What is the role of microbial biotechnology and genetic engineering in medicine?

Microbial products are essential for developing various therapeutic agents, including antibiotics, anticancer drugs, vaccines, and therapeutic enzymes. Genetic engineering techniques, functional genomics, and synthetic biology unlock previously uncharacterized natural products. This review highlights major advances in microbial biotechnology, focusing on gene-based technologies for medical applications. Microbial biotechnology, the technological application of microorganisms, has been instrumental in producing significant natural bioactive products. These include antibiotics, antifungals, anticancer drugs, antiparasitics, antivirals, immunosuppressants, toxoid vaccines, and therapeutic enzymes. Certain microbial components have proven invaluable in the creation of genetic tools, such as CRISPR-Cas systems and thermostable DNA polymerase enzymes. These tools are essential for the development of genetic engineering strategies. Genetic engineering, as a discipline, plays a crucial role in the rational and precise advancement of microbial biotechnology. Consequently, these two conceptual themes-microbial biotechnology and genetic engineering-exhibit a positive interplay. This review presents major advancements in microbial biotechnology, with a particular emphasis on gene-based technologies within the medical field. image