Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
The setting up of a separate
Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science and
Technology in 1986 gave a new impetus to the development of the field of modern
biology and biotechnology in India. In more than a decade of its existence, the
department has promoted and accelerated the pace of development of
biotechnology in the country. Through several Research & Development
projects, demonstrations and creation of infrastructural facilities a clear
visible impact of this field has been seen. The department has made significant
achievements in the growth and application of biotechnology in the broad areas
of agriculture, health care, animal sciences, environment, and industry.
The impact of the
biotechnology related developments in agriculture, health care, environment and
industry, has already been visible and the efforts are now culminating into
products and processes. More than 5000 research publications, 4000
post-doctoral students, several technologies transferred to industries and
patents filed including US patents, can be considered as a modest beginning.
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has been interacting with more than 5,000
scientists per year in order to utilise the existing expertise of the
universities and other national laboratories. A very strong peer reviewing and
monitoring mechanism has been developed. There has been close interaction with
the State Governments particularly through State S & T Councils for developing
biotechnology application projects, demonstration of proven technologies, and
training of human resource in States and Union Territories. Programmes with the
states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Haryana,
Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have
been evolved. Biotechnology Application Centres in Madhya Pradesh and West
Bengal have already been started.
A unique feature of the
department has been the deep involvement of the scientific community of the
country through a number of technical task forces, advisory committees and
individual experts in identification, formulation, implementation and
monitoring of various programmes and activities.
In India, more than a decade
of concerted effort in research and development in identified areas of modern
biology and biotechnology have given rich dividends. The proven technologies at
the laboratory level have been scaled up and demonstrated in field. Patenting
of innovations, technology transfer to industries and close interaction with
them have given a new direction to biotechnology research. Initiatives have
been taken to promote transgenic research in plants with emphasis on pest and
disease resistance, nutritional quality, silk-worm genome analysis, molecular
biology of human genetic disorders, brain research, plant genome research,
development, validation and commercialisation of diagnostic kits and vaccines
for communicable diseases, food biotechnology, biodiversity conservation and
bioprospecting, setting up of micropropagation parks and biotechnology based
development for SC/ST, rural areas, women and for different States.
Necessary guidelines for
transgenic plants, recombinant vaccines and drugs have also been evolved. A
strong base of indigenous capabilities has been created. The field of
biotechnology both for new innovations and applications would form a major
research and commercial endeavor for socio-economic development in the next
millennium.
Mandate
·
Promote large scale use of Biotechnology
·
Support R&D and manufacturing in Biology
·
Responsibility for Autonomous Institutions
·
Promote University and Industry Interaction
·
Identify and Set up Centres of Excellence for R&D
·
Integrated Programme for Human Resource Development
·
To serve as Nodal Point for specific International
Collaborations
·
Establishment of Infrastructure Facilities to support R&D
and production
·
Evolve Bio Safety Guidelines, manufacture and application of
cell based vaccines
·
Serve as nodal point for the collection and dissemination of
information relating to biotechnology.
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) since its inception has been
working for the creation of a strong and indigenous base of modern biology.
Biotechnology has made incredible progress in the last two decades all over the
world. Rapid advances have been achieved in the fields of recombinant DNA techniques, cell and tissue culture,
immunology, enzymology, bioprocess engineering and vaccinology. Availability of
new biotechnological tools and production of microbes, plants and animals with
improved traits have opened up great opportunities for better products and
processes. These applications have great potential in developing countries for
providing opportunities for employment through value added products, and for generation
of non-polluting and environmentally friendly technologies.
Areas where biotechnology plays a significant role are agriculture,
health, environment and industry. In order to expedite field evaluation of
technologies and products generated through R&D efforts, DBT has
evolved a system for contract research through which such programmes will bring
forth either a product or a new process in a time bound format for field
testing and subsequent large scale production. Special programmes have been
launched for the welfare of the poorer sections of society in terms of
generation of employment and improvement in the living standards, nutrition and
health etc.
Manpower Development
The Department has formulated an Integrated Programme of Manpower
Development to generate a critical mass of well trained scientific personnel
for the many biotechnological research, teaching and industrial activities in
the country. These include Post-Graduate Teaching and Post-Doctoral Programme;
Biotechnology Associateship (Overseas and National); Short-term Training
Courses for Mid-Career scientists and Industrial R & D scientists;
Technician Training and School Teachers Training Programmes; Programmes for
Biology Teaching in Schools. DBT scholarship in biology and schemes like
biotechnology publications, popular lectures by renowned scientists, support to
seminar/symposia, film production etc., aimed at the popularisation of
biotechnology in the country, are in full flow.
Infrastructural Facilities
To provide scientists working in the field of biotechnology adequate
assistance and support, the Department had set up facilities such as, germplasm
banks (microbial type culture collection, blue green algal collection, marine
cyanobacteria and plant tissue culture repository), animal house facilities,
biochemical engineering research and process development, genetic engineering
units, oligonucleotide synthesis etc. The animal house facilities at Central
Drug Research Institute, Lucknow and National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad
have supplied over two lakh laboratory animals of around 20 species to several
scientists in the field of biomedical research. The biomedical engineering
research and process development facility has a computer controlled
fermentation system ranging 30 ltr to 1,500 ltr capacity. The operational
facilities are available to research personnel and industry to upgrade their
processes and products. The National Facility for Marine Cyanobacteria at
Tiruchinapally, is developing a technology for aquaculture feed and for the
production of natural colorant. Genetic Engineering Unit at MKU, Madurai has
tied up with industries to work on several industrial products.
Immunodiagnostics
A number of programmes have been adopted to develop simple, inexpensive
but sensitive diagnostic kits for early detection of a variety of communicable
and non-communicable diseases. The technology transfer of eight products that
has taken place so far are amoebic liver abscess, hepatitis-B, blood grouping,
typhoid (blood test) pregnancy detection (all developed by the National
Institute of Immunology, an autonomous body under DBT), typhoid (urine test)
(developed by AIIMS, New Delhi) filariasis (developed by Mahatma Institute of
Medical Sciences, Wardha) and leishmaniasis (developed by CDRI, Lucknow),
technology for diagnosis of leishmaniasis in another format aspergillosis, a
quantitative test for typhoid fever as well as reproductive hormones are ready
for transfer to industry.To accelerate the development of immuno-diagnostics a
pilot plant has been established at the National Institute of Immunology, New
Delhi. A recombinant DNA based
AIDS detection kit with merely one drop of blood has reached at an advanced
stage of development.
Vaccine
Production
The Department of Biotechnology has promoted a R&D cum manufacturing
unit, Bharat Immunologicals and Biological Cooperation Limited (BIBCOL) at
Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh.Manufacturing activities are divided into two
phases, Phase I involving the formulation, packaging and distribution from
imported bulk of OPV and Phase II involving the indigenous production of
vaccine. Phase I has already been completed. Manufacturing licence has been
obtained from competent authorities.
Immunological
Approaches to Fertility Control
A composite programme of Immunological Approaches to Fertility Control is
being undertaken in National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi; Post
Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh; IISc,
Bangalore; CDRI, Lucknow; Institute for Research in Reproduction, Bombay and
National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIH&FW), New Delhi with
the objective of developing safe, cost-effective, durable and reversible
contraceptive vaccines for controlling fertility in men and women. Two
projects, one at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the other at
Institute of Research in Reproduction, Bombay have carried out research to
demonstrate the termination of pregnancy by interrupting vitamin carrier
protein through antibodies.
Crop
Biotechnology
Genetic engineering for gene isolation, transformation, transgenic plants
and molecular maps based on RFLP/RAPD are the emerging areas of research to
facilitate agricultural productivity. Consequently, the Department has made a
concerted effort to support specific priority crops like, rice, rape mustard,
chickpea, pigeonpea and wheat by R&D projects and has also set up six
centres for plant molecular biology all over the country. Some of the important
achievements of these programmes are :
i) To improve the nutritional quality of cereals and to study the
regulation of seed storage protein gene, a gene encoding for a protein of high
lysine and sulphur containing amino acid from Amarantus has been cloned and
sequenced. ii) Nuclear coded male sterile genetic lines as well as their
restorers are under trial in mustard. iii) Two molecular marker technologies -
RFLP and RAPD have been utilised for tagging genes responsible for blast
resistance in rice. iv) Plant regeneration from mesophyll protoplast has been
achieved. v) Two multi-institutional projects on development of cotton and
quality improvement of wheat by molecule transgenic techniques were
successfully launched.
Animal
Biotechnology
The main areas of research in the sphere of animal biotechnology are
embryo transfer technology, health care and diagnostics, nutrition, genetic
resource conservation, leather biotechnology and development of bio-products.
Research programmes in upstream areas of embryo transfer technology (ETT ) have been funded. Significant progress has
been recorded in the fields of in-vitro fertilisation, in-vitro maturation,
splitting and cloning of embryos. Development of indigenous hormones and
biologicals is another rapidly emerging potential area of research. A major
programme on down-stream activities of ETT ,
principally to take the various technologies developed to the grass-root level,
has been put into action. Diagnostics and vaccines are being developed for
animals including poultry. Projects involving genetic resource conservation attempts
to conserve invaluable indigenous breeds have also been launched.
Aquaculture
Projects in the field of aquaculture revolve around feed development,
production of transgenic fish, extraction of bio-active compounds,
cryopreservation of embryos and development of disease diagnostics. A
production of 8 to 10 tonnes in two crops per year has been demonstrated in a
semi-intensive system for tiger shrimp. Carp production upto 15 tonnes per
hectare per year has been demonstrated. A mission-mode programme on shrimp
aquaculture under different agroclimatic zones has been launched.
Biomass,
Horticulture and Plantation Crops
Research and Development projects have commenced on selected forest tree
species for developing and standardising protocols for plantlet regeneration
using tissue culture techniques from ex-plants collected from elite genotypes.
Nationally important forest tree species requiring immediate attention for
development of tissue culture protocol have been identified as a priority for
conducting such studies during the Eighth Plan.
Protocols have been standardised for plantlet regeneration via tissue
culture technology for Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis, Dendrocalamus
strictus, Tectona grandis, Bambusa tulda, Populus deltoides and Anogeissus
pendula. These protocols have now been adopted for large scale production.
Research programmes have been initiated on horticulture and plantation crops of
economic importance - mango, citrus, banana, tea, coffee, rubber, cashew and
spices. Protocols have been developed for pepper, rubber and cocoa. Large scale
production of elite forest trees is under process at the Culture Pilot Plant
units at NCL, Pune and TERI, New Delhi. Approximately 6.67 lakh plantlets have
been produced, of which five lakh have been field planted covering an area of
150 ha in nine different states. Preliminary field data collected indicates an
initial survival of 90-95 per cent.
Biological
Control of Plant Pests, Diseases and Weeds
The biocontrol network programme is under implementation with 29 research
and development projects at various institutions/universities throughout the
country for the control of serious insects, pests and diseases affecting
cotton, sugarcane, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables. The principal objective has
been achieved by laying greater emphasis on development of better formulations
and cost effective commercially viable pilot scale technology for the
production of biocontrol agents to be used under IPM of key pests and diseases.
The target of 11.600 ha has been crossed in the fields of cotton, chickpea,
sugarcane, tobacco, oilseeds and vegetables. With a view to promote
commercialisation of biopesticides, two biocontrol pilot plants (BCPP) have
been set up at two centres, TNAU and MKU. Each BCPP aims to produce sufficient
quantity of biocontrol agents to cater to the requirements of 10,000 ha of
chickpea, groundnut, cotton, sunflower, tobacco, castor, sugarcane, blackgram
and green gram. The targets of the BCPPs have been achieved as per schedule.
Sufficient quantities of NPV of H.armigera, S.litura, GV of C.infuscatellus,
Trichogramma, Trichoderma have been produced to cover an area of 18,000 ha in
the fields of the crops mentioned above. These two BCPPs serve as a model unit
for private entrepeneurs taking up such a venture. The Department also supports
some projects on breeding varieties resistant to biotic stresses through
biotechnology in crops such as chickpea, sugarcane, rice and tobacco.
For popularising biopesticides and ensuring their large scale adaptation
by the farmers, the Department arranged field days, workshops-cum-farmers melas
under the Biocontrol Network Programme. During 1994-95, 10 more production
units were set up in several states.
Biofertilizers
The project on Technology Development and Demonstration of Biofertilizers
has resulted in technology packages like polyalkene bioreactor designs to
optimise the biomass production of blue green algae, specific media components,
their concentration and simple bioassay method and 136 tonnes of high quality
soil based innoculum was produced.
Biotechnology
Information System
A national network of distributed information centres (DICs) and
distributed information sub-centres (DISCs) in specialised areas of
Biotechnology under its Biotechnology Information System (BTIS) Programme has
been set up. The network provides a complete information source on a) genetic
material as hard data. (eg. protein and nucleic acid sequences, gene bank
etc.); b) soft information (eg. bibliographic reference through CDROM etc.) and
management information. Ten distributed information centres and 23 distributed
information sub-centres in selected areas have been established under this
system to meet the end user's information requirements. These centres are
equipped with international networks like Internet, bitnet, ICGEB net etc., for
accessing several biological information resources.
Industrial
Biotechnology
Steps are being taken to develop products and processes with specific
need based inputs in order to transform semi-finished R&D results into
industrially usable products. The Task Force on Industrial Biotechnology helps
in identifying such projects. At present, 30 product oriented projects are in
operation which include development of diagnostic kits, liposome intercalated
drug delivery system, biotechnological methods for enrichment of ores,
gathering field data on efficacies of bio-pesticides, gene cloning and gene
expression of epidermal growth factor in E.coli, optimisation of process
parameters for the production of enzymes and carbohydrates, standardisation of
production process for edible mushrooms and process development of high
fructose syrup. The areas of development include agriculture, forestry, human
and animal health, as well as industrial products.
The Biotech Consortium India Limited (BVIL) has played a crucial role in
bridging the gap between R&D industrial and financial institutions. A new
programme, Farmers Agricultural Resource Management (FARM ),
a UNDP-FAO-UNIDO supported activity, was implemented. DBT will coordinate the
Asian Biodiversity and Biotechnology Sub-Programme.
International
Collaboration
International research and development cooperation progammes have been
signed with Germany, Switzerland, USA, UK, Sweden and Russia. A programme of
cooperation in biotechnology has been developed among the members of SAARC
countries in the fields of health care, agriculture, animal sciences and
environment. India has also been handed the overall responsibility for
coordinating the activities of the G-15 nations for the establishment of gene
banks for medicinal and aromatic plants. Under the aegis of this programme, a
network of three national gene banks at Tropical Botanical Garden and research
Institute, Thiruvananthapuram; Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic
Plants, Lucknow; and National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi have
been set up for the conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants.
Autonomous
Institutions
The Department of Biotechnology has set up two autonomous institutions,
National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi and National Facilities for
Animal Tissue and Cell Culture (NFATCC), Pune.
NII has been working on the mechanisms of the immune system so as to work
out comprehensive solutions to a plethora of health problems. Till now the
focus has been on the control of fertility and the diagnosis and control of
communicable diseases. The main areas of research are birth control vaccines;
vaccine for communicable diseases; immunodiagnostics kit development alongwith DNA probe for communicable diseases; drug delivery
system to deliver all doses of vaccine at a single point; animal related
biotechnology for reproduction of genetically superior animals of economic
value; predetermination of sex of embryos; preservation of genes of rare
species of animals; aquaculture biotechnology; induced breeding of major Indian
crops; transgenic animals and recombinant products. So far, the Institute has
delivered eight products to the industry.
