Success and Prospects in Bioengineering

Chemical engineers have always played an important role in the development of biotechnology. From the first efforts to effectively produce penicillin on a large scale to the newest advances in drug delivery, chemical engineers have been working hand in hand with biologists. In his lecture, Professor Blanch rehashes some of the more important accomplishments in the history of biotechnology. He also addresses new challenges facing chemical engineers working in biological systems. These challenges include the development of reliable models of metabolism and interactions between cellular components. With a better understanding of these interactions, fields like enzyme engineering, synthetic biology and biomining will continue to grow.