Biotechnology is a new emerging field with stupendous possibilities. Biotechnology straddles the spectrum of transformations both chemical and biological, from the mundane making of yoghurt from milk, making cheese, making wines or industrial alcohol from molasses to development of fancy, genetically altered foodstuffs pest resistant potatoes or rice, other GM crops such as boll worm resistant cotton ( "BT Cotton" ), and bacteria with spiced genes producing specific stereo-specific drug molecule isomer for effective therapeutic applications.

A number of chemical reactions which are carried out industrially using drastic and thus potentially dangerous conditions can at times be effected using biologically active materials such as algae or bacteria, or through products of living beings such as enzymes. This too, comes under the umbrella of biotechnology!

Many thinkers and futurists have already predicted that the next century will be marked by great strides in such biological transformations. Indeed, even in our country, hard nosed industrialists have already sensed or heard this distant drumbeat and have ventured into this area with gusto. Some of the notable such ventures are Reliance Biotechnology involved in making biodegradable and agro-chemical based alternatives to most commonly used plastics such as Polyethylene, Polypropylene etc.and Biocon India Ltd., an emerging blue chip company with patented enzyme generating and harvesting technologies.

The cloned "Dolly the Sheep" was a miracle brought by genetic engineering ( a sub- branch of Biotechnology ) and so is a test-tube nursery producing plantation material through tissue culture propagation methods.

The name Biotechnology suggests that it is a fusion of biology and technology. Biotechnology provides solutions to the biological problems through the use of the most advanced technology. Technically speaking Biotechnology is a technique that uses living organisms or their products to make or modify a product, to improve plant or animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific uses. Biotechnology is a broad term that applies to all practical uses of living organisms anything from microorganisms used in the fermentation of beer to the most sophisticated application of gene therapy. It is the branch of molecular biology that studies the use of microorganisms to perform specfi industrial processes. As a biotechnologist, one aims to unlock the secrets of life, by accelerating the advances in the medical field and also improve healthcare treatments.

The Perspective of BE (Biotechnology) Course

The course offered at TSEC, which incidentally is the first engineering college offering this type of a course in Maharashtra visualizes a base in Introductory Chemical Engineering together with a good grounding in biological sciences such as Microbiology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology etc. Thus, the course syllabus is expected to include all the basic courses in Chemical Engineering Unit Operations such as Heat, Mass and Momentum Transfer, Industrial Process Control, Thermodynamics, Chemical and Bio-Chemical Reaction Engineering etc. together with a slew of courses in the basic Biological Sciences.

Biotechnology includes the study of many subjects, which include Biology, Chemistry Information Technology etc. One studies various things right from Molecular or Cellular Biology to Humman Genome, the Gene Therapy to the Ribosome Structure. One then applies this knowledge to a variety of fields like Chemistry and Clinical Research, Drug Discovery and Development, Genetics, Immunology, Medical Research, Molecular Cell Biology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology etc. just to name a few.

The first year of this four degree course in biotechnology is common with all other engineering streams so that the student is well versed in basics engineering subjects and skills such as Engineering Mechanics, Engineering Drawing, Applied Science (Chemistry and Physics), Mathematics and Computer Programming.

In later years, several elective subjects would be available to broaden the students" vista and allow them to gain knowledge in specific areas of their interest. Similarly, the final year project will also involve new techniques for application of biotechnology to replace / augment current industrial practice.

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