Biotechnology technology that modifies biology

BIOTECHNOLOGY: Technology that Modifies Biology

Biotechnology is a research-oriented science, a combination of Biology and Technology.

By 20th Jul, 2016 | 12:02 pm

Overview

Biotechnology is a research-oriented science, a combination of Biology and Technology. It covers a wide variety of subjects such as Genetics, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, Virology, Chemistry and Engineering. It is also concerned with many other subjects such as Health and Medicine, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Cropping System and Crop Management, Ecology, Cell Biology, Soil Science and Soil Conservation, Biostatistics, Plant Physiology, Seed Technology and Bioinformatics.

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Course Path and Entrance Exams

Bachelor Degree:

B.Sc. in Biotechnology
B.Sc. in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics
B.E. in Biotechnology
B.Tech. (Industrial Biotechnology)

Eligibility

The minimum criterion is 10+2 which should include the subjects of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.

Undergraduate courses in Biotechnology (Engineering) entrance exams:

The Joint Entrance Examination for IITs (IIT-JEE) for admission to various IITs
A few engineering institutions offering undergraduate programmes conduct their own entrance examinations

The course duration of a B.Sc. programme in biotechnology is three years, whereas it is four years for B.E. and B. Tech. courses.

Masters Degree:

M.Sc. Biotechnology
M.Sc. (Agriculture) Biotechnology
M.V.Sc. (Animal) Biotechnology
M.Tech. Biotechnology
M.Sc. (Marine) Biotechnology
Medical Biotechnology
M.Tech. Biomedical Engineering/Biotechnology
MBA Biotechnology (follows a different course)

Eligibility

Graduates from all sciences/engineering technology/medicine fields are eligible for the postgraduate (M.Sc.) course in Biotechnology.

Integrated Courses:

Integrated M.Tech. programmes in various universities (B.Tech. + M.Tech.)

Entrance Exam- GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) and JEE

Doctor of Philosophy in Biotechnology

Entrance Exam: NET (National Eligibility Test)

Respective institute examinations (TIFR, GATE, SET)

Subjects Covered under Biotechnology

Molecular biology/Genetics: Study of genes
Cell biology: Study of plant and animal cells
Biochemistry: Study of the metabolism of the body and various disorders associated with it
Biophysics: Science of the application of the laws of physics to biological phenomena
Immunology: Study of the defence mechanism of the body
Environmental studies: Study and conservation of the environment
Bioinformatics: Application of computer technology to the management of biological information
Biostatistics: Interpretation of scientific data using statistics
Microbiology: Study of different microorganisms
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR): Intellectual property is the branch of law which protects the application of thoughts, ideas and information which are of commercial value. It thus covers the law relating to patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and other similar rights. In biotechnology, various innovations and plant varieties can be patented if it falls within the criteria as provided.

Good Colleges/Universities

Indian Institutes of Technology: Kharagpur, Delhi, Roorkee, Guwahati, Warangal
NIT (National Institute of Technology, Warangal)
D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune
SRM University, Chennai
Vellore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu
Amity University, Delhi
Anna University, Chennai
BIT Mesra
IIIT Hyderabad
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi
PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore
IISER (Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research)
NISER (National Institute of Science Education and Research)
Central University of Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
IISc (Indian Institute of Science)

Job Prospects and Top Companies

Professionals can seek job opportunities in the private sector such as food processing and agro-based industries, pharmaceutical farms or in different government agencies. One is eligible for the position of Research Scientist, Biotech Engineer, Research Associate, Marketing Executive, Sales Representative, Business Development Officer and Lab Technician. The biotech industry in India can be categorised into five different segments. The bio-pharmaceutical segment accounts for the largest share of the biotech industry.

Biopharma: Biopharmaceuticals are generally proteins, drugs and antibodies which are used for diagnostics and therapeutics.
- Biocon
- Serum Institute of India
- Wockhardt
- GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited
- Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited
- Shantha Biotechnics
- Panacea Biotec Limited
Bioindustrial: The bioindustrial sector is related to enzymes, yeast and yeast-based products and organic amino acids.
- Biocon
- Novozymes
- Advanced Enzymes Technologies
- Rossari Biotech
- Zytex
- Lumis Biotech
Bioservices: Bioservices refers to research-based contracts, manufacturing contracts and clinical research contracts (CRO).
- Biocon's two subsidiaries: Clinigene and Syngene
- Ø Quintiles
- PAREXEL
Bioagri: The bioagri sector is related to biofertilisers, biopesticides and genetically modified seeds.
- Rasi Seeds Limited
- Ankur Seeds
- Nuziveedu Seeds
Bio-IT: This sector is related to different products and services that represent bioinformatics.
- BrainWave Biotechnology Limited
- Strand Life Sciences
- SciNova India
- CytoGenomics
- Mascon
- Major IT giants such as Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant and Infosys have incorporated distinct divisions catering to the life sciences domain within their organisations.