(Online Course) GS Concepts : Science and technology in India - Biotechnology in India

Topic: Biotechnology in India

Question : Briefly discuss the applications of Biotechnology in Health and Medicine in India.

Ans. Biotechnology in India (Health and Medicine) : has wide range of applications in medicine. While dealing with diseases, applications of biotechnology include prevention, diagnosis, and cure of diseases.

Through human genetics, Biotechnology has been useful in genetic counselling, antenatal diagnosis and gene therapy. In hereditary diseases, key genes are flawed or missing. Gene therapy attempts to either modify or replace the key genes, thus correcting the abnormality. Biotechnology has enabled in production of safe, effective, cheap vaccines at commercial quantity in short period to immunize population against epidemics. Also R&D in Biotechnology has resulted in production (or expected to be produced in near future) of vaccines against Japanese encephalitis, Hepatitis B, Plasmodium falciparum causing malaria, rabies virus, foot and mouth disease virus.

Biotechnology has enabled in the development of bio diagnostic kits like DNA probes and monoclonal antibodies (including ELISA tests) for diagnosis if various diseases like Gilarriasis, hepatitis-B. malaria, kala-azar, typhoid, std and antenatal diagnosis (foetus with a genetic defect).

Biotechnology has wide therapeutic applications as well. Biotechnology was first used in medicine for growing cultures of molds in order to produce antibiotics. Today a number of antibiotics such as penicillin, streptomycin, erythromycin, amoxycillin can be produced. Hormones like growth hormone, insulin (both are proteins) can be produced by micro organisms that have been genetically modified. Artificial generation is especially useful in cases where hormone to be made is a protein and can-therefore be made directly from a single gene. Biotechnology also helps in development of therapeutic proteins like interferons, production of usokinase (which dissolves blood clots) factor VIII (blood clotting factor). Transcription factor based drugs, oligo nucleotide anti sense drugs are exciting developments in therapeutic biotechnology.

Biotechnology can also be used for fertility control. Efforts are being made for developing safe, effective, long lasting and -reversible contraceptives. Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow has developed an oral, once-a-week, non-hormonal contraceptive pill called 'Lentchroman' which is sold commercially as Saheli. It is the only non-hormonal contraceptive pill of the world. DNA fingerprinting and auto-antibody finger printing are a great boon to forensic medicine for facilitating the identification of criminals like murderers and rapists through the study of DNA or antibodies from blood, semen, urine etc.

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