to upgrade their knowledge and skills. To satisfy the evol￾ving needs of modern bioindustries, universities must critically assess and, in some instances, restructure their departmental organizations, curricula and research programmes. An obiter dictum from Rene Descartes’ ‘Discourse on Method’ seems apposite and appropriate. ‘‘All that is at present known is almost nothing in comparison with what remains to be discovered. ... We could free our￾selves from an infinity of maladies of body and mind if we had knowledge of their causes and the remedies provided by nature’’. Chronologies of biotechnologies for food and drugs BCE (BC) 4th/3rd Millennium Egyptians developed grain milling, baking, brewing. 3rd Millennium Chinese Emperor Fu-Hsi proposed health food principles of Yin, Yang. Chinese Shen-Yung Originator of acupuncture and natural drug therapy. Prescribed 1800 biological and chemical reme￾dies. Egyptians, Sumerians preservation of milk, vegetables by acid fermentations. 2nd Millennium Egyptians prescribed plant remedies for rheu￾matism, diabetes, schistosomiasis. Sumerians treated hepatic diseases, gonorrhoea, strokes and scabies. Chinese distilled ethanol. Burnt sponge (iodine) to alleviate goitre. 1st Millennium Natural, open-air freeze-drying of potatoes by Andean Amerindians. 5th/4th Century Hippocrates School of Medicine Hippocratic Oath; 70 medical treatises; 300 remedies. 4th Century Aristotle classified known plants and animals; Theophrastus wrote ‘History of plants’. Greek word ‘Pharmacon’ means both medicine and poison. 2nd Century Dioscorides: Father of Materia medica; pre￾scribed >600 drugs and remedies. Romans invented the water wheel. Joseph H. Hulse / Trends in Food Science & Technology 15 (2004) 3–18 13