Biotechnology

Biotechnology is being touted as the next big revolution in India, after Information Technology.

It promises to make available improved pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial products. Discoveries in biotechnology allow for certain crops to have their own protection ring against insects and disease. These crops can thus be grown using less pest control chemicals.

Developments in food biotechnology will help the enhancement of Nutrition, Quality and Taste of food. Research has helped develop food crops with higher levels of nutrients that may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

Besides food, biotechnology is making breakthroughs in health care. Since the initial production of human insulin to better treat diabetes, biotechnology continues to create more effective drugs for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and AIDS and vaccines.

In the future, some applications of biotechnology will be used to make material such as fiber for clothes, from "renewable" resources like corn. Other applications may help reduce our dependence on oil and natural gas and could reduce water and energy use by as much as 50 %.

Biotechnology is yet another knowledge-based Industry where Tamil Nadu has made its first move. The Tamil Nadu Government has based its 'Biotech' policy based on the recommendations of the high-powered committee set up under Dr. M.S.Swaminathan.

The policy has set its focus on four segments of Biotechnology -

To achieve this, the Government plans to establish Biotechnology Enterprise Zones (BEZ) or Bio-valleys. Research organisations, Service providers and Companies will be encouraged to set shop in these valleys. The immediate focus is on the biotech parks and Bioinformatics & Genomics centres that have been planned.