Biotech buzzing with action

Whether it is fighting disease, developing new seeds, or tackling pollution, biotechnology’s use and application is vast. It ranges from fields like agriculture, medicine, nutrition, environmental conservation and animal sciences to industry (food, pharmaceutical, chemicals, textiles and so on), making it one of the most relevant fields today. It is both a cutting-edge technology and an application science and analysts have predicted that biotechnology will be one of the most important applied sciences of the 21st century.

Biotechnology essentially uses the basic ingredients of life to make new products. The term biotechnology refers to a mechanism of harnessing the natural chemical process of living organisms to our advantage and use. Every living thing, from the most simple to the most sophisticated, carries a genetic code, or ‘blueprint,’ that determines precisely what traits it will have. Biotechnology is a precise science that enables us to find the most beneficial traits, in terms of added nutrition, increased flavour, or greater ability to fight pests or diseases, and incorporate them into various organisms.

A study of biotechnology gives you an entry into this very exclusive and exciting realm which encompasses not only subjects like biology, physics, chemistry, but also mathematics and engineering, and has applications in every aspect of daily life.

Areas of application

However, biotechnology is largely a research-oriented field, so you must have a lot of patience and understand that the fruits of your labour may prove slightly whimsical with their timing. But it might satisfy you to see aspects of your work in daily and industrial life.

The major work areas within biotechnology include:

Healthcare: Biotechnologists develop new and advanced pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and vaccines. They also strive to find quicker techniques for detecting diseases and curing genetically inherited ailments. Biocon, India’s largest biotechnology company, has produced an enzyme that is helping millions of diabetes patients.

Agriculture and animal husbandry: Micro-propagation is a technique used here to grow crops that are identical in form and quality. Tissue culture is also practiced to help agriculturists produce an abundant supply of better-tasting and more nutritious foods with minimum use of chemical pesticides. You could also be developing disease resistant plants, vegetables and flowers with longer shelf lives, and working on innovations that could triple crop yields, without additional farmland, thereby saving valuable forests and animal habitats. The bio-genetically engineered BT cotton plant is already being extensively grown around the country.

Environment: Control of industrial air pollution, waste and effluent treatment are major areas of work for biotechnologists. Biotech firms also recycle sewage sludge, and figure out microbial treatment for oil spills and toxic wastes, etc.

Industry: Biotechnologists in industry are involved in energy production and conservation, chemical processes, textile development, cosmetics, genetic engineering and so on.

Bioinformatics involves the use of software to utilise information from the vast biological database that is developed by experienced biotechnologists. Gene sequencing is a part of bioinformatics whereby data related to biotechnology is being processed. And this brings biotechnology within the ambit of information technology, and hence the label, bioinformatics. And this, like all other branches of Information Technology, is a high-growth area today.

Genetic engineering and microbiology are other offshoots of biotechnology that are mainly research-oriented work in R&D laboratories.

Work options

So, as a biotechnologist, depending on the area of specialisation, you could be working in:

Research: Research can be technical, for application in areas of industrial development or academic. Technical research is carried out in government research institutes, or private research laboratories.

Academic research is conducted mainly for knowledge pursuit. It is carried out in academic institutes, pharmaceutical and chemical industries in areas of genetics, biochemistry, etc.

Production: Biotechnologists produce bioprocessed materials that would include drugs and foods, pharmaceuticals, the execution of pollution and waste control measures, and so on. Biotechnologists also install, commission and plan industrial plants.

Marketing: Most biotechnology firms take on marketing professionals with a knowledge of biotechnology to market biotechnology products and processes.

Course clues

To be a biotechnologist, you need to have at least a Master’s degree in the subject. There are B.Sc. courses in Biotechnology/ Genetic Engineering/ Microbiology available at some universities. But it is normally recommended that you take up a degree in any life science---biology/ chemistry/ botany/ microbiology, biochemistry, or even pharmacy, maths or engineering.

This provides a wide base for building on the blocks of knowledge of biotechnology. This has to be followed by an M.Sc./M.Tech. in biotechnology where you can specialise in the field of your choice. You can start working after postgraduation or continue study or research.

Apart from the academic requirements, there are certain personal attributes as well that you must have if you wish to become a biotechnologist. You must have a high IQ; good concentration; an inquisitive mind and an innovative attitude. You must also have a lot of perseverance; team spirit; a systematic approach as well as a keen eye for detail.

Placement prospects

Once you become a biotechnologist or a genetic engineer, you can get excellent jobs, not just within the country but abroad as well. This is one career that is really growing especially due to increased industrialisation and rapid biotechnological advancements.

In agricultural and biololgical science, research-based jobs are available in the government and public-funded laboratories such as the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), ICAR (Indian Council for Agricultural Research), the Central Drug Research Institute, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbial Technology, National Institute of Nutrition, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Centre for Plant Biotechnology, National Centre for Biology Sciences, National Centre for Immunology, New Delhi, Potato Research Institute, Tobacco Research Institute, and others.

You can find work in companies, which are investing huge amounts of funds in state of the art R&D facilities - such as Biocon, Shanta Biotech, Ranbaxy, Cadila, Wockhardt, Pfizer, Dr. Reddy's Laboratory, Sun Pharmaceutical, Lupin Laboratories and others.

You could also work with food processing companies like Hindustan Levers and Parle Agro, or companies in the area of chemicals, environment control, waste management, energy as well as agriculture. Biotechnologists are also employed in the area of planning, production and management of bioprocess industries and in pollution control activities. These include companies like Monsanto, Shanta Biotechniques, Proagro, Mahyco, and National Fertiliser Corporation and Cynamid..

In India, biotechnology is among the faster growing employment sectors after computers and multi-media. Some of India’s biggest industrial groups are entering the biotechnology field, focusing on research in industrial, agricultural and medical biotechnology, clearly signaling a change in the market dynamics of this sector.

In recent years, the government has funded around 52 centres across the country to collect data relating to the Indian genotype. India’s human gene pools offer an exciting opportunity for genomic research. Unique and diverse plant, animal and microbial biodiversity also provides exciting research opportunities.

So, judging by the heat caused by the cloning of Dolly, and efforts at human cloning too, it is obvious that biotechnology is a career with a great future.

Training talk

The prominent institutions for biotechnology/genetic engineering include:

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Delhi and Kharagpur (5-year M.Tech in Biotech).

For B.Sc./M.Sc. courses:

• I.I.T, Mumbai;

• Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi;

• nAll India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi;nJadavpur University, Calcutta;

• Anna University, Chennai;

• Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar;

• Benaras Hindu University, Varanasi;

• G.B.Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pant Nagar (U.P).

Testing time

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi holds a Combined Entrance Examination every year for admission to the M.Sc. course in Biotechnology offered at almost 19 universities. Universities offering the M.Sc. programme through the Combined Entrance Exam include: Benaras Hindu University, Varanasi; Pondicherry University; M.S. University, Baroda; Poona University; Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyala, Indore; Goa University; Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; Central University, Hyderabad; Madurai Kamraj University, Madurai; Panjab University, Chandigarh; G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar; and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Through this examination, you can also opt for an M.Sc. (Agricultural Biotechnology) offered at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore and G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar (U.P.); and for the M. Tech. programme in Biotechnology, at Anna University, Chennai and Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

The writer is a noted career expert