Biotechnology 101: 2016

Saturday, 20 February 2016

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

Tuesday, 16 February 2016

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.

White Biotechnology

White Biotechnology

White or more commonly known as industrial biotechnology is used to produce all kinds of products used in daily life – ranging from bread and cheese to biodiesel to microbial strains and bio catalysts. It also involves fermentation and enzymatic processes that are fast becoming better financial and ecological alternatives to chemical-physical and mechanical processes and applications by virtue of being cost effective and more environment friendly.

White biotechnology is a prime example of interdisciplinary cooperation. Its technology pool is generated from as diverse areas as chemistry, molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, chemical engineering, agriculture science, informatics, computer engineering and process engineering. New insights, in particular in genome research and systems biology, are currently giving great impetus to white biotechnology revolutionizing the whole industrial application and processes and thereby resulting in greater economies.

Use of bio technology in industrial application is also leading to introduction of environmentally-friendly methods and processes in various industries such as the food, textile, mining, cosmetics and paper industries. Currently only 5% of chemical products are produced using biotechnological methods. McKinsey report titled “Uptake of white biotechnology by the chemical industry”) has stated that an increase of 10 to 20 percent in 2010 is expected – with further future growth tendency. This is expected to give good sound bytes to green peace volunteers.

There exist more than 3,000 different known enzymes of which only 150 to 170 are used commercially. There is therefore a huge research potential waiting to be exploited. Other challenges include the optimisation of methods and the enzymes involved. Washing agents are probably the best-known example of the biotechnological use of enzymes. Using biotechnology has a significant effect on cost: washing without enzymes requires nearly twice the energy as compared to when enzymes are used. Enzymes also render the entire production flow more competitive and environmentally-friendly. A good example is its effect on the textile industry: the use of enzymes in washing processes in textile purification leads to a reduction of energy and water consumption of up to 50 percent.

White biotechnology is also used in water purification involving bacteria and the application of renewable materials. Products such as bio fuels like biodiesel, bioplastics etc. have a promising future and have opened great research opportunities for mutual benefits of research institutions and industrial houses.

Greater research into the field of white biotechnology acts as a three pronged strategy. It gives a boost to the research initiatives, leads to greater industrial output and enhanced commercial and financial gains and at the same time leads to use of technology which are more environment friendly and less polluting. Needless to say that more and more funds will continue to flow into this arena as the gains are enormous and mutual for all those involved in the process.

Biotechnology in India – a historical back ground

Biotechnology in India – a historical back ground

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) was set up under the Ministry of Science and Technology in 1986. This gave a new boost to the development of biotechnology in India. The DBT has set up many Centres of Excellence in the country. These centers are responsible for generating skilled manpower, developing research initiatives and opportunities as well as supporting R&D efforts of private industries and providing platform to them to out source their research activities to these centres. This has promoted interactions between the academics and the industry which has resulted in several industry houses and entrepreneur initiatives to take root and grow biotechnology in India.

The Indian Government has evolved biosafety guidelines and has helped to lay down patent rules. It has also participated in technology transfers and international collaborations. The center is also planning to introduce additional venture capital funds in line with its Technology Development Fund (TDF) to promote small and medium biotech enterprises.

The Indian government has laid down a decent regulatory framework to approve GM crops and r-DNA products for human health. A proactive government policy allows stem cell research in the country while having in place sound ethical guidelines. The product patent regime which has come into force since the year 2005 and resulted in giving a message to the world as well as Indian Industry that India supports world regulatory framework and rewards new research and initiatives. The second amendment of the Indian Patents Bill include a 20-year patent term, emergency provisions and commencement of R&D immediately after the filing of patents. The bill is compatible with the provisions of WTO and TRIPS and make Indian laws compatible with what has been agreed within the framework of these multi lateral negotiations.

Several states have taken their own initiatives in terms of defining their own biotech policies to give an impetus to the industry in this sector and to biotechnology in India as a whole. States like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujrat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh are developing biotech 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.

Due to the concerted efforts of the Ministry for Science and Technology, a number of centers of excellence in the field have been established. These places have world-class infrastructure and fully developed research centres. These centers are open for collaboration. Some of these are: Plant Genomics Center, New Delhi, Center for Human Genetics, Bangalore, National Institute of Biologicals, New Delhi, Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, National Facility for Macromolecular Crystallography, BARC, Mumbai, National Facility for High Field NMR, Tata institute of Fundamental research (TIFR), Mumbai, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, National Brain Research Center, New Delhi, CIMAP, Lucknow.

Indian Biotech Investment- potential for "Make in India" Biotech Program

Indian Biotech Investment- potential for "Make in India" Biotech Program

India, the darling of the world as far as bio technology sector is concerned offers tremendous opportunities to companies to make investment in the sector in India. Growth of all three areas of bio technology- medicinal, agricultural and industrial and conducive climate for the same make India as one of the ideal destination for world investment flow in India. Following are a few areas where opportunities exist for India:

Vaccines: India’s huge and growing population makes it among the world’s largest markets for vaccines of all types. India faces a growing demand for new-generation and ‘combination’ vaccines, such as DPT with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A and injectable polio vaccine, besides several veterinary and poultry vaccines. Apart from conventional vaccines, the rDNA have further market potentials and offer great opportunities to companies in the economy.

Medicinal discovery: Opportunities exist for enhancing production facilities and economies of scale based on licensing, joint ventures, setting up of new production bases and establishing royalty sharing arrangements for all therapeutic and medicinal products approved for marketing in India, namely Insulin, Alpha, Interferon, Hepatitis B surface antigen based vaccine, Erythropoietin, Streptokinase, Chymotrypsin, and others.

Agriculture sector: Hybrid seeds, including genetically modified seeds such as Bt cotton represent new business opportunities based on yield improvement, and development of a production base in biopesticides and biofertilisers would facilitate India’s entry into the growing organic or natural foods market. The Genetically Modified crops like corn, cotton, millet, mustard and other nutritionally improved vegetables also provide good potential in the agriculture sector and also leads to improvement in farm produce and productivity per hectare.

Medicinal Research: New research and developments in the field make India as a hub of cutting edge technology for development of new products and medicines having ready and developed market for the same. Indian pharmaceutical companies possess competitive skills in chemical synthesis and process engineering and extraction technologies, which they can leverage to develop new drugs and formulae. New investment into research and successful defending of patents by a number of Indian companies in ten world markets has opened new vistas of opportunities for Indian companies.

Clinical research and trials: With clinical trials in India costing less than a fraction of what it costs in developed markets, clinical research organizations can seek research and trial projects in India from international companies, provided they are able to demonstrate best international practices and follow up procedures.

Bioinformatics: Indian bioinformatics companies can play a significant role in critical areas such as data mining, lexican, mapping and DNA sequencing and extraction, molecule design simulation in world market for bilinformatics services. Complex algorithm writing and the use of computational capacities to study the 3D structures of proteins are the main skills required in this arena and India offers good investment opportunities for the same.

Initiatives to promote Biotechnology in India

Keeping in view the tremendous opportunities offered by various facets of biotechnology sector for the development of nation and addressing issues of food security, agricultural production and yield, industrial pollution and application and medicinal benefits, the Indian Government has taken a number of initiatives to promote the growth of the biotechnology sector in India.

An Empowered Group of Ministers (EGOM) while considering the provisions of setting up of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and the SEZ Act and Rules has relaxed provisions in terms of both the land area and built-up area requirement for biotechnology sector to the tune of 10 hectares and 40,000 square metres. This would encourage entrepreneurship, innovation and greater participation of small investors in the areas of biotechnology in general and health and agriculture in particular.

The Government has taken special measures to promote the Biotechnology industry and to facilitate increase in turnover of biotech sector. Initiatives have been taken to provide an enabling environment for industrial growth such as exemption of biotech sector from compulsory licensing; permitting 100 per cent FDI in the sector, reducing the area of SEZ to bring it at par with IT sector; providing fiscal incentives to in-house R&D recognized industries in terms of exemption of custom duty on capital goods, reduction in import duty and 150 per cent weighted deduction against expenditure incurred on in-house R&D.

Department of Biotechnology is also supporting R&D and technology development, both in the public and private sector, for developing products and processes which provide affordable biotechnology solutions to the growing food insecurity and health problems and issues.

R&D in agriculture biotechnology is being supported to develop improved crop varieties resistant to abiotic and biotic stress, specially drought. Salt resistant transgenic rice has been developed and is currently under field trial. Bio fortification of important staple crops such as rice, wheat and maize for enhancing macronutrients such as iron and zinc has been initiated. The country also participated in the International Rice Genome Programme with ten other countries. Full sequence of rice genome has been completed. It is expected that the decoded rice genome will help in the discovery of gene and DNA makers for development of improved varieties.

In the health sector, research is continuing for developing low cost and affordable solutions for public health. A number of vaccines and diagnostics have been developed which are under different stages of trial. Diagnostics for HIV, Japanese Encephalitis have been transferred to industry. Rota virus vaccine is in the advanced stages of trial along with the industry. Programmes have also been supported for developing identified drug targets for treatment of communicable/non-communicable

Molecular Biotechnology

Molecular Biotechnology
Perhaps the most potent use of biotechnology for development of human well being has been in the field of molecular biotechnology. The powerful revolution in medicine during the past decade has been in the field of genomic research that has completely transformed conventional medicine into molecular medicine. The remarkable unveiling of virtually complete Human Genome in June, 2000, and release of the genetic code in February, 2001, has been instrumental in unraveling path breaking research and wonder drugs and application for scientific community. While it has created jubilation amongst medical professionals across the globe, but at the same time, the intended applications raised several ethical, legal and issues social too (ELSI).

Advances in genomic medicine research in India in the field of cancer genomics, vaccinology, microbial genomics, pharmacogenomics, vector genomics, neurogenetics and molecular basis of diseases have resulted in development of new drugs and finding new cures for ailments which were considered to be fatal in the past.

While new developments are taking place in the field, the need to further upgrade the proven technologies such as diagnostics and vaccines and make them use for application is also emerging. It is here that the Indian Industry will have to put extra efforts to benefit out of biotechnology revolution. Thus it is seen that while the Indian industry is strong in product development and marketing for commercial benefits, biotech in India still lacks the infrastructure required for R&D in molecular modelling, protein engineering, drug designing and immunological studies. This issue needs to be addressed immediately to gain out of research initiatives.

Another aspect worth considering is that various technologies in the field of molecular biotechnologies have the potential to improve productivity and increase the number and quality of new drugs by validating more genomically diverse and higher quality drug targets and speeding-up clinical development by designing better trials that clearly show better safety, efficacy and compliance. As per an estimate, by improvising medical outcomes by use of well developed drugs and diagnostics, pharmaceutical companies could benefit to the order of US$ 200-500 million in extra revenue for each drug. Apex scientific bodies in India e.g. CSIR, ICMR, DBT have launched country-wide programmes to identify and characterize new drug targets, especially in the area of tuberculosis, malaria, leishmania etc., besides new drug targets for diabetes, cardiovascular and neurological disorders. In addition, there is also in the pipeline a proposal to undertake single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mapping in over 500 genes to identify and characterize in Indian population, the genes linked to susceptibility to malaria, TB, diabetes and some cardiovascular and neurological disorders, which are more common in Indian context.

Latest Inventions in Biotechnology which are patented

TechTransferWatch is a search engine and alert service for licenseable technologies from academic labs, foundations, and government.

following are the recent inventions in biotechnology:

F-box protein targeted plant oil production
John B. Ohlrogge, Sari A. Ruuska, Yonghua Li
Michigan State University
Patent number: 9,006,518
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Method for isolating nucleic acids
Pei-Shin Jiang, Kun-Chan Wu, Yu-Ting Su, Chia-Yun Lin, Siou-Cing Su, Yuh-Jiuan Lin
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)
Patent number: 9,006,419
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

PCP2 mini-promoters
University of British Columbia
Patent number: 9,006,413
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Expression vector for pseudonocardia autotrophica
Yoshikazu Fujii, Tadashi Fujii, Akira Arisawa, Tomohiro Tamura
Japan National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
Patent number: 9,006,412
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Endometriosis cell targeting peptide and uses thereof
Michiko Fukuda, Daisuke Aoki, Noriko Nozawa, Michiko Fukuda, Daisuke Aoki, Noriko Nozawa
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
Patent number: 9,006,404
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Repeat protein from collection of repeat proteins comprising repeat modules
Michael Tobias Stumpp, Patrik Forrer, Hans Kaspar Binz, Andreas Pluckthun
University of Zurich
Patent number: 9,006,389
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Compositions and methods for pest control
Ido Bachelet, Ram Sasisekharan, Mark Bulmer, Rebeca B. Rosengaus, Ido Bachelet, Ram Sasisekharan, Mark Bulmer, Rebeca B. Rosengaus
Northeastern University
Patent number: 9,006,212
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Antisense oligonucleotides against neutral sphingomyelinase and neutral sphingomyelinase inhibitor GW4869 for degenerative neurological disorders
Kalipada Pahan
Rush University Medical Center
Patent number: 9,006,205
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Method of reducing inflammatory infiltration in subjects with inflammatory lung disease
Department of Health and Human Services
Patent number: 9,006,203
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Selective reduction of allelic variants
C. Frank Bennett, Michael Hayden, Susan M. Freier, Sarah Greenlee, Jeffrey Carroll, Simon Warby, Eric E. Swayze
University of British Columbia
Patent number: 9,006,198
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Compositions and methods for diminishing viral infection and inflammation associated with viral infection
Peter D. Katsikis, Alina C. Boesteanu, Sefik S. Alkan
Drexel University
Patent number: 9,006,194
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Selective targeting agents for mitochondria
University of Pittsburgh
Patent number: 9,006,186
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Methods of protecting against apoptosis using lipopeptides
Cleveland Clinic
Patent number: 9,006,183
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Immobilizing fusion protein for effective and oriented immobilization of antibody on surfaces
Hyung Joon Cha, Chang Sup Kim
Pohang University of Science and Technology
Patent number: 9,005,992
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Selection method of induced pluripotent stem cells
Shinya Yamanaka, Takayuki Tanaka
Kyoto University
Patent number: 9,005,976
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Method for selecting clone of induced pluripotent stem cells
Hideyuki Okano, Yohei Okada, Shinya Yamanaka, Kyoko Miura
Kyoto University
Patent number: 9,005,975
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Induction of pluripotent cells
Tongxiang Lin, Sheng Ding
Scripps Research Institute
Patent number: 9,005,968
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Myc variants improve induced pluripotent stem cell generation efficiency
Shinya Yamanaka, Masato Nakagawa
Kyoto University
Patent number: 9,005,967
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Generation of pluripotent cells from fibroblasts
William E. Lowry, Kathrin Plath
University of California
Patent number: 9,005,966
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Regionalised endoderm cells and uses thereof
Gillian Mary Morrison, Joshua Mark Brickman, Ifigenia Oikonomopoulou
University of Edinburgh
Patent number: 9,005,962
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Buoyant triacylglycerol-filled green algae and methods therefor
Washington University
Patent number: 9,005,955
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Methods for isolating bacteria
Jean-Paul Leonetti, StÃ©phanie Texier
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Patent number: 9,005,954
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Use of
Wim Soetaert, Sofie De Maeseneire, Karen Saerens, Sophie Roelants, Inge Van Bogaert
Ghent University
Patent number: 9,005,923
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Sensor chip for screening topoisomerase inhibitor and screening method thereof
Chun-Mao Lin, Hsiang-Ping Tsai, Chwen-Ming Shih, Jau-Lang Hwang, Chi-Ming Lee
Taipei Medical University
Patent number: 9,005,922
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Hybridoma cell line for producing antibody for type II collagen
Chih-Hsin Hung, Chi-Yen Shen, Shyh-Ming Kuo, I-Fen Chen, Shih-Han Wang
I-Shou University
Patent number: 9,005,912
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Risk markers for cardiovascular disease
Cleveland Clinic
Patent number: 9,005,904
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Method of deriving progenitor cell line
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Patent number: 9,005,897
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Alloy nanoparticles for metal-enhanced luminescence
Venkat R. Bhethanabotla, Sanchari Chowdhury
University of South Florida
Patent number: 9,005,890
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Membrane proximal region of HIV gp41 anchored to the lipid layer of a virus-like particle vaccine
Ira Berkower
Department of Health and Human Services
Patent number: 9,005,631
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Biotherapy for pain
James Oliver Dolly, Jiafu Wang, Jianghui Meng
Dublin City University
Patent number: 9,005,628
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

Detection of nucleic acid lesions and adducts using nanopores
Cynthia J. Burrows, Henry S. White, Ryuji Kawano, Aaron M. Fleming, Na An
University of Utah
Patent number: 9,005,425
Issue Date: April 14, 2015

What is Biotechnology?

Biotechnology- a budding science

Biotechnology is short for biological technology that is going on from the ancient civilizations to this modern world till today.. Technology is the ability to better utilize our surroundings and the way we live. Biotechnology applies the same principles to living organisms. Biotechnology can be defined as the application of our knowledge and understanding of biology to meet practical needs. Today’s biotechnology is largely identified with applications in medicine and agriculture based on our knowledge of the genetic code of life, genetic engineering, DNA finger printing, molecular technology, genetically modified seed cultivation, vaccinations, biopesticides and biofertilisers. Fermentation, used in making bread, beer, and cheese, is an example of biotechnology. Modern biotechnology simply allows scientists to be more specific in their work and expand their areas of specialization.

Different types of crops have been produced using the molecular tools of biotechnology and are beginning to be utilized in agricultural systems all over the world.

Biotechnology has the potential to assist farmers in reducing on-farm chemical inputs and produce value-added commodities. Conversely, there are concerns about the use of biotechnology in agricultural systems including the possibility that it may lead to greater farmer dependence on the providers of the new technology.

Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity has come up with one of many definitions of biotechnology. “Biotechnology means any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.”

Biotechnology can also be defined as the manipulation of organisms to do practical things and to provide useful products.

One aspect of biotechnology is the directed use of organisms for the manufacture of organic products (examples include beer and milk products such as cheese, yogurt). For another example, naturally present bacteria are utilized by the mining industry in bioleaching. Biotechnology is also used to recycle, treat waste, clean up sites contaminated by industrial activities (bioremediation), and produce biological weapons.

There are also applications of biotechnology that do not use living organisms. Examples are DNA microarrays used in genetics and radioactive tracers used in medicine.

Bio technology finds its application in sectors such as medicine and general human and health improvement, agriculture for enhanced yield produce, medicinal research and clinical trials and contract research, bioinformatics and other related fields and areas. Needless to say that the ready available market and tremendous use of the technology in industrial application make it is one of the most happening technology application of our times for wide usage.