Novel technologies and their applications in biotechnology

Advances in technology are rapidly improving the range of available biotechnological tools and applications. Inter- facial opportunities, such as those combining biomedical improvements with aspects of engineering, computing and innovative bio-materials are at the forefront of these enhancements. Personalized and predictive screening, pre-disease and bio-marker identification, gene therapy and genome editing as well as large scale analysis of data from single cell sequencing and digital PCR screening programmes are being used in new approaches to earlier disease detection, rapid point of care diagnostics, increase understanding and improve outcomes. Multi-disciplinary
approaches are benefiting all areas of biotechnology, from synthetic biology to microbial community dynamics and new product development, as innovative applications combine elements of novel technologies to address previously intractable problems. These translational biotechnology applications combine ingenuity, creativity and complexity by building upon the torrent of molecular
and cellular data available and will benefit mankind, society and the environment for decades to come.