Biotechnology is the practice of harnessing living systems — such as cells, proteins, microbes, and plants — to make useful products. Traditionally associated with medicine and agriculture, modern biotechnology powers a growing range of industrial processes. By using tools like gene editing and AI-driven biological design, scientists can now program plants and microorganisms to extract critical minerals and produce high-performance chemicals, fuels, materials, and pharmaceuticals.
A vibrant bioeconomy powered by biological innovation aims to reshore supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign sources of high-value products. Biotechnology strengthens the nation’s ability to prevent and respond to biological threats and economic disruption, safeguarding national security. Continued innovation in biotechnology strengthens our industrial base, improves the lives of our citizens, creates high-quality jobs, and reinforces U.S. leadership in science and technology worldwide.
ORNL research stimulates a new era of American manufacturing that brings together biology, automation and AI to produce chemicals, fuels, and materials from domestic resources. Scientists engineer plants, microbes, and enzymes to convert feedstocks into high-value products; accelerate the transition from genetic discovery to scalable production; and develop industry-ready bioprocesses that reduce reliance on foreign inputs. Through capabilities spanning exascale computing, robotics, and advanced manufacturing, ORNL enables secure, cost-effective biomanufacturing platforms that enhance energy independence and U.S. industrial competitiveness.
ORNL delivers biotechnology breakthroughs that strengthen American health and security. Scientists integrate genomics, AI, and high-performance computing to accelerate drug discovery and better understand disease mechanisms; design molecules that disrupt viral infection pathways; and enable next-generation diagnostics and targeted radiotherapies. Uniting world-class user facilities with multidisciplinary expertise, ORNL translates discovery science into biomedical technologies that can be deployed to protect public health, strengthen domestic supply chains, and create economic opportunity.
ORNL science strengthens American biosecurity by advancing biotechnology solutions that detect, understand, and counter biological threats. Researchers use advanced computational models to predict pathogen behavior; develop secure biodesign tools and biosensors to identify emerging threats; and apply genome-wide analysis to evaluate vulnerabilities and develop countermeasures. Utilizing advanced computing, genomics, and data analytics, ORNL translates discovery science into practical capabilities that protect public health and reinforce national biosecurity.
ORNL advances biotechnology solutions that strengthen America’s critical minerals and materials supply chains. Scientists engineer microbes and fungi to recover rare earth elements from domestic resources and waste streams; design biological systems that selectively capture and concentrate critical elements; and develop efficient pathways for separation and purification. ORNL accelerates the integration of biological innovation, materials science, and high-performance computing. These capabilities support secure supply chains for next-generation energy systems and defense-critical technologies.
Through strategic partnerships, technology commercialization and entrepreneurship, ORNL is driving innovation-based economic growth and opportunity in the biotechnology sector. Learn more about our Healthcare and Biology and other technology portfolios.
APPL is a cutting-edge research facility equipped with one of the most diverse suites of imaging capabilities for plant phenotyping in the world. APPL accelerates critical insights into plant genetics and performance.
CBI is a U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Center that unites researchers across the nation to develop foundational technologies that unlock cost-effective new pathways for producing bio-based fuels, chemicals, and materials.
CSMB is a leading structural biology user facility equipped with advanced neutron scattering to understand how molecular systems assemble and interact within living cells, accelerating insights into biomolecular structure and function.
The MDF is a world-leading consortium for advanced manufacturing research and development and is driving the adoption of new biomaterials, bio-based polymers, and advanced biofabrication.
OLCF is a premier high-performance computing facility equipped with the Frontier exascale supercomputer that accelerates solutions to some of the nation’s most complex research challenges, enabling AI-driven biological design at unprecedented scale.
SNS is one of the world’s most powerful neutron sources and serves as the U.S. epicenter for neutron scattering. Neutrons help scientists observe the dynamic assembly of biological components in real-time, revealing new insights into processes that enable biotechnology development.
CNMS is a state-of-the-art nanoscience user facility equipped with advanced capabilities in nanomaterials synthesis, fabrication, characterization and modeling that accelerate discovery and innovation at the nanoscale.
At REDC, experts in radiochemical processing use specialized equipment and systems to produce unique radioisotopes for applications in medicine, research, national security, space exploration, and industry.
In 1946, ORNL elevated its research efforts to protect people from exposure to unsafe levels of radiation, including studies into the health effects of radiation from reactors and atomic weapons testing. This spurred the development of a broad biological research program that has co-discovered messenger RNA, created lab-on-a-chip technology, sequenced the first tree genome, pioneered mammalian genetics and tissue cryogenics, and solved the 40-year mystery of how bacteria transform mercury into highly toxic methylmercury.
Today, bioscience researchers at ORNL leverage unique capabilities to drive biotechnology innovations that accelerate development of high-performance plants for the bioeconomy, enable scientists and industry partners to engineer virtually any microorganism to produce valuable chemicals, increase crop growth to bolster domestic supplies of energy feedstocks, develop biosensors that increase biosecurity by signaling when CRISPR gene editing is occurring, and automate laboratory processes for biological discovery.
