Statutes
Organization
Membership
Activities |
About the Author / Abstract
/ Join Seminar
/ Papers
| Date |
09-22 August 2004 |
| Internet Venue |
http://segate.sunet.se/archives/et-w2.html |
| Registration |
By Email: email listserv@segate.sunet.se and use the subscription
command:
SUB ET-W2 yourfirstname yourlastname, countrycode
e.g. sub et-w2 Horst Doelle, AU
By Internet: http://segate.sunet.se/archives/et-w2.html |
Background
Papers |
1) Microbial Metabolism and biotechnology.
Chapter 4. Biotechnology and Human Development.
2) Biotechnology
and Human Development in Developing Countries Electronic
Journal of Biotechnology, 2001. 4(3). |
| Presented by |
Dr. Horst W. Doelle, DSc, DSc[hc]
Deputy Director, MIRCEN-Biotechnology Brisbane and Pacific Regional
Network.
Chairman of IOBB (1996-2003) |
| Moderators |
Mr. V Jagannath & Mr. J Foo |
| Editor |
Mr. J Foo |
About the Author
|
Horst W. Doelle obtained his degrees in Germany with the Dr.rer.nat
in microbiology from the University of Goettingen. After two years in the
wine and beer industry, he was contracted by CSIRO to Australia in 1960
to help establishing a wine industry in Australia. 1964 he followed an
invitation to the University of Queensland to establish the field of microbial
physiology in the Department of Microbiology. Since 1975 he was called
upon by Unesco to teach and help in the establishment of teaching staff
and infrastructure in developing countries all over the world in more than
20 courses.
He received a D.Sc in 1976 from the University of Queensland and a D.Sc
[honoris causa] in 1996 of the Univ. of New England for his work in microbial
biotechnology. He became Oceanian's representative of IOBB in 1980, Vice-Chairman
and in 1996 he served as Chairman of IOBB until end of 2003.
He wrote a number of books on Bacterial Metabolism. He retired from
the university in 1992 and acts since then as adviser in microbial biotechnology.
|
| Abstract |
Throughout the past century, humankind has made a tremendous effort
to understand the biological intricacies of nature. It started with the
traditional fermentation of food to the commercial exploitation of all
types of biological cells. The most incredible advances occurred since
the mid 1940s with the discovery of the life saving antibiotics, followed
by the green revolution in agriculture in the 1950s to the present rapid
progress in understanding the genetic basis of living cells. The latter
progress has given us the ability to develop new products and processes
useful in human and animal health, food and agriculture, and the environment.
It appears, however, that at no stage have we been able to integrate these
enormous discoveries into the natural cycles of matter. As a consequence,
prevention is being replaced by curing continuously occurring medical and
agricultural ailments. This can easily be visualized by the enormous over-
and misuse of antibiotics causing a lowering of the immune systems and
an ever increasing resistance against these drugs amongst microorganisms,
which in turn requires the never ending search for new antibiotics. The
intensification of agriculture during the green revolution with its the
reliance on antibiotics and hormones in feeding animals in so-called animal
factories (i.e. chicken, pigs) as well as on irrigation and chemical inputs
in crop fields has led to serious health and environmental problems. Much
of Asia, for example, faces problems of severe salinity, pesticide misuse
and degradation of natural resources. It is therefore not surprising to
see the ever increasing development of opposition against any further biotechnological
applications, especially those arising from genetical modification of microbial,
plant and animal cells. |
|