AN OVERVIEW OF

BIOTECHNOLGY

DEVELOPMENT IN NEPAL

BIOTECHNOLOGY

• MAY BE A NEW WORD

• NOT NEW PRACTICE

UNDERSTOOD VARIOUSLY

DEVELOPED COUNTRIESUSA CANADA UK

RECOMBINANT DNA TECHNOLOGIES

DEVELOPING COUNTRIESSAARC

• MOLECULAR BIOLOGY• RECOMBINANT DNA TECHNOLOGIES• CELL FUSION• TISSUE CULTURE• EMBRYO TRANSFER• IMMUNOLOGY• FERMENTATION TECHNOLOGY

NEPAL

TECHNIQUE USING LIVINGORGANISMS OR SUBSTANCES FROMORGANISMS

• TO MAKE OR MODIFY A PRODUCT

• TO IMPROVE PLANTS OR ANIMALS

• TO DEVELOP MICROORGANISMS FOR SPECIFIC USES

PRACTICAL VIEWPOINT

MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE

WORKING TOGETHER IN HARMONY

*BIOLOGY

*PHYSICS

*CHEMISTRY

*MATHEMATICS

*ENGINEERING

RECENT ACHIEVENTS & ADVANCES IN GENETIC

ENGINEERING

“SPLIT THE HAIR”

OLD BIOTECHNOLOGY

NEW BIOTECHNOLOGY

TRADITIONAL & NATIONAL HERITAGE OF NEPAL

TRADITIONALBIOTECHNOLOGY IN NEPAL

FERMENTATION

KODO, RICE, SAKHAR INTO ALCOHOL

LEAFY VEGETABLES INTO GUNDRUK

BROWNING OF RICE INTO HAKU JAKI

PICKLING OF FRUITS

JUTE OR NALU FROM BARK OF HEMP

DUNG AS FERTILIZER

DUNG CAKE AS FUEL FOR COOKING

NEW BIOTECHNOLOGY IN NEPAL

FIELD OF APPLICATIONAGRICULTUREFORESTRYENVIRONMENT/SANITATIONEDUCATION FOODHEALTHENERGY VETERINARY

TYPE OF TECHNIQUES

• WIDELY USEDPLANT TISSUE CULTUREMICROBIAL CULTURE

• LITTLE USEMERISTEM CULTURE RECOMBINANT DNAANTHER CULTURE BOTANICAL PEST CONTROLPHROMONE MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGYBIOLOGICAL CONTROL PROTEIN PROFILE TECHNIQUEELISA TECHNIQUE CONVENTIONAL BREEDINGBIOASSAY AGROTECHNIQUEENZYMOLOGY CALLUS CULTUREFLORICULTURE

THRUST AREAS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY*CLONAL PROPAGATION*MERISTEM CULTURE*GERM PLASM CONSERVATION*POLLEN AND ANTHER CULTURE*Genetic engineering for insect/pest resistance*Genetic engineering for herbicide resistance*Genetic engineering for virus resistance*Embryo rescue

MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

• BIOFERTILIZER

• BIOINSECTICIDE

• SINGLE CELL PROTEIN PRODUCTION

• INDUSTRIAL ENZYME

• BIO-ENERGY

ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

• IMPROVED ANIMAL PRODUCTIVITY• IMPROVED ANIMAL PRODUCTION• IMPROVED ANIMAL HEALTH

AQUATIC BIOTECHNOLOGY

• FISHERY• AQUACULTURE

STATUS OF BIOTECH PROJECTS

• MAJORITY AIMED AT PROPAGATING DEVELOPED TECHNIQUES AT SUITABLE LEVEL

• MOST R & D STILL AT LABORATORY PHASE

• A FEW TRANSFERRED TO LAND TRIAL

EXPENDITURE ON BIOTECH ACTIVITIES

• GOVERNMENT AND UNIVERSITY FUND----- NOMINAL

• INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH BY INDUSTRY----- NON-EXISTENT

• EXTERNAL FUNDING AGENCIES :ROCKFELLER FOUNDATIONUSAID, JICA, IFS, FAO, ODA (UK), ADB

LARGEST FUNDING $ 150,000/-

HUMAN RESOURCES IN BIOTECH ACTIVITY

• MASTER LEVEL 57%• DOCTORATE LEVEL 32%

TRAINING

• LONG & SHORT COURSES • MAINLY TISSUE CULTURE TO:

FARMERS, M.Sc. & Ph.D.s

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

• OCCASIONAL PAPERS• ANNUAL REPORTS• NATIONAL JOURNALS

+ BIOTECHNOLOGY LETTERS

+ HIMALAYAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES

+ BANKO JANAKARI

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

• DISSEMINATION OF IMPORTANCE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AMONG POLICY MAKERS, PLANNERS, GENERAL PUBLIC

• SHARING EXPERIENCES AMONG SCIENTISTS INVOLVED IN BIOTECH

• NEPAL BIOTECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION• BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIODIVERSITY

SOCIETY OF NEPAL

ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN BIOTECH ACTIVITIES

• GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS

• AUTONOMOUS ORGANIZATIONS

• TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY

• PURBANCHAL UNIVERSITY

• POKHARA UNIVERSITY

• PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS

TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY

• OLDEST AND LARGEST• M. Sc. PROGRAM IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY• B. Sc. IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

PURBANCHAL UNIVERSITY

POKHARA UNIVERSITY• B. Sc. IN BIOCHEMISTRY

CURRENT STATUS OF PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY

LIMITED TO TISSUE CULTURE

PUBLIC LABORATORIES

DEVELOP PROTOCOLS

PRIVATE LABORATORIES

USE PROTOCOLS FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSE

PROSPECT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN NEPAL

MAJOR CRISES

DISEASE

HUNGER

ENERGY SHORTAGE

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERIORATION

POLLUTION

REVOLUTIONARY ROLE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

• POVERTY ALLEVIATION• REDUCING DEPRIVATION• SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF

NATURAL RESOURCES• CONSERVATION OF NATURAL

RESOURCES• MAINTAINING A CLEANER

ENVIRONMENT

NATIONAL CONSERVATION STRATEGY FOR NEPAL

FOCUS ON TISSUE CULTURE

*TO PROVIDE GENETICALLY IMPROVED SEEDLINGS

*LARGE SCALE PRODUCTION OF

VALUABLE SPECIES FOR

MASSIVE FUEL WOOD

FODDER

TIMBER

MAJOR AREAS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR NEPAL

1. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY

• PLANT TISSUE CULTURE

• CALLUS CULTURE

• MERISTEM CULTURE

• IN-VITRO EMBRYO RESCUE

• POLLEN AND ANTHER CULTURE

• GENETIC ENGINEERING

2. MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

• BIOFERTILIZERS• INDUSTRIAL ENZYMES• SINGLE CELL PROTEIN

PRODUCTION• BIOPESTICIDES• BIO-ENERGY PRODUCTION• FOOD PRESERVATION• MINERAL LEACHING

3. ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

• IMPROVED ANIMAL HEALTH

• IMPROVED ANIMAL PRODUCTIVITY

• IMPROVED ANIMAL REPRODUCTION

4. MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

• RAPID DIAGNOSTIC REAGENTS & KITS• PRODUCTION OF CULTURE MEDIA• PRODUCTION OF MONOCLONAL

ANTIBODIES• VACCINES AGAINST MALARIA,

MEASLES, DIARRHOEA, JAUNDICE CHOLERA ETC.

• THERAPEUTIC AGENTS FROM LOCAL PLANT RESOURCES

NATIONAL BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY

DRAFTED FROM A MEETING OF STAKEHOLDERS

1. Put biotechnology high on national agenda

2. Establish high-level Biotechnology Development Council (BDC) under the chairmanship of Rt. Honorable Prime Minister to review and revise biotechnology, appraise annual progress and solve problems for the development of biotechnology.

3. Biotechnology Coordination Committee (BCC) under the chairmanship of Honorable Minister of S and T

• to carry out R&D in biotechnology

• to develop critical manpower and

• a curriculum for biotechnology

• to encourage private entrepreneurs and

• raise public awareness.

4. National Biotechnology Research and Development Centre (NBRDC)

• undertake research and training as per national priority

5. Review existing legislation and propose new legislation or amendments to regulate biotechnology

6. Strengthen and develop appropriate human

resources for biotechnology.

7. Strengthen infrastructure in existing Institutions and set up new institutions as per necessity.

8. Encourage private entrepreneurs to set up laboratories, greenhouses and nurseries to propagate elite and disease free plants by using biotechnology tools.

9. Encourage the private sector to establish biotechnology related industries.

10. Create conducive atmosphere for research, development and commercialization of

biotechnology.

11. Devise a mechanism to set up one window system for the transport, import and export of biotechnology products.

12. Management of funds at national level to promote research and development of biotechnology.

13. Establish linkages with ICGEB, FAO, WHO, UNESCO, CGIAR, COBIOTECH and IPGRI.

14. Establishment of venture capital, attractive tax incentives and financial assistance to qualified biotechnology companies.

15. Grant of financial incentives to viable biotechnology programs.

16. Promotion of technology transfer from laboratory to land and laboratory to industrial production.

17. Conservation and promotion of indigenous biotechnology.

18.Develop a national biosafety system to monitor and regulate genetically modified organisms.

19. Design of patent law and

intellectual property rights.

POSSIBLE ROLE OF BINASIA

• A SERIOUS CONSTRAINT LACK OF INFORMATION ON BIOTECHS

• NO INSTITUTION CAPABLE OFINFORMATION COLLECTIONRETRIEVAL & DISSEMINATION

* SO RELIES ON INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES FOR SPECIALIZED INFORMATION

SOLUTION TO INFORMATION SHORTAGE• to conduct a thorough literature search on the

existing information, which should then be stored in the institutes having the capability to manage information and make it easily accessible to biotechnology researchers.

OR• to set up a biotechnology information centre and

establish a computer link with institutions in the industrialized countries. However this depends on the willingness of the institutions in the North to share their biotechnological information with those in the South.

PIVOTAL ROLE OF BINASIA

BINASIA PORTAL

*OBJECTIVES

*ACTIVITIES

*R & D COMPONENT

*PUBLICATIONS WITH FULL TEXT

*BIOTECH INDUSTRIES AND PRODUCTS

*DISCUSSION FORUM OF BINASIA

*MAILING LIST