Basic Research

Biotechnology has transformed many parts
of the chemical industry, agriculture, and
medicine. This area of science has little demarcation
between basic and applied research,
and new discoveries and innovations, in most
cases, can find direct application. Innovations,
techniques, and tools that have emerged and
revolutionized modern biotechnology include
genetic engineering, cell fusion technology,
bioprocess technologies, and structure-based
molecular designs including drug development,
drug targeting, and drug delivery systems.
In the 1980s the Government of India considered
the need for creating a separate institutional
framework to strengthen biology and biotechnology
research in the country. Scientific agencies
supporting research in modern biology included:
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR), Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR), Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR), Department of Science and Technology,
and University Grants Commission. Biotechnology
was given an important boost in 1982 with
the establishment of the National Biotechnology
Board. Its priorities were human resource development,
creation of infrastructure facilities, and
supporting research and development (R&D) in
specific areas. The success and impact of the National
Biotechnology Board prompted the Government
to establish a separate Department of
Biotechnology (DBT) in February 1986. There
have been major accomplishments in areas of
basic research in agriculture, health, environment,
human resource development, industry, safety,
and ethical issues.

Basic research is essential on all aspects of modern
biology including development of the tools
to identify, isolate, and manipulate the individual
genes that govern the specific characters in plants,
animals, and microorganisms. Recombinant DNA
(rDNA) technology is the basis for these new developments.
The creativity of the scientists and
the basic curiosity-driven research will be the keys
to future success. India led through the work of
G.N. Ramachandran, in which he elucidated the
triple helical structure of collagen. The Ramachandran
plot has proven to be fundamental in
solving the protein structure. Areas of biosystematics
using molecular approaches, mathematical
modeling, and genetics including genome sequencing
for human beings, animals, and plants,
will continue to have priority as we move into
the next century. The tremendous impact of genome
sequencing is increasingly evident in many
fields. As an increasing number of new genes are
discovered, short, unique, expressed sequenced
tags segments are used as signatures for gene
identification. The power of high throughput sequencing,
together with rapidly accumulating sequenced
data, are opening new avenues in
biosciences.
In the plant genome area, the sequencing of
Arabidopsis and rice genome will soon be completed
and cataloging and mapping of all the
genes will be done.
There have been major achievements in basic
bioscience in the last decade or so in India, where
we have expertise in practically all areas of mod-
India: Biotechnology Research and Development
Manju Sharma
52 Agricultural Biotechnology and the Poor
ern biology. The institutions under the CSIR,
ICMR, ICAR, DST, and DBT have established a
large number of facilities where most advanced
research work in biosciences is being done. In the
identification of new genes, development of new
drug delivery systems, diagnostics, recombinant
vaccines, computational biology, and many other
related areas, considerable success has been
achieved. Breakthroughs include studies on the
three-dimensional structure of a novel amino
acid, a long protein of mosquito (University of
Poona), and demonstration of the potential of the
reconstituted Sendai viral envelops containing
only the F protein of the virus, as an efficient and
site-specific vehicle for the delivery of reporter
genes into hepatocytes (Delhi University).