Seminar on ‘Thrust Research Ares in Modern Biosciences’
S.L.Govindwar, Adviser, Department of Biotechnology, Union Ministry of Science and Technology, speaking at PSG College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore on Thursday.The tribal population in India is declining rapidly. This is owing to certain genetic disorders caused by inbreeding.The Department of Biotechnology is addressing this problem through Genetic Counselling centres established in various parts of the country, S.L.Govindwar, Adviser, Department of Biotechnology, Union Ministry of Science and Technology, said here on Thursday.Inaugurating a national seminar on ‘Thrust Research Ares in Modern Biosciences’ at PSG College of Arts and Science, he said under a pilot scheme, 1.45 lakh tribals in Kerala had been screened for genetic problems through public health centres.If the person was found to have a problem, gene therapy would be extended to them, he added. Sickle-cell anaemia and thalassaemia were the common genetic disorders found among tribes.Functional genomics and probionics, emerging areas in biotechnology, could be effectively used to handle problems such as these, Mr. Govindwar said.Biotechnology was poised to overtake information technology in the near future, he said.“The collaboration of biotechnology and information technology would enable us to make tailor-made medicines.Especially, areas such as functional genomics and probionics need the support of the IT sector.”Technology application in life sciences would benefit the health care system the most, especially in effective drug delivery and stem cell research, he noted.
The Government had set up biotechnology parks in Hyderabad and Lucknow. More State Governments were showing interest in starting biotechnology parks. According to Mr.Govindwar, the Government needs to support the industries in biotechnology research.The country’s development would not be complete unless there was a healthy partnership between the public and the private sectors. The Government was giving grants to industries for scaling up their technologies, he said.Just like how India had succeeded in producing transgenic cotton, similar technology could be used to produce value-added therapeutic bio-molecules.And, transgenic plants could be used in environmental pollution control too. The expansion of industrial activities called for an established system for environmental protection.Environmental biotechnology was growing in a big way.
The Department of Biotechnology had identified certain thrust areas such as bio remediation, biodegradation of xeno-biotic chemicals (pesticides), biodegradable plastics and bio energy from industrial and dairy waste.As a part of its biodiversity conservation activities, the Department of Biotechnology had collaborated with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Central Zoo Authority of Andhra Pradesh and set up a Laboratory for Conservation of Animal Species at Hyderabad.India was in an enviable position on the global level as far as biotechnology was concerned.“Now we have the brain and the facilities.” However, it still required qualified manpower, especially for research and development activities.
