Biotechnology engineering is a field of applied biology and chemical engineering principles that involves the use of living things in engineering, technology, medicine, and other useful applications. It also includes genetic engineering as well as cell and tissue culture technologies. Biotechnology is a collection of combined technologies applied to living cells for production of a particular product or enhancing its quality.Â
This might involve domestication of animals, cultivation of plants and “improvements” through breeding, artificial selection and hybridization. This discipline of science includes not only biology but also subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering and more. Its application varies in industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, chemical, bio-products, textiles, medicine, nutrition, environmental conservation and animal sciences. Biotechnology integrates branches like genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, embryology and cell biology, which are in turn linked to practical specialties like chemical engineering, information technology and robotics.Â
Biotechnology can be defined as a technological application that makes use of biological systems such as organisms or their derivatives in order to create products. Biotechnology draws on the pure biological sciences (genetics, microbiology, animal cell culture, molecular biology, biochemistry, embryology, cell biology) and in many instances it is also dependent on knowledge and methods from outside the sphere of biology (chemical engineering, bio-process engineering, information technology, and bio-robotics). Conversely, modern biological sciences (including even concepts such as molecular ecology) are intimately entwined and dependent on the methods developed through biotechnology and what is commonly thought of as the life sciences industry.Â
The extent of biotechnology in India is great, involving engineers, biologists, and many other such professionals. The areas where biotechnology has grown in India include bioinformatics, agricultural biotechnology, bio-fertilizers, national bio-resource development, plant biology and marine biotechnology.Â
A bio-technologist may find jobs in various quarters. In India students can mainly explore job options in the following fields: Drug and Pharmaceutical Research Public-funded Laboratories Chemicals Environment Control Waste Management Energy Food Processing Bio-processing Industries Government institutes and organizations, such as the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), several agriculture, dairy and horticulture institutes offer employment to biotechnology professionals.
In the private sector there are also job openings for bio-technologists, including in the R&D units of drug companies. There may also be opportunities for bio-technologists in the food processing industry, chemical industry and the textile industry. If you opt for a biotechnology engineering degree, you might learn how to use cells and microorganisms to produce, for example, better medicines, foods or agricultural products that won’t harm the environment.
In a broader scope, the program largely consists of biochemistry – which deals with the chemistry of living organisms; molecular biology, which is the study of biology on a molecular level and gene technology, which deals with the manipulation of organisms’ genetic structures.
Various core courses and topics that would be covered in a biotechnology engineering course could include,
Some institutes in India offering a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) in Biotechnology include:
The degree is also offered as a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biotechnology at some schools.
Note:Â Programmes are subject to change, it is advisable to check directly with a school for current programme availability.