Biotechnology Seminar, Mangalore, 2002
6 January 2002 |
National Seminar on Biotechnology-Challenges and Prospects
Dr L.D’Souza S.J., Laboratory of Applied Biology, St Aloysius College, Mangalore.
Biotechnology is a fast growing frontier area of research with tremendous potential in terms of food security, medicine and health care and industrial applications. In recent years, the field of biotechnology has seen an explosion of information. However, this knowledge is largely confined to scientists and research workers. Most seminars and symposia held on this subject also target this group. Students and lecturers of biological sciences also need to keep abreast of the latest developments in biotechnology. To quote Aris Persides (Nature Biotechnology Vol 18: Supplement 2000) “As biotechnology moves inexorably forward we shouldn’t simply stand in awe. We should be as informed as we can so that we can understand better and appreciate the advances, issues and problems for what they areâ€. With this objective, a National Seminar on Biotechnology-Challenges and Prospects was organised by the Laboratory of Applied Biology (LAB), St Aloysius College, Mangalore from 4-6 January 2002 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the LAB, which has been active in the field of Plant Biotechnology, for the past twenty five years.
Dr C S Prakash, Center for Plant Biotechnology Research, Tuskegee University, USA, inaugurated the seminar and also delivered the key note address. Speaking on the topic “Can agricultural biotechnology contribute towards India’s food security?†he said that knowledge-based approaches including transgenic crops and genomics can provide powerful solutions to enhance food security. He added that along with improvement of technical capacity in the development and release of new crops, we must also enhance our capabilities in biosafety testing, intellectual property rights issues and public communication. He stressed on the need for a dialog among policy makers, scientists, trade groups, the food industry, consumer organizations, farmers, media and NGOs to address concerns related to the use of biotechnology and create an awareness of its potential benefits.
Dr (Mrs.) A M Samuel, Director, Biomedical Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai inaugurated the new molecular biology unit of the Laboratory of Applied Biology. Rev Fr R N Prabhu, Provincial, Karnataka Jesuits, in his presidential address cautioned on the ethical aspects of biotechnology.
Dr T M Manjunath, Director, Monsanto Research Centre, Bangalore, in his talk on “Transgenic plants for pest managementâ€, discussed the role of various expert committees in ensuring that biosafety regulations governing the release of genetically modified plants are complied with. He emphasized the necessity to disseminate correct information and remove any misconceptions about this remarkable new technology.
Dr T N Ananthakrishnan, Former Director of the Zoological Survey of India, in his talk on “Insects and induced plant defense: Implications in biotechnology†spoke on proteinase inhibitor and amylase inhibitor genes which have considerable potential for the improvement of plant defense systems.
A talk on “Microbial Biotechnology†by Dr P Tauro, Professor of Eminence, Haryana Agriculture University, Hissar, was followed by one on “Enzyme immobilization and Biosensors†by Dr S F D’Souza, Head, Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, BARC.
The plant biotechnology session had lectures on “Pathways in Plant Biotechnology†by Dr (Mrs.) Smitha Hegde of the Laboratory of Applied Biology, “Biotechnological approaches for banana propagation and improvement†by Dr T R Ganapathi, Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, BARC, Mumbai, “Application of biotechnology for the improvement of spices†by Dr (Mrs.) P A Nazeem, Centre for Plant biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Kerala Agriculture University, Thrissur, “Development of herbal drugs from plants†by Dr(Mrs.) Susan Eapen, Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, BARC, Mumbai and “Sorghum biotechnology†by Dr Arun Chandrashekar of Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore. Dr Vinitha Cardoza, University of North Carolina, USA in her talk on “Gene transfer in plants: techniques and applicationsâ€, discussed the various methodologies of plant transformation. Sri Anik Luke Dhanaraj of the Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory, University of Agriculture Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore, on “ Use of markers in linkage mapping with cashew as an example.
The animal biotechnology session had talks on “Stem cells and their applications†by Dr L D’Souza of the Laboratory of Applied Biology, followed by a lecture on “Application of biotechnology in diagnostics†by Dr(Mrs.) I Karunasagar of the Department of Fishery Microbiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, College of Fisheries, Mangalore. Dr A Murugan of the Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute, Tuticorin, gave a talk on “Drugs from the sea-status and prospectsâ€. He stated that the potential of the marine environment as a source of new bio-products including enzymes, antibiotics, anticancer agents, food additives and pigments, has not been fully explored. Dr (Mrs.) Anupama Gururaj, Department of Biochemistry, Mysore University gave a talk on “Recombinant soluble receptors for angiospermic ligands as potential cancer therapeutic proteinsâ€. The session ended with a talk on “The basics of bioinformatics†by Dr A C Augustine, Monsanto Research Centre, Bangalore.
About 240 participants, the majority of whom were undergraduate and post graduate students, from 35 institutions all over India, participated in the seminar.