BiotechnologyFarms, Medicine & a Cleaner Environment

Biotechnology industry in India

• ▹India is among the top 12 destinations for biotechnology in the world, with approximately 2% share in the global Biotechnology industry.
• ▹The biopharmaceutical sector accounts for the largest share of the biotech industry in India with a share of 55% of total revenues, followed by bio-agri with 22% market share (2018).
• ▹The high demand for different biotech products has also opened up scope for the foreign companies to set up base in India.
• ▹India has emerged as a leading destination for clinical trials, contract research and manufacturing activities owing to the growth in the bio-services sector.

Biotechnology for sustainable agriculture

• ▹Agricultural biotechnology involves the use of scientific tools and techniques, including genetic engineering, molecular markers, molecular diagnostics, vaccines, and tissue culture, to modify living organisms: plants, animals, and microorganisms.
• ▹Genetically modified crops (“GM crops”, or “biotech crops”) are plants used in agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified with genetic engineering techniques.
  • The main aim is to introduce a new trait that does not occur naturally in the species, e.g. flavor, colour of flowers, growth rate, size of harvested products and resistance to diseases and pests.
  • They can contribute to future food security by improving the nutrition and viability of urban agriculture.

  Example: Bt cotton carries a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis that makes a protein toxic to the bollworm. The bollworm dies after feeding on the plant, so the farmer needs to spray far less insecticide.

The opponents' concerns

However, opponents have objected to GM crops per se on several grounds, including environmental concerns, whether food produced from GM crops is safe, whether GM crops are needed to address the world's food needs, and economic concerns raised by the fact these organisms are subject to intellectual property law.

• ▹There are also fears of potential emergence of ‘superweeds’ that become difficult to control.
• ▹Development of insecticide resistance.
• ▹May result in loss of biodiversity.

Human health

• ▹Modern biotechnology has many applications in areas such as pharmaceutical drug discoveries and production, and genetic testing.
• ▹Pharmacogenomics (a combination of pharmacology and genomics) is the technology that analyses how genetic makeup affects an individual's response to drugs.
• ▹The purpose of pharmacogenomics is to develop rational means to optimize drug therapy, with respect to the patients' genotype, to ensure maximum efficacy with minimal adverse effects.
• ▹Such approaches promise the advent of “personalized medicine”; in which drugs and drug combinations are optimized for each individual's unique genetic makeup.
• ▹Biotechnology has contributed to the discovery and manufacturing of traditional small molecule pharmaceutical drugs as well as drugs that are the product of biotechnology – biopharmaceutics.

New therapies, genetic testing and the coronavirus

• ▹Biotechnology has also enabled emerging therapeutics like gene therapy.
• ▹The application of biotechnology to basic science (for example through the Human Genome Project) has also dramatically improved our understanding of biology and as our scientific knowledge of normal and disease biology has increased, our ability to develop new medicines to treat previously untreatable diseases has increased as well.
• ▹Genetic testing allows the genetic diagnosis of vulnerabilities to inherited diseases, and can also be used to determine a child's parentage (genetic mother and father) or in general a person's ancestry.
  • Genetic testing in a broader sense includes biochemical tests for the possible presence of genetic diseases.
• ▹Biotechnology has also helped us in understanding the gene composition of the Novel coronavirus.

Challenges faced in India

• ▹Low Research and development: India's research and development expenditure is quite low at 0.67 per cent of GDP, not only compared to mature biotechnology economies such as Japan and the US (which stands at around 3 per cent) but also in comparison to emerging economies like China (which is at around 2 percent).
• ▹Intellectual Property Right regime: There are two main areas of contention for the industry in India's approach to intellectual property in biotech sector:
  • The first issue lies in Section 3(d) of the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005, which sets a higher standard for patentability than mandated by TRIPS. The industry argues that India's stricter standards for patents discourage innovation and dampen foreign investment.
  • The second issue is that of compulsory licensing, which gives the government power to suspend a patent in times of health emergencies. Although India has used this option only once, the industry feels that such regulations keep investors clear of Indian markets.
• ▹Lack of Marketisation: Most of the early research funding, often provided by universities or the government, runs out before the marketisation phase, the funding for which is mostly provided by venture capitalists. This gap has a huge impact in commercialisation of innovative ideas.
• ▹Public Awareness: Lack of public awareness of the modern tools of biotechnology and how it could improve our well-being, offer food and energy securities and help in preserving our environment.
• ▹Less Lucrative: The number and quality of jobs offered by this sector is presently lesser than the work force supply available. This is making students less interested in this sector.
• ▹Regulatory Authority: The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill which envisions creating Regulatory body for uses of biotechnology products including genetically modified organisms is pending in the parliament.