Biological Engineering: a Newdiscipline for the Next Century
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Biological Engineering: A NewDiscipline for the Next Century Bernard Y. Tao* ABSTRACT BIOTECHNOLOGY:FRIEND OR FOE’,? Increasingawareness and concern about living systemsand The wordbiotechnology stirs a mixture of uncertain the useof biologicaltechnology has led to demandfor individu- emotionsin most people (Davis, 1991). Visions of medi- als withan understandingof the life sciencescombined with engineeringskills. Importantsocial/economic issues involving cal miracles coexist with unsettling fears about rampant environmentalquality, the use of recombinantgenetics in killer microbes, genetically altered foods, and bionic/ foods/pharmaceuticals,andthe qualityof life havecreated a cyborg"robocops." This dichotomyexists because of the thrivingjob marketfor individualswho understand the eco- fundamentalbelief that living systemsshould not be tech- nomics,science, and technology of dealingwith living systems nological products. Technologyis perceived as a means andtheir products.A new discipline, Biological Engineering, to alter or transform the environment to meet human has evolvedin responseto this growingneed for technological- needs. Engineers synthesize plastics, build magnetic ly trainedindividuals with backgrounds in the life sciences.This trains, and create digital televisions. Peoplecontrol tech- articlereviews the issues driving the need for biological engineer- nology. But whenit comesto transformingliving systems ing disciplineand summarizes current curricula at severaluniver- into controlled, engineeredcommodities, there is a funda- sities. ThePurdue Biochemical and Food Process Engineering mentalresistance. Life is perceivedas a creative, unre- programis presentedas a modelfor the implementationof these strained, independentprocess. Biotechnologychallenges curriculumobjectives. this perception with its capacity to manipulatethe bio- chemicalmolecules that create and sustain life. Thereali- zation that living systemscan be technologicallycreated and synthetically manipulated, no different from the steel, plastic, and glass that are usedand discardedevery HE INDUSTRIALREVOLUTION of the 1800s changed day, causes fear and uncertainty (Mitcham,1989; Nais- T forever the waysin whichour civilization interacts bitt and Aburdene,1990). However,biotechnology is also with nature. Originally an agrarian society dependenton capable of yielding remarkablebenefits. Currenttechnol- animal labor, science and engineering has supplanted ogy is creating transgenic plants to producenew food and animal work with chemical energy, allowing dispersed industrial products from existing high-yield crops populations to condenseinto large cities. Usingphysi- (Gordon-Kammet al., 1990; Kessler et al., 1992; Moshy, cal/chemical engineering principles, natural materials 1986). Hostsof newpharmaceuticals from rare plants and were transformed into a host of newproducts that have animals are being developed (Gibbons, 1992; Moffat, dramatically changedsociety, such as automobiles, air- 1992). Transgenic domestic animals are nowbeing used planes, refrigerators, plastics, and television. as bioreactors to produce newpharmaceutical proteins Today,we are again at the forefront of a newengineer- in their milk (Moffat, 1991;Glanz, 1992). Extinct or en- ing revolution in biotechnologythat promisesto funda- dangered species are being preserved using domestic mentally changethe waywe live. Duringthe Industrial animals as universal surrogate mothers (Anonymous, Revolution, we learned howto alter our environment, 1989). Completemapping of the humangenome promises using machinesand natural resources. Duringthe upcom- to radically alter our abilities in medicaldiagnostics, ing Biotechnological Revolution, we will learn howto forensics, and treatment (Jordan, 1992). Genetherapy, alter living systemsand their componentsto suit the en- the use of recombinantgenetic cells and viruses to treat vironment and satisfy humanneeds/desires. However, diseases, promisesto overcomeinherited disorders such the raw materials that fuel the BiotechnologicalRevolu- as diabetes, sickle cell anemia,and cystic fibrosis, as well tion will not be steel, coal, or plastic. Theywill be DNA, as nongeneticdiseases such as AIDS,cancer, and leuke- proteins, and other biomaterials derived frommicrobes, mia (Anderson, 1992; Collins, 1992; Kolberg, 1992; plants, animals, and humans.To paraphrase the cartoon Rosenfeldet al., 1992).Bacteriorhodopsin, the light sens- character Pogo, "Wehave found newraw materials, and ing protein in eyes, is being incorporatedinto photoelec- they are us." This article highlights efforts to redefine tric receptorsfor ultrafast optical sensorsused in optical engineeringcurricula to embracethe life sciences and de- computers(Miasaka et al., 1991). Several researchers are velop an appreciation for the uniquenature of the engi- isolating DNAfrom bacteria that grow in hydrothermal neering issues involvedwith these disciplines. underseasvents to clone newhigh temperature-stableen- zymes for use in starch depolymerization, frustose production, coal desulfurization, bioremediation, and Biochemicaland Food Process Engineering Program, Dep. of Agricul- gold extraction (Gibbons, 1991). tural Engineering,Purdue Univ., W. Lafayette, IN 47907. Received 19 Aug.1992. *Corresponding author. Withinthe next 50 yr, wewill see incredible advances in biological engineering,comparable to the physical and Publishedin J. Nat.Resour. Life Sci. Educ.22:34-38 (1993). 34¯ J. Nat.Resour. Life Sci. Educ.,Vol. 22, no.1, 1993 chemical engineering advances of the past century. Un- new molecular biological tools, engineering applications doubtedly, visionaries in the 1890s anticipated antibiot- are also springing up in agriculture, medicine, ecology, ics, automobiles, consumer electrical power, radio, and environmental studies. With new discoveries com- airplanes, and refrigerators. But whocould have antici- ing almost daily, coherent engineering programs are pated space-age plastics, personal computers, color tele- neededto teach the scientific principles, engineeringtech- vision, bullet trains, microwave ovens, and VCRs? nology, ethical use of these developments, and their Similarly, consider the environmental and social effects potential effects on society. of these technologies. The engineers who designed air Historically, the curricula of agricultural and chemi- conditioners and refrigerators never dreamedthat chloro- cal engineering have added elective courses in biochemi- fluorocarbons could deplete the ozone layer. Automo- cal or biosystems engineering to meet this need. bile and power plant engineers didn’t anticipate global Trend-setting engineering schools, such as MIT, nowre- warmingdue to increased carbon dioxide emissions. The quire all students to take biology courses as a fundamental designers of television probably never anticipated that science, similar to chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Americanswould spend an average of 6 ha per day watch- However, with the expanding technology and the demand ing the TVand read less than one book per year. Just for a more comprehensive life sciences background, the as vacuum-tubeengineers in the 1920s could not have en- need for a more fundamental disciplinary change has visioned silicon microprocessors and laser optics, the ap- emerged (Johnson and Davis, 1990). plications of biotechnology in the next century will probably exceed our wildest dreams. Unimagined suc- Core Biological Engineering Curriculum cesses and miracles may be just around the corner in Offsetting these benefits, however,are the risks of per- A set of workshops, funded by the USDA,was held manently altering both the environment and ourselves, to develop curriculum guidelines for biological engineer- due to the fundamental nature of the technology. For ex- ing (Garrett, 1992). The main emphasis of these guide- ample, the Human Genome project offers immense lines was to define clearly the concepts encompassedby promise for therapeutic treatments via targeting and al- biological engineering and the competencies expected of teration of human genetic disorders (Jordan, 1992). biological engineers. A set of core courses was developed, However, such technology also offers opportunities to composedof engineering-based topics in biology, bio- radically alter long-accepted social customs/traditions, physics, and biomaterials. Table 1 summarizes the five such as behavioral genetics or selective genetic manipu- core course topics that were defined, including brief lation of humanphysiological traits (Aldhous, 1992). descriptions of the course subjects. A more detailed dis- Social issues involving personal privacy, individual/cor- cussion can be found in Garrett (1992). This curriculum porate ownership of genetic materials, and discrimina- is intended to complement existing engineering and tion based on genotype have already arisen in the legal science curricula, based on the agricultural engineering system. As authors of technology, we bear the responsi- discipline. bility not only to develop applications of this new tech- Table 1. Suggested core courses for biological engineering educa- nology, but also to evaluate the social consequences and tion (from Garrett, 1992). inform others of the risks and benefits. Wecannot ethi- BiologyI for Engineers cally abandon these responsibilities to well-intentioned, (istyear course; prerequisites: none) ¯ Structure,function, and energy transformations of biosystems at the but technically uneducatedpoliticians and social activists. cellular,organismal,