Palpanas of Goa

Palpanas

Graviola  is Annona muricata which is a species of the genus Annona of the custard apple tree family, Annonaceae, known mostly for its edible fruit. The fruit is usually called soursop due to its slightly acidic taste when ripe. It grows very well in the soils of Bardez but there is negligible production. We are thankful for Portuguese to bring Graviola species in Goa. It is very hard to see these fruits in markets of Goa and those who bring it charges around 100-200 Rupees per fruit. Government should promote cultivation of this fruit. The day is not far when Indian Government will soon realize its tremendous pharmaceutical potential for mainly to cure Cancer. Oil extracted from its seeds offers many properties which includes antibacterial, astringent, hypotensive and sedative to name a few. Their traditional uses are to treat asthma, chills, fever, flue, high blood pressure, insomnia, nervousness, rheumatism and skin diseases. Use it in creams, lotions and ointments to relieve itching of dry skin and eczema and psoriasis symptoms. The seed has high amount of magnesium and potassium with respect to the fruit pulp.

In 2008 the NCI supported the Purdue research, which confirmed that extracts from Graviola leaves killed cancer cells among six human-cell lines and were especially effective against prostate and pancreatic cancers. Another study showed their effect against lung cancer.

 Yang et. al., 2014 showed Synergistic interactions among flavonoids and acetogenins in Graviola (Annona muricata) leaves which confered protection against prostate cancer. 

George et. al., 2015 showed DNA protective and antioxidant efficacy of Annona muricata leaf extracts. In 2014, also, Asare et. al., showed antiproliferative activity of aqueous leaf extract of Annona muricata on the Prostate, BPH-1 Cells, and some target genes. 

Minari & Okeke 2014, showed chemopreventive effect of Annona muricata on DMBA-induced cell proliferation in the breast tissues of female albino mice. 

There is only one mechanishm evaluated for the anticancer activity by Moghadamtousi et. al., 2014, which stated that Annona muricata leaves induces apoptosis in lung cancer A549 cells through mitochondrial-mediated pathway and involvement of NF-κB.

Goa government with ICAR should promote cultivation of Graviola in whole Goa. This might give  farmers some incentives from Pharmaceutical Industries buying these fruits directly from them.

there is substantial potential for herb-drug interactions that may reduce the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. - See more at: http://www.cancernetwork.com/integrative-oncology/graviola-annona-muricata#sthash.2phMk4kQ.dpuf

there is substantial potential for herb-drug interactions that may reduce the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. - See more at: http://www.cancernetwork.com/integrative-oncology/graviola-annona-muricata#sthash.2phMk4kQ.dpuf

there is substantial potential for herb-drug interactions that may reduce the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. - See more at: http://www.cancernetwork.com/integrative-oncology/graviola-annona-muricata#sthash.2phMk4kQ.dpuf

there is substantial potential for herb-drug interactions that may reduce the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. - See more at: http://www.cancernetwork.com/integrative-oncology/graviola-annona-muricata#sthash.2phMk4kQ.dpuf

there is substantial potential for herb-drug interactions that may reduce the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. - See more at: http://www.cancernetwork.com/integrative-oncology/graviola-annona-muricata#sthash.2phMk4kQ.dpuf

Biotechnology for addressing Food security

Biotechnology for addressing Food security
Agricultural productivity is important for food security in that it has an impact on food supplies, prices, and the incomes and purchasing power of farmers. Improving food security at the national level requires an increase in the availability of food through increased agricultural production.

Historically, increased food production in the developing countries can be attributed to the cultivation of more land rather than to the deployment of improved farming practices or to the application of new technologies. By its very nature, agriculture threatens other ecosystems, a situation that can be exacerbated by over-cultivation, overgrazing, deforestation and bad irrigation practices. However, increased demands for food in Asia, Europe and North Africa have to be met by increasing yields because most land in these areas is already used for agriculture. It is in this scenario that various biotechnology techniques can come handy to be employed to enhance the yield and productivity.

Attaining food security:

Global food productivity is undergoing a process of rapid transformation as a result of technological progress in the fields of communication, information, transport and modern biotechnology. A general observation is that technologies tend to be developed in response to market pressures, and not to the needs of the poor who have no purchasing power. As agriculture is the main economic activity of rural communities, optimizing the levels of production will generate employment and income, and thus uplift the wealth and well-being of the community. Improving agricultural production in developing countries is fundamental to reducing poverty and increasing food security.

Investment to raise agricultural productivity can be achieved through the introduction of superior technologies such as better-quality seeds, crop rotation systems etc, using technologies to reduce crop failure and wastes, producing crops which are resistant to weeds, insects and other reasons for crop failure, using bio insecticides so as to preserve the nutritious values of plants and decrease toxicity. Other such measures would include using techniques which are:

• environmentally sound, preserving resources and maintaining production potential
• profitable for farmers and workable on a long-term basis
• providing food quality and sufficiency for all people
• socially acceptable
• socially equitable, between different countries and within each country

The production problems experienced by farmers vary between countries and communities, and technological solutions need to be relevant to those circumstances, i.e. one solution will not be suitable everywhere. Indeed, such programs are now widely accepted as being at the core of sustainable agriculture. Producing nutritionally enhanced properties in staple crops eaten by the poor could reduce the burden of disease in many developing countries. For example scientists at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT, India) have developed a pearl millet variety enhanced with beta-carotene. This has not only resulted in producing a crop which is widely used by the poor with increases productivity but has also added value to the nutrition content of the crop. There is a need to direct research efforts to areas which are able to generate sustainable and long term solutions to food problems and which are not governed by the considerations of only pure commercial interests.

Indian Biotech Policy Initiatives

Indian Biotech Policy Initiatives
Perhaps, one of the biggest impetus for the growth of bio technology sectors in India has been the positive policy framework and investment climate offered by the Union Government and various state Governments who have tried hard to develop the sector in their respective states. The union government as well as the state governments have taken various initiatives to boost biotechnology in India. Several state governments including Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujrat and Delhi have taken initiatives to encourage entrepreneurs to set up biotech industries in their states.

Some of the key steps taken by central and state governments include:

• Setting up of a separate department of biotechnology under the ministry of science and technology in the year 1986 gave an impetus to the growth of the sector in the Indian economy.

• Announcing a separate Biotechnology Policy for states as a recognition of the importance of the sector as a key growth area;

• Setting up of exclusive Biotechnology Parks; They are encouraging research activities, establishing links between their research institutions and industry. Several concessions are being offered to the industry in terms of single window clearance, speedy customs clearance, exemption from tax, creation of funds to be used for the incubation of new project.

• Instituting Task Forces with experts to guide them on policy issues and setting up of positive policy framework.

• Holding various national and international science and technology fairs and seminars to show case India’s initiatives in the field.

Many Indian companies have introduced products of original research through technology transfer from R&D institutions in India in the field of vaccines, diagnostics and clinical and contract research and trials. Some others have established tie ups and joint venture with foreign companies for sourcing technologies and are experimenting with new products produced by foreign technologies, with a view to introduce them into the Indian market within the framework of Indian laws. Outsourcing of R&D in biotechnology represents a tremendous opportunity for Indian companies to do contract research for overseas corporations. The current global spend on outsourced R&D is approximately US$ 9 billion and is expected to grow at 30 per cent per annum for the next 5 years.

There are around 50 R&D labs in the public sector, providing high quality R&D and over 20 conducting research in specific areas of biotechnology. In addition to these, there are companies in Bangalore with excellent technical manpower and world-renowned institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Jawahar Lal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, National Facility for Macromolecular Crystallography, BARC, Mumbai, National Facility for High Field NMR, TIFR, Mumbai, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, National Brain Research Center, New Delhi, all of which provide high-quality R&D services to organisations worldwide.

Green Biotechnology

Green Biotechnology

Green biotechnology which is more commonly known as Plant Biotechnology is a rapidly expanding field within Modern biotechnology. It basically involves the introduction of foreign genes into economically important plant species, resulting in crop improvement and the production of novel products in plants. Use of environment friendly and cost effective alternatives to industrial chemicals such as bio fuels, bio fertilizers and bio pesticides are not only resulting in enhanced crop output, improvement in health and safety standards, these new products are also leading to less environment pollution and use of green technology. The ever increasing demand of agricultural produce has given new impetus to research in the field and has resulted in great benefits for farmers and users alike.

Today plant biotechnology encompasses the following main areas of research and application:

Plant tissue culture:
A technique that allows whole plants to be produced from minute amounts of plant parts like the roots, leaves or stems or even just a single plant cell under laboratory conditions. An advantage of tissue culture is rapid production of clean planting materials. Examples of tissue culture products in Kenya include banana, cassava, Irish potato, pyrethrum and citrus.

Plant genetic engineering:
The selective, deliberate transfer of beneficial gene(s) from one organism to another to create new improved crops, animals or materials. Examples of genetically engineered crops include cotton, maize, sweet potato, soy beans etc.

Plant molecular marker assisted breeding:
A technique that uses molecular markers to select for a particular trait of interest such as yield. A molecular marker is a short sequence of DNA that is tightly linked to the desirable trait (such as disease resistance) that selection for its presence ends up selecting for the desirable trait. E.g. maize that is tolerant to drought and maize streak virus.

Bio fertilizers and bio pesticides:
Increasingly farmers are using bio fertilizers and bio pesticides to reap more benefits and avoid the chemical pesticides having pollutants and ill effects for crops. As per Conservative estimate in India, a 10 percent saving through the use of biofertilizers will result in an annual saving of 1.094 million tons of nitrogenous fertilizers costing around Rs 550 crore.

Hybridization:
Increasingly plant scientists exploit the characteristic feature of better yielding ‘hybrids’ in plants. Hybrid vigour, or hetrosis as it is scientifically known, exploits the fact that some offspring from the progeny of a cross between two known parents would be better than the parents themselves. Many hybrid varieties of several crop species are being grown all over the world today. An example of this is the hybrid tomatoes that we eat commonly.

Red Biotechnology

Red Biotechnology

Red Biotechnology deals with working for human health and improving life style by using advancements in technology and innovation.

In medicine, biotechnology has become an integral part in diagnostics, gene therapy, clinical and contract research and trials, bioactive therapeutic, stem cell research, genetic engineering and in the development and production of new drugs for treating various life threatening diseases. Increased use of combination vaccines, such as DPT with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A and injectable polio vaccine, besides several veterinary and poultry vaccines are examples of biotechnology application in medicinal arena.

Tissue engineering, which deals with tissue implantation following the cultivation of cells on bio-compatible and bio-degradable materials is the new field offering great application for human development and alleviating of human sufferings. Besides the production of artificial skin, tissue-engineering products predominantly service the orthopaedics markets through the supply of cartilage, bone and spinal disc replacements.

Increased application of biotechnology in the areas of cancer research and in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease by discovering mutations and amplifications of a particular gene which induces Parkinson’s disease is a revolution for opening new frontiers in finding better and more effective treatment for the diseases.

Biochips are also developing as important tools in the further development of individualised medicine. Biochips are miniaturised analytical tools that are used in diagnostics. They enable the rapid analysis of a patient’s individual genetic make-up. They accelerate the development of new drugs, enable the early diagnosis of diseases, the adaptation of drug dosage to the patients’ individual requirements and hence the reduction of the number of unwanted side effects

It is also known that certain substances are only effective in some patients because of their particular genetic disposition. Scientific studies have shown that a particular anti-cancer drug is only effective in about 10 percent of all cancer patients. It is possible to genetically determine whether a particular patient belongs to the group of patients for whom the drug is effective. Another study has shown that patients react differently to dosages of anti-depression drugs and beta blockers for keeping hyper tension in check depending upon their metabolism level and genetic disposition. Molecular genetics has shown that it is possible to determine the best possible drug dose or to clarify whether a particular drug is actually effective. It is, of course, also possible to design drugs according to the specific genetic requirements of specific groups of patients. All this leads to tremendous research potential and industrial application for a market which is ever growing.

Needless to say that red biotechnology has great application not only for the growth of the industry but is also useful for a more philanthropic purpose- to use the technology to alleviate human sufferings and enhance the quality of life

Use of Biotechnology

Use of Biotechnology

Biotechnology in its broadest sense means the application of all natural sciences and engineering in the direct or indirect use of living organism or parts of organisms in their natural or modified form, in an innovative manner in the production of goods and services and/or to improve existing industrial processes. The market application of the modern biotechnology techniques is typically in the general areas of human health care, agriculture and food production, industrial bio processing and other public good and environment settings.

Thus biotechnology refers to a set of technologies that involve understanding, mapping, manipulation or change of the genetic characteristics of a living organism.

Following is the application of modern biotechnology techniques in various fields ranging from agricultural application to industrial processes.

Healthcare biotechnology
Medicines
Vaccines
Diagnostics
Gene therapy
Bioactive therapeutic
Clinical and contract research
Neutraceuticals

Agricultural Biotechnology
Hybrid seeds
Biofertilizers
Biopesticides
Plant extraction
Plant genetic engineering
Tissue culture in planting

Industrial Biotechnology
Industrial enzymes
Biofuels
Polymers
Fermented products
Microbial strains
Biocatalysts
Oligonucleotides

Environment Biotechnology
Effluent and waste water management
Biosensors
Bioremediation
Development of Germplasms

Biotechnology- Funding by Government of India

Biotechnology- Funding by Government of India
Keeping in view the importance of biotechnology in modern era, several Government Funding Agencies offer various types of research grants and fellowships through soft loans or equity, to conduct research in various field of biotechnology and commercialize indigenous biotechnologies. Various institutes such as Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), University Grants Commission (UGC) are actively involved in the field.

Under the aegis of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, are three major departments:

• Department of Science & Technology (DST)

• Department of Biotechnology (DBT)

• Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR)

FUNDING PROGRAMMES OF DST, DBT & DSIR

TDB - Technology Development Board

The TDB, created in 1996, aims to manage and fund Technology Development and Application. It invests in equity capital and also gives soft loans to industrial concerns, cooperatives and other agencies, which are involved in the development and commercial application of indigenous technology, or adapting imported technology to wider domestic applications having common good as the cause.

TIFAC - Technology Information Forecasting & Assessment Council

TIFAC is an autonomous organization under the DST. It aims to keep a technology watch on global trends, formulate preferred technology options for India and promote key technologies.

HGT - Home Grown Technologies

Falling under the ambit of TIFAC , the Home-Grown Technology Programme aims to give financial., techno-managerial and patent related support to deserving technology development projects for pilot operations or/and significant improvement to existing processes and operations.

PATSER - Program aimed at Technological Self Reliance

The aim of PATSER is supporting industry for technology absorption, development and demonstration. It also helps builds indigenous capabilities for development and commercialization of contemporary products and processes of high impact.

TePP - Technopreneur Promotion Program The program jointly operated by DSIR and DST has the objective of tapping the vast existing innovative potentials of Indian entrepreneurs, to assist individual innovators to become technology based entrepreneurs and to assist in networking and forging links for the commercialization of their developments.

RDI - Research & Development by Industry The RDI main area of focus is the recognition of in-house R&D units in industries, recognition of Scientific & Industrial Research Organizations and giving fiscal incentives for Scientific Research.

SEETOT - Scheme to Enhance the Efficacy of Transfer of Technology.

SEETOT gives support to Technology Acquisition and Management.