Biotech boom in the making

Visakhapatnam: After IT boom, biotechnology is the most happening area of science and technology in the country and there is a bright future to biotech industries in the state, observed experts.

Highlights:

• APEDB Pharma and Biotech Task Force Vice-Chairman Lanka Srinivas observes that 50 per cent of pharma research has linked with biotechnology and the country will play a major role in this field in future
• Andhra Pradesh particularly Visakhapatnam will act like a backbone to Indian biotech industry in coming years, says Srinivas
• GITAM University Vice-Chancellor MS Prasada Rao says that the university actively engaged with 70 biotechnology related research projects and committed to continue a vibrant research in the field

AP BIO-2017, an international conference, was inaugurated here on Thursday at GITAM University. The Economic Development Board of Andhra Pradesh (APEDB) and GITAM Biotech Centre of Excellence are jointly organising the two-day conference by involving top Indian biotech industries.

Addressing the gathering, APEDB Pharma and Biotech Task Force Vice-Chairman Lanka Srinivas observed that 50 per cent of pharma research has linked with biotechnology and the country would play a major role in this field in future.

He pointed out that the Indian companies must concentrate on research and development to develop own patented pharmaceutical products to meet the future health care requirements otherwise the cost of medicines would reach higher. Andhra Pradesh particularly Visakhapatnam would act like a backbone to Indian biotech industry in coming years, he added.

One of the AP Task Force Committee members and Indo-US Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases Director, Stanford University School of Medicine (USA), Prof Sanjay V Malhotra, said that Andhra Pradesh is a resource rich state with coastline and magnificent biodiversity which provide a unique opportunity to grow in the field of biotechnology.

He stated that if the state government properly utilise the biodiversity resources that would impact on state’s future industrial competitiveness and regional economic development.

The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) former Director General and Transitional Health Science and Technology Institute Biomedical Research Policy Centre, Prof NK Ganguly, said that large part of biotechnology based products were on engineering platforms and need several integrated platforms of electronics,

3D designing, medical, agricultural as well as dairy biotechnology field. He observed that without a good knowledge of systems biology, analytical sciences as well as basic concepts in optics, it is difficult to drive product development in the field of biotechnology.

GITAM University Vice-Chancellor MS Prasada Rao said that the university actively engaged with 70 biotechnology related research projects and committed to continue a vibrant research in the field through newly established Centre of Excellence(CoE) with the support of Stanford University.

He hoped that the country would convert as bio-based economy in the place of present petro-based economy.Conference convener S Ganapathy, co-convener R Satyanarayana and a large number experts and professors were present.