Transcript STATUS, POTENTIALS AND CHALLENGES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

STATUS, POTENTIALS AND
CHALLENGES OF
BIOTECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT IN NEPAL
Dr. Kayo Devi Yami
RONAST
TRADITIONAL
BIOTECHNOLOGIES
For many centuries societies and communities have been
using these technologies to alter plants & animal products to
produce BETTER FOOD & IMPROVED PRODUCTION
without knowing the actual scientific background.
 DAIRY PRODUCTS (Cheese, Churpi, Curd
etc.)
 FERMENTED VEGETABLE PRODUCTS
(Gundruk, Sinke, Pickles etc.)
 BREWERY TECHNOLOGY(Raksi, Jand,
Tomba etc.)
 PLANT BREEDING
MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY
 MUSHROOM PRODUCTION
 TISSUE CULTURE
 BIOFERTILIZERS
 BIOPROSPECTING
 BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
 VACCINE PRODUCTION
PLANT TISSUE CULTURE
GOVERNMENT SECTOR
Department of Plant Resources
Thapathali
 produced 100,000 plantlets of disease free Banana & Citrus.
 Tissue culturing of Rauwolfia, Eucalyptus & Jerbera, Swertia,
Dalbergia etc
Godawari
 Pioneer Tissue Culture Lab
 research & development; > 100 protocols for plant tissue
culture so far
 In situ and ex situ conservation of germplasm of improtant
medicinal plants
National Agricultural Research Council
 Potato tissue culture lab producing 200,000
virus free pre-basic potato seeds/year
 Agricultural Botany Division has initiated
anther culture of rice and wheat & also
germplasm conservation and diagnostic
facilities using PCR technology
 Dhankuta & Lumle Agriculture Stations also
have tissue culture lab facilities
Horticulture Development Project of Department
of Agriculture, Kirtipur
 very good facilities for plant tissue culture
work (Japanese Grant), once produced in vitro
plantlets of apple rootstocks
Institute of Agriculture & Animal Sciences,
Rampur
 plant tissue culture lab facilities (Rockfeller
Foundation) but is limited to MSc thesis work
only
PRIVATE SECTORS
 Botanical Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., Godawari
 Nepal Biotech Nursery, Bhainsepati
 Research Laboratory for Agriculture
Biotechnology & Biochemistry (RLABB), Balkhu
 Microplants, Kamal Pokhari
 Green Research & Technology (GREAT), New
Baneshwor
 Himalayan Botanical Research Centre
(HIMBORCE), Baneshwor
BIOFERTILIZERS
 Division of Soil Science & Agriculture
Chemistry, Nepal Agricultural Research Council
(NARC), Khumaltar: Commercial production of
microbial inoculants like rhizobia, Azotobacter.
 Royal Nepal Academy of Science & Technology
(RONAST), Khumaltar: Research on microbial
inoculants like rhizobia, Azotobacter, Endo &
Ectomycorrhiza, composting, vermicomposting
MUSHROOM PRODUCTION
 Nepal Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Plant
Pathology Division, Khumaltar: spawn for button mushroom,
research to develop better substrate for better mushroom
production and providing training on mushroom cultivation
 Agriculture Technology Centre, Gwarko producing spawn
for Agaricus bisporus, Sitake (Lentinus edodes), Gyanoderma
 Many unregistered private companies producing mushrooms
and spawn
 RONAST: study of mushroom diversity in Sagarmatha
National Park (CNR)
 DPR: Collection and identification of Nepalese mushrooms
around Godawari
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
RONAST has been doing research on
 BIOPESTICIDES
specially of plant origin (Eupatorium adenoforum,
Lantana camara, Acorus calamus & Ageratum
conyzoides) in collaboration with Department of
Agriculture against Aphids
 BIOINSECTICIDES
indigenious strains of Bacillus thuriengensis
 BIOFUNGICIDES
compost & vermicompost tea solution on Foot rot
disease of rice and use of above pesticidal plants
against club root disease of cauliflower
BIOPROSPECTING
 RONAST has been doing bioprospecting of
Himalayan conifers, Cordyceps sinensis
(Yarchagumba) and Taxus bacatta for their
antitumor compounds.
 DPR: phytochemical screening of 12 plant spp.
& their antifertility and antihelminthic potential
and toxicity test on mice
 TU Chemistry Division: MSc research work
 Simhadurbar Baidhya Khana: Crude form of
bioprospecting for ayurvedic medicine
ADVANCED MODERN
BIOTECHNOLOGY
RONAST
 MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS (HLB CITRUS
DISEASES)
 MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATIONS OF:
• Bacillus thuriengensis
• Medicinal plants like Swertia
• Tea clones
• GMOs
NARC
 Genetic diversity analysis of isoenzymes in rice,
barley, buckwheat, pigeon pea, taro, cucumber,
Sweria, Citrus.
 Application of molecular markers towards
development of varities and hybrid in maize
RECAST
 Selection of genotypes of Mulberry &
exploitation of genetic yield potential of
common Buckwheat ecotypes.
ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
 Central Veterinary Laboratory, Tripureshwor
producing vaccine against P.P.R (Pestes des
petites Ruminant) disease using tissue culture,
rabies vaccine with Japanese grant also
exporting to other countries, poultry vaccine,
PCR used in disease diagnostic.
 NARC has been doing animal breeding, embryo
transfer and artificial insemination in cattles.
MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
 The Leprosy Mission, Nepal: determination of
cytokines by ELISA for blood immune response
studies in leprosy patients & DNA diagnosis of
Mycobacterium leprae by PCR
 Everest Biotech Pvt. Ltd.: production of specific
antibody required for Human Genome Project,
England.
 TU Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj: had used
PCR for TB bacteria research work
 TU Teaching Hospital: 3 PCRs mainly used for
detecting respiratory viruses for the research
purpose only
 Kathmandu University Medical School: Korean
visiting scientist once tried to identify AIDS virus
by using RT PCR but because of the problem in
water the project could not be initiated.
EXISTING MANPOWER
Institutions
Manpower
PhD
RONAST
12
2
NARC
13
4
DPR
15
DoA
4
Teaching Institutions
(Kathmandu University
Tribhuvan University etc.)
23
5
Private Co. (GREAT, LIIBIRD)
6
1
Forensic Lab.
3
RECAST
4
2
Vetirenary Institute
10
4
Total
100
18
MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT
 Bachelors level (BSc) : Tribhuvan University,
Kathmandu University and many private
campuses have been delivering BSc courses in
Biotechnology.
 Masters level (MSc) : Tribhuvan University is
going to open MSc courses in Biotechnology from
middle of 2006
NOTE : National Planning Commision has provided
$ 2,00,000 to KU for BSc & $ 70,000 to TU for
MSc programmes.
BUDGET (RONAST)
Fiscal year
2003/2004
Total S & T budget Biotechnology
budget
$120,000
$26,000
(INRA-$21,000;
SETS - $70,000)
$31,000
$6,000
2004/2005
$44,000
2005/2006
$28,000
2002/2003
$ 23,000
(CNR & allowances)
$ 12,000
BUDGET OF OTHER
INSTITUTIONS
Institutions
Division of Agriculture Botany,
NARC, Khumaltar
Biotechnology Laboratory of
Department of Plant Resources,
Thapathali and Godawari
Phytochemical and microbial
screening at DPR
Budget per year
$15,000
$10,000
$10,000
POTENTIALS OF MODERN
BIOTECHNOLOGIES
Genetic material of one sp. can be inserted into another,
crossing natural barriers that were previously impossible.
 BETTER CROPS
 RESISTANT TO INSECTS
 RESISTANT TO DISEASES
 EVEN TO NATURAL CALAMITIES LIKE
DROUGHT
 SOLUTIONS TO THE THREAT OF HUNGER
BY HELPING TO INCREASE FOOD
PRODUCTION & MALNUTRITION BY
 CREATING RICE THAT PROVIDES
VITAMIN A & IRON
 MAKING AGRICULTURE MORE
ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE
THROUGH PEST RESISTANT CROPS
 BIOPROSPECTING
 Research for new chemicals in living things that will have
some medical or commercial use
 a high risk area for investors but can have massive returns
 Of the world's 25 top-selling pharmaceuticals, 10
originally sourced from animals, plants or microorganisms (in 1995, these accounted for nearly $US14
billion in global sales )
 Pharmaceutical companies and agribusiness use
indigenous knowledge as a precursor to screening, and
this is happening with little regard for the protection of
indigenous intellectual property and with no equitable
sharing of profits
CHALLENGES OF MODERN
BIOTECHNOLOGY
 HEALTH RISKS POISED BY GMO CROPS
 POTENTIAL ENVIRONMETAL IMPACTS OF
THE RELEASE OF GMOS LEADING TO
SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR THE
BIODIVERSITY THAT MANY COMMUNITIES
RELY ON FOR THEIR FOOD, LIVELIHOODS
AND CULTURAL SURVIVAL
BIOTECHNOLOGY &
BIOSAFETY POLICIES
 Ministry of Environment, Science & Technology
had submitted a Biotechnology Policy to the
cabinet four years ago for the Govt approval but
has not yet been approved.
 The Ministry of Forest & Soil Conservation aims
to develop & formulate the Biosafety Policy,
legal & administrative framework to safeguard
the biological diversity, human health and
environment from the adverse effects of GMOs &
their products in accord with the CBD CPB.
PROBLEMS
 LACK OF QUALIFIED MANPOWER & BRAIN
DRAIN
 LACK OF GOVERNMENT POLICIES, RULES &
REGULATIONS
 LACK OF ADEQUATE FUNDINGS
 LACK OF PROPER INFRASTRUCTURES
 FAILURE TO IMPLIMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS PROPOSED BY VARIOUS
TASK FORCES
 LACK OF INVOLVEMENT OF PRIVATE
SECTOR AND TEACHING INSTITUTIONS
 THE APPLICATION OF GENETIC
ENGINEERING TECHNIQUES TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW DRUGS AND
VACCINES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRY
LIKE OURS IS AN EXPENSIVE AND
LONG TERM INVESTMENT
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
 STRENGTHENING OF EXISTING
INFRASTRUCTURES AT DIFFERENT
INSTITUTIONS
 MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT
 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS IN COLLABORATION WITH
OTHER COUNTRIES
VOTE OF THANKS
RECAST & AUDIENCE