Biotechnology is  technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science,  and medicine. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity has come up with  one of many definitions of biotechnology: "Biotechnology means  any technological application that uses biological systems, living  organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes  for specific use."
    Traditional pharmaceutical drugs are small  chemicals molecules that treat the symptoms of a disease or illness - one  molecule directed at a single target. 
    
    Biopharmaceuticals are  large biological molecules known as proteins and these target  the underlying mechanisms and pathways of a malady
    ; it is a relatively young industry. They can  deal with targets in humans that  are not accessible with traditional medicines.  A patient typically is dosed with a small molecule via a tablet while a  large molecule is typically injected. Small molecules are manufactured by  chemistry but large molecules are created by living cells: for example, -  bacteria cells, yeast cell, animal cells.
    
    Modern biotechnology is  often associated with the use of genetically altered microorganisms such as E.  coli or yeast for the  production of substances like insulin or  antibiotics. It can also refer to transgenic animals or transgenic plants, such  as  Bt corn. Genetically altered mammalian cells, such as Chinese Hamster  Ovary (CHO) cells, are also widely used to manufacture  pharmaceuticals.  Another promising new biotechnology application is the development of  plant-made pharmaceuticals.
  
    Biotechnology is also commonly associated with landmark  breakthroughs in new medical therapies to treat diabetes, Hepatitis  B,  Hepatitis C, Cancers, Arthritis, Haemophilia, Bone Fractures, Multiple  Sclerosis, Cardiovascular as well as molecular  diagnostic devices than  can be used to define the patient population. Herceptin, is the first drug  approved for use with a  matching diagnostic test and is used to treat  breast cancer in women whose cancer cells express the protein HER2.
  
    Biotechnology in one form or another has  flourished since prehistoric times. When the first human beings realized that  they could plant their own crops and breed their own animals, they learned to  use biotechnology. The discovery that fruit juices fermented into wine, or that  milk could be converted into cheese or yogurt, or that beer could be made by  fermenting solutions of malt and hops began the study of biotechnology. When  the first bakers found that they could make a soft, spongy bread rather than a  firm, thin cracker, they were acting as fledgling biotechnologists. The first  animal breeders, realizing that different physical traits could be either  magnified or lost by mating appropriate pairs of animals, engaged in the  manipulations of biotechnology.