While technology
generally aims to create tools to empower man, biotechnology aims to change man
himself, to better fit him to the world.
Simply put,
biotechnology is the application of advances made in the biological sciences,
especially involving the science of genetics and its application.
Biotechnology has helped improve food quality, quantity and processing.
It also has applications in manufacturing, where simple cells and proteins can
be manipulated to produce chemicals.
But biotechnology is
most important for its implications in health and medicine. Through
genetic engineering – the controlled alteration of genetic material – scientists
have been able to create new medicines, including interferon for cancer
patients, synthetic human growth hormone and synthetic insulin, among others.
In recent years, scientists have also attempted to employ the methods of
genetic engineering to correct certain inherited conditions, and have been
making great strides in their ability to manipulate genetic materials. These
advances suggest the prospect of human control over the very genetic makeup of
man, and thus the ability to manipulate our inherited traits.
The consequences of
man's growing power over human genetics are enormous, and they become ever more
immediate each day. Many observers have suggested that just as the late 20th
century has been the age of computer technology, so the early 21st century will
be the age of biotechnology. But how can we be sure that this new power will be
used correctly?
How much control should
individuals be allowed to exercise over the genetic makeup of their children?
How much do we want to know about our own genetic tendencies or dispositions?
How will society be affected if we come close to actually answering the age old
nature-versus-nurture question? What are the implications of human cloning? How
can we ensure that the sanctity of human life is safeguarded in an age when
genetic manipulation and scientific eugenics are possible? Can society exercise
some control over the uses of biotechnology, or has the genetic genie forever
escaped its bottle?
These are the sorts of
questions opened up for society by the growth and advancement of Biotechnology.
Research and Training activities will be focussed on following points:
-Genomics and Nucleic Acids
-Animal Cell Culture
-Structural Biology
-Bioinformatics
-Biochemistry and Biotechnology
-Eukaryotic Cell Biology
-Prokaryotic Cell Biology
-Plant Biotechnology
-Pharmacogenomics
-Plant Biotechnology
-Pharmacogenomics