Plastic makers squeezed

The future of biotechnology isn't going to be driven by the "gee-whiz" factor of upward potential.

In other words - while it's really cool that we can grow vaccines in tobacco plants or develop new types of fuels and plastics, that alone doesn't really mean anything.

In order for technology to really move forward, it has to be commercially viable. People have to WANT to buy it - not out of a sense of novelty, but out of genuine economic need.

Enter the plastics industry, which is getting buffetted by rising oil prices - and thusly, higher costs.

Making new types of plastics from corn or other bio-products is just one example of the commercial future of biotech. Petrochemicals aren't going anywhere - they're just going to become increasingly expensive.

I have a friend who says "The stone age didn't end because we ran out of stone." Well, the petrochemical industrial age won't end because we run out of oil. But industry is going to start turning to bioproducts because they're a better commercial alternative.

It's happening sooner rather than later. And with the increased commercial viability comes increased public perception risks. After all, farmers aren't growing food anymore... they're industrial chemical suppliers.