Book:The Laboratories of Our Lives: Labs, Labs Everywhere!/Labs by industry: Part 3/Life sciences and biotechnology

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5.3 Life sciences and biotechnology

PAPRs in use 01.jpg

Life sciences is a broad category of scientific disciplines associated with the study of living organisms. Studies at the molecular level, as well as the use of living systems and organisms to make products for human purposes (i.e., biotechnology), have expanded the concept of life sciences even further. Biological and health sciences are at the heart of life science and biotechnology laboratories, with a broad array of branches/disciplines falling under the umbrella. From the plant experiments and analyses at Space Florida's Space Life Sciences Lab[1] to the neurological and brain studies at the Neuroinformatics and Brain Connectivity Lab at Florida International University[2], just about anything to do with living organisms and their components is being analyzed, researched, and synthesized in a life science and biotechnology lab. These laboratories are often research-focused, intent on making discoveries to improve plant, animal, and human life. These labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

  • researching neuropsychiatric disorders[1]
  • researching plant stress tolerances[2]
  • molecular imaging[3]
  • gene targeting[3]
  • gene base sequence analysis[3]
  • antibody analysis[3]
  • protein and peptide analysis[3]
  • DNA sequencing and fragment analysis[3]
  • biomarker discovery and validation[3]

But how do life sciences and biotechnology laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis?

Have you received treatment for cancer? A life science lab was behind the development and/or improvement of that therapy. Have you ever eaten a soybean? The plant that grew it was likely improved in some way by the research at life science lab. From the new medicine you take for your medical condition to the new advances in genetics that allow you to detect disease earlier, don't forget your life has most likely been touched by a life science and biotechnology lab in some way.

5.3.1 Client types

Private - Some private labs in the life sciences are foundations or institutes, others are companies.

Examples include:

Government - Government-based life science labs are often part of a branch, agency, etc. and have focused goals either as part of the branch/agency or as mandated research from higher up in the government.

Examples include:

Academic - These labs are typically graduate-level and act as hotbeds for researchers of all types.

Examples include:

5.3.2 Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, QA/QC, research/design, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? biological specimens, cancers, DNA, genes, organs and systems, plant materials, proteins

What sciences are being applied in these labs? anatomy, bioinformatics, biology, botany, cardiology, genetics, genomics, hematology, kinesiology, medical imaging, microbiology, molecular biology, nephrology, neurology, oncology, pathology, physiology, proteomics, pulmonology, toxicology, and many more

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Adhesion, Age determination, Aging, Amino acid analysis, Antimicrobial, Antigen, Biomolecular, C- and N-terminal, Carcinogenicity, Circular dichroism, Colorimetric, Compression, Cytology, De novo protein, Degradation, Detection, Developmental and reproductive toxicology, Dietary exposure, Disulfide bridge, DNA hybridization, Electrophoresis, Genotype, Identification, Isotope analysis, Macro- and microstructure, Microfluidics, Minimum bactericidal concentration, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Molecular weight, Pathogenicity, Peptide mapping, Post-translational modification, Proficiency, Protein analysis, Protein characterization, Terrestrial toxicology

Industry-related lab equipment may include:

balance, bioreactor, biosafety cabinet, cell counter, centrifuge, DNA sequencer, dry bath, electrophoresis equipment, Erlenmeyer flask, flow cytometer, freezer, fume hood, gel documentation system, immunoassay system, incubator, laminar flow cabinet, microplate equipment, mixer/shaker, molecular imager, osmometer, PCR workstation, pipettor, protein sequencer, reagents, spectrometer, spectrophotometer, thermal cycler

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the life sciences and biotechnology industry?

Many laboratories in the life sciences and biotechnology sector are funded by significant external investments, grants, and initial public offerings (IPOs). For example, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded grants worth a total of $4.5 billion to California life science labs in 2019.[4] Others turn to private charitable foundations or even biotech and pharmaceutical companies to help fund research efforts.[5]

5.3.3 Informatics in the life sciences and biotechnology industry

Referred to as bioinformatics or life science informatics, the application of information management and other software systems to the life sciences has become increasingly necessary as data-intensive automated instruments and methods drive today's lab research and experimentation. Tools that can analyze cells, molecules, and even atoms are helping researchers solve challenges of disease diagnosis and therapy production, giving patients better quality of life as a result. Informatics software helps integrate these various instruments and drive new discoveries through the mining, analysis, visualization, and simulation of the disparate data. Journals such as Bioinformatics, Cancer Informatics, and Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, as well as conferences such as the Rocky Mountain Bioinformatics Conference[6] and the IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine[7], help drive further innovation in how informatics can benefit the life sciences. Examples of life science laboratory advancements include the development of computer algorithms to answer biological questions, the improvement of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data management, and the development of tools to help us better understand the epidemiology of complex diseases.[8]

5.3.4 LIMSwiki resources and further reading

LIMSwiki resources - Life sciences

LIMSwiki resources - Biotechnology

Further reading


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Space Life Sciences Lab". Space Florida. https://www.spaceflorida.gov/facilities/. Retrieved 29 June 2022. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Florida International University. "Neuroinformatics and Brain Connectivity Lab". GitHub. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Willard, H.F.; Ginsburg, G.S., ed. (2008). Genomic and Personalized Medicine. Academic Press. pp. 1558. ISBN 9780080919034. https://books.google.com/books?id=5RBXqL7x-bcC&printsec=frontcover. 
  4. California Life Sciences Association (2020). "California Life Sciences Sector 2020 Report". https://www.califesciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CLSA-PWC-2020-Sector-Report.pdf. Retrieved 06 July 2022. 
  5. Grant, B. (1 May 2015). "Follow the Funding". The Scientist. LabX Media Group. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150522055951/http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/42799/title/Follow-the-Funding/. Retrieved 29 June 2022. 
  6. "Rocky Mountain Bioinformatics Conference 2022". International Society for Computational Biology. 2022. https://www.iscb.org/rocky2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022. 
  7. "IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine (BIBM)". BIBM Steering Committee. http://ieeebibm.org/. Retrieved 29 June 2022. 
  8. "Life Science Informatics - Studying". University of Helsinki. https://www.helsinki.fi/en/degree-programmes/life-science-informatics-masters-programme/studying. Retrieved 29 June 2022.