BioWrit is an intitiative by BiotechnologyForums to promote and appreciate scientific writing skills of Biotechnology professionals and students in India and abroad.


What's this competition about?
BioWrit is an online “Article Writing Competition”. Five topics will be provided to write upon, and the best articles submitted within deadlines will be  awarded as per rules.

Topics:


1. Clinical Trials in drug approval
Clinical trials are the crucial indices of the fate of a drug (whether it arrives in the market or not). Entries under this topic should include quality articles with comprehensive details about Clinical Trials in Drug Approval.
2. Metagenomics  
Metagenomics is aimed at deciphering the microbial/functional components of an environment, through the analysis of genomic DNA sampled through an environment. A culture independent technique, Metagenomics has emerged as a hot topic of research amongst computational BioScientists.
Entries under this topic are thus expected to shed light on Metagenomics in a way that may enable it's comprehension to even a layman. Details about current state of art are also expected.
3. Entrance Exam Preparation Tips / Interview Experiences   
Cleared an Entrance Exam? Have some tips to share with those who need some ? Hold some interview experience ( success / failure ) for admission into a college? Submit your entry under this topic. An inspiring/quality entry can make you the winner.    
4. My College Life Experience    
No matter which college you are in, we believe every student has something to share about his college life. How you got admitted to your college, what degrees are offered (biotech related), your hostel life, your teachers, standard of teaching, admission fees, semester fees and much more..If you want to submit some experience about your college life, submit your entry under this topic. Ensure that the experience shouldn't be a mix of different colleges you attended. If you have experience of multiple colleges, submit them as separate entry.
5. My Internship / Job experience at a Company
Internships are an integral part of a student's academic life. And getting a job in a company is one of the most exciting experiences of a student's life. Share your internship experience (how you got the internship, what kind of project(s) you did/were offered, the standard of internship etc) under this topic. If you have a job experience, submit your entry about your selection process, your job experience, about your company under this topic.


Rules:


1. Minimum of 1500 words is mandatory. Maximum: 3500 words.

2. Articles must be posted on BiotechnologyForums under following section of Contests Tab:
     BioWrit: April-2015 (Link: http://www.biotechnologyforums.com/forum-40.html)

• Once you enter the above section, choose the Topic of choice (under which you want to submit your entry. Click on the Topic and then Click on “Start a New Thread (New Topic)” ).
  
• The subject of your Thread should suit the topic of your Entry (For Example: Life at IIIT Hyderabad, My Experience at University of Pune, Interview at Wipro etc). 
  
• Try to keep the title of your entry (Subject) unique.
  

3. Emails won't be accepted. Candidates will have to register and post their entry on the Forums. Correct details must be furnished during registration.

4. Articles “must be” self written. Plagiarism (exact copying from various resources) will be detected and such entries will straight-forward be disqualified.

5. A bibliography/citation is a must (if applicable).

6. Images/videos may be used from internet if their licence doesn't strict you to do so. Reference link of the image should be mentioned underneath.

7. Single candidate can submit entries under all topics.

Judging criteria:

1). Adherence to word limits.
2). Formatting of the article (readibility)
3). Plagiarism
4). Grammatical standards
5). Relevance to the topic submitted
6). Quality of research done in including wide range of details about the topic.
7). Your responses to the queries of other members to your article, shall fetch you extra points.
Please note: Dummy accounts accounts created by same user to earn extra points will lead to a ban.







Prizes and winners
1. Rank 1 holder : Rs 2000/-  ( $33 )
2. Rank 2 holder: Rs 1500/-   ( $25 )
3. Rank 3 holder: Rs 1000/-   ( $16 )

Entries Ranked 4 to 10 will be awarded Rs 300/- ($5)  

About the cash prizes:
There are 4 ways to claim the cash prize:
a. Paypal
b. Mobile Recharge
c. Paytm/Mobikwik (cash can be transferred from your wallet to your bank)
d. Flipkart vouchers

NOTE:
Information for the winners:
Photographs and details of the winners with their winning entry will be published on BiotechnologyForums. Winners are requested to submit their details with Passport size photograph (if they wish to do so) upon request by our team.

Completed Bachelors of Engineering in Biotechnology in India. Experience in IT and need assistance on how to go about future career planning. 

Hi Sunil,

Hope you are doing good .    Please do share about as to what are doing now ? working or have you continued studying ?

I completed my BE,Biotechnology in 2014. Have a CGPA of 8.31. Currently working in IT sector .But want to come back to my field much earlier.

I wish to write GATE next year. Donno to go with M.tech or MS . And what are job opportunities after masters? Placements in IITs for BT ,please give an insight about it ? Will core companies come ?

Is Ph.D a must in this field ? How should one go about it ? What should one expect  coz working after masters and then go for Ph.D having the fear of limited working opportunities after masters.
MS abroad would be costly .

I read you telling about NUS. Please tell us more about it .With scholarship would there be any expenses from our side ? As NUS accepts GATE scores ,its really benefiting.

I know its too many questions .    Hope you would help me .

Thank You  

Hello sir,
I am currently pursuing B.Tech in Biotechnology. I wanted to do integrated Ph.D/MS (research). I am also appearing for BET and CSIR NET exams. Can you please guide me how to prepare and crack these exams. Is there any institutes which gives MS/iPh.D without these test?

Thanks and Regards,
Kirubakaran

I finished my class 12 this year. My subjects were PCB with biotech. I want to pursue biotech in future but I am confused between B.tech and B.Sc . My maths is weak so I wanted to know if doing B.tech would be fine or not ??

TERI University is located in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi the nearest metro station is Chattarpur. Established in the year 1998 it is recognized by UGC. TERI University is the first of its kind in India to dedicate itself to the study of environment, energy and natural sciences for sustainable development. TERI University is the globe's rank first University in the field of Sustainability. TERI University has been accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council as a 'A' grade university on 23 March 2013 for a period of 5 years with 3.26 cpga. 





It offers 13 Masters and Doctoral programmes in Biotechnology, Regulatory & Policy aspects, Energy & Environment and Natural Resources. Masters programmes are offered in & Sustainable Development, Sustainable Development, Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Resource and Environmental Economics, Climate change science and policy, Renewable energy technologies and management, Water Resources Management, Geoinformatics, Plant Biotechnology, Business Sustainability and in Infrastructure Management.

The foundation of TERI University came about as an extension to the, consultancy and environment-related activities that were carried out by TERI, its parent body.

Admission Process:- Interested students can download the application from the web or by obtaining it from the campus. Cost of application is 1250/-Rs for Indian citizens.
Tuition fees vary from course to course. Hostel facility is also available for those candidates who need accommodation. Admissions are currently open and last date for receiving completed application form is 25th of April 2015.

Research
Traditionally, higher education and research have encouraged specialization in increasingly narrow fields. Although this reductionist approach has resulted in many important advances, it also has a significant downside, as it results in a “silo effect” where experts in one discipline fail to see the implications of their activities on other disciplines and on society as a whole. Since most disciplines take the environment for granted, the side effects of their activities on the environment are often ignored or detected later as “unexpected surprises.” Ecological deterioration and unsustainability of many human activities are some of the undesirable outcomes of such reductionist or single-disciplinary thinking. Therefore, addressing the challenge of achieving sustainable development that we face today requires a paradigm shift in research and education such that reductionist and single-disciplinary thinking is supplemented by multidisciplinary knowledge and holistic methods.

Placement
TERI University's multi-disciplinary programmes expose students to a wide range of theoretical and practical courses. The emphasis is on finding innovative solutions to problems which might be there today or which may come up tomorrow.

Infrastructure
A truly green campus, it puts into practice the very principles it teaches in its classrooms. An architectural delight, the campus has been planned to provide a setting that enhances learning, while simultaneously showcasing the concept of modern green buildings.

The green building has 10 classrooms, each having the capacity for 32 students, 3 lecture halls with the capacity for 60 people and an auditorium with the capacity for 80 to 100 people. The building also has 10 well-equipped laboratories to compliment cutting edge research at TERI University, along with a well stocked conference hall.

The university harnesses the best of modern technology to support the intellectual curiosity of its students and faculty. Laboratories with advanced equipment and facilities aid and stimulate research.

Bioinformatics, the field of Biotechnology that amalgamates the application of computer technology with the management of Biological data, has emerged as one of the most potent job sectors for bio-technologists all over the world. This article is aimed at updating you all (and obviously getting updates from all of you), about the industrial trends of Bioinformatics. We will focus on following points in this article:

• The key research areas of Bioinformatics which are garnering the interests of corporate and academic world
  
• The kind of internship projects in Bioinformatics that can fetch you a good job
  
• Which companies/institutes are worth landing in for a good job/degree in Bioinformatics
  

and much more..


A Bioinformatician (also dubbed as Computational Bio-Scientist) can work on a broad spectrum of technologies. Major amongst them are:

a. Molecular Modelling and drug designing

b. Computational Systems Biology

c. Genomics, Proteomics and Metabolomics

d. Forensic scientist

e. Metagenomics researcher

f. Microarray analyst

These research areas/jobs are in-fact the hot topics in Industry and academia alike.

It is thus advised that, if you are targeting a career in Bioinformatics, your projects/internships should be inclined towards one/more of the above mentioned areas/positions. For instance, your project may be something like:

A. Drug Design


1) Selection and characterization of some disorder that you hypothesize/propose to be cured by the molecule/drug you would design in-silico.

2) Identifying  and validating a molecular target relevant to the disease.

3) Proposing an approach that could help identify the lead compounds for development of a drug for the disease you
selected. Post target validation, you would develop a specific biochemical, cell-based, or in silico assay.
Information courtesy: web.chem.ucsb.edu

B. Systems Biology

Systems biology is a broad field. Some typical examples of projects in this field can be:
1) Developing mathematical models for a microbial/human metabolic pathway
2) Metabolic flux analysis
3) Simulating a living cell/being

C. Genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics

These three fields are probably the most explored fields of bioinformatics. Typical projects may be like:

a. Genome annotation
b. Analysis of genome/proteome/transcriptome of a diseased person/subject
c. Identifying mutations/SNPs
d. Assembly of a genome

and many more

D. Forensic Scientist

In order to become a forensic scientist through Bioinformatics skills, one should be accustomed to DNA fingerprinting / analysis/extraction of DNA of vulnerable samples.

E. Metagenomics

Metagenomics has attracted the attention of scientific community lately. It refer to the study of DNA recovered directly from various types of environmental samples. The basic aim of metagenomic research remains to identify the microbes associated with an environment; and or various metabolic functions associated with the environment. It's one of the hottest topics of research, and to enter into this field, one can pursue projects like:

a). Identification of microbiota associated with a disease (like microbiota associated with lungs of a lung cancer patient).
b). Understanding various approaches to perform metagenomic analysis
c). Getting deep understanding of various tools used in metagenomic analysis.

F. Microarray Analyst
A microarray analyst as the name suggest would possess the skill set to analyse the complex data generated by microarrays. One would need to get internship in a lab where microarray based research is actively carried out.

Now, let's focus on the companies/institutes which can nurture your career in Bioinformatics:

1. IBM
2. TCS
3. WIPRO
4. RELIANCE
5. Procter and Gamble
6. Thermo Fisher
7. EMD Serono
8. Biocon
9. Merck
10. Boston Children's Hospital
11. Broad Institute
12. NUS
13. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
14. Beckman Coulter, Inc
15. Kynapse
16. IITs, IIITs, IISc
17. NIBR, Cambridge
18. Qiagen
19. Novartis
20. Thomson Reuters
21. Astra Zeneca
22. GVK Biosciences
23. Cell works
24. PREMIER Biosoft
25. Abott
26. Eli Lilly
27. GSK
28. Sanofi
29. Roche
30. Illumina
31. Pfizer
32. J&J
33. Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Boston University

I'll keep you posted of the updates.

All the best!

Sunil

Mere clearing GATE doesn't ensure the opening of gates to IITs/IISc. There remain few hurdles yet to be conquered. Once you clear GATE, and apply at various IITs, you get a call from the respective IITs for appearing for the screening tests to procure a seat at the given IIT.

The screening tests in most cases comprise of two stages:


A. Written test
B. Interview (LATEST Interview Experience of IIT Bombay and IISc by [b]Misal Rob: CLICK HERE[/b])

WRITTEN TEST
The stage of Written test is a bias free screening step. By bias free, I mean that even if you are GATE rank 1, you may be knocked out if you don't perform well in written test. I still remember the written test of IIT Kanpur wherein an aspirant who had GATE rank in Top 5, was knocked out after written test.

Different IITs have different patterns of written examination. IIT Bombay often basis it's written exam on the major subjects opted in 12th. Those with PCB background are drilled on Mathematics (11th and 12th standard); while those with PCM background are drilled on Biology. IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras set a mix of Aptitude, General Science and General Biology in written test. IIT Delhi mainly focuses on Biotechnological aspects (especially concepts pertaining to Enzymes, Bioreactors, Microbiology and Biochemistry). IIT Kharagpur often skips written test and one has to appear directly for interview. In most cases, IITs prescribe a pattern for their written tests as well once the dates of screening are announced.

INTERVIEW STAGE
I got the call for screening from all IITs, but due to clash and distance constraints I ended up appearing for only 3 IITs:
IIT Bombay
IIT Kanpur
IIT Delhi
Here I will brief you on the questions asked in the interview stage of the 3 IITs. One may read the complete details of my interview experiences at www.BiotechStudents.com (Exclusive --> My Story section). Links to the respective experiences are provided below:

IIT Bombay Interview:

I had cleared the written test for M.Tech in Biomedical Engineering at IIT Bombay. But I decided not to appear for the interview and rushed for appearing in the screening for M.Tech in Environmental Engineering at IITB. The key technical questions asked during the interview of IITB (Centre for Environmental Sciences and Engineering) were:

1. What is half life of a radioactive element?
2. Derive the formula for the same.
3. Why Carbon monoxide is harmful?
4. Why do we exhale carbon dioxide?
5. You didn't study Mathematics in 12th. How about that?

Read the Full Experience of IIT BOMBAY INTERVIEW HERE

LATEST (2016) Experience of IIT BOMBAY BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING INTERVIEW HERE

IIT Kanpur Interview:

I had cleared the written test of IIT Kanpur as well, but despite being a 99.6 percentiler, I failed in the interview. The questions asked in the IIT Kanpur interview were:

1. Who taught you Downstream Processing in your college?
2. Can you tell any other mode of modulating the out put of an ion-exchange chromatography, apart from stationary phase and temperature?
3. Can you tell the mathematical reason of the fact that small molecules elute later on Gel permeation chromatography?
4. An on-board problem on PCR.
FIND OUT HERE: How I failed the IIT KANPUR Interview?

IIT Delhi Interview:


We got a surprise at IIT Delhi: We were exempted from written test! The questions asked later in the IIT Delhi interview were:


1. What made you land up in Lovely Professional University?
2. Which Book(s) did you follow for Microbiology and Biochemistry?
3. Can you draw the structures of basic units of starch and cellulose?
4. What do you understand by specific activity of an enzyme?.
5. What is 1 unit of an enzyme?
6. Reasons and significance of structural differences in Starch and Cellulose?
7. What is chemostat and washout?
My Complete IIT DELHI Interview Experience: Click HERE

I hope that these experiences help you guys in preparing well for the next stage of GATE, and eventually landing in an IIT/College of your choice.

All the best!

In case of any query, feel free to post your comments underneath.

Best wishes!
Sunil

---

---

Misal Rob Shares his Poste GATE Biotech interview experience at IIT Bombay

This article came out of the realization that hundreds and thousands of students enrolled in Physics, Chemistry and Biology as major subjects in 12th class (High School) remain confused/worried about their future/career. So, I am writing this article to satiate this particular need of yours. I hope it helps in some way to relieve the confusion and worries of emerging students of Biotechnology.

In order to keep it simple, let's go step by step towards this decision making process.

Step 1: Understanding Biotechnology
Before jumping into the field of Biotechnology for pursuing a career, you need to be aware of what this field is all about--it's history, it's evolution, it's branches, it's applications, various industries, and obviously the scope of Biotechnology. Following is a video lecture from CEC UGC which I'm sure will help you in going through this step of understanding Biotechnology. Once you thoroughly watch this video, you will be in a state where you will be able to synchronize your mind with your interests:

(You are suggested to make notes of various branches of Biotechnology which can provide a career opportunity, while you watch this video)


Let's jot down key fields of Biotechnology wherein you can put your steps for a career:
1. Microbiology
2. Agricultural Biotechnology
3. Genetic Engineering
4. Clinical Research
5. Biochemical Engineering
6. Immunology (Biotechnology in fighting/diagnosing disease)
7. Food Biotechnology
8. Veterinary Sciences
9. Biomedical Engineering (artificial organs/synthetic organs/bio-instruments)
10. Bioinformatics (Computational Biology)
11. Marine Biology (Life in oceans)
12. Extra-terrestrial Biology (Life in space)
13. Environmental Biotechnology
14. Nano-Biotechnology (an emerging field with applications in Health Research and Diagnostics)

Step 2: Choosing between ENGINEERING and SCIENCE
Having made your mind about entering the field of Biotechnology with an aim to get into one or two of the above branches for specialization, your next question to yourself should be:
Whether I want to be an Engineering student or a Science student. The basic difference between an Engineering and Science student is that (a) An engineering student goes through a rigorous curriculum of learning all fields of technology along-with the core field of Biotechnology. In other words, as an engineering student, you will be expected to study subjects pertaining to Electrical, Mechanics, Design, Computer programming, Engineering Mathematics etc alongwith the subjects of Biotechnology. There is equal focus on practical knowledge of all the technologies, including your core field. B.Tech/ B.Engg./ M.Tech/ M.Engg. are the degrees that lead to an Engineering student. An engineering degree keeps you open for Non-core jobs as well, considering the fact that you have had enough exposure to all technologies during the degree. (b) A science student on the other hand is focussed more towards the core technology with deep emphasis on theory and practical of your own field only i.e Biotechnology/related subject. More often, a science student is inclined towards theoretical details of all subjects related to his/her degree. Degrees leading to a Science student are BSc/MSc. Getting a non-core job after a science degree is very difficult for the obvious reasons. If you want to become a teacher, then you can choose a Science degree without any hiccup.

Step 3: Choosing the appropriate degree to meet your interests/goals
Having made your mind about your career interest and whether you want to be an engineering student or a science student, the next step is deciding the degree to pursue. Following figure summarizes the various possible degrees that you can opt for. Image is taken from the Article: Career Oriented Courses in Life Science and Biotechnology published on www.BiotechStudents.com.

Step 4: Choosing the College/Entrance Exam
The next step towards your career decision should be: Choosing the college / Entrance exam you want to go for. This decision is greatly dependent upon your academic performance in 12th exams. Reason being the fact that, most of the "Good" colleges in India have stringent cut-offs in terms of 12th marks. So, it's advisable that one remains diligent and prolific in 11th and 12th standard. In fact, your performance in 12th standard has a profound impact on your eligibility for JOBS and HIGHER STUDIES later in your career.
Following is a list of competitive exams and colleges one can opt for a degee in Biotechnology:

• AIIMS Biotechnology Entrance Exam
  
• JEE (For colleges across the country): and for all IITs
  
• Combined Biotechnology Entrance Examination (CBEEE)
  
• Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test
  
• University Of Rajasthan , Jaipur: PET and JEE
  
• Punjab University, Chandigarh : JEE
  
• GNDU, Amritsar : JEE and own entrance test
  
• University of Kerala
  
• Bharathiar University
  
• Jamia Milia Islamia
  
• Bhartiya Vidyapeeth Pune
  
• Bansthali
  
• Visverswaraih Technological University, Karnataka
  
• Various colleges of Delhi University
  
• Thapar University
  
• IIIT Hyderabad (JEE, Own test)
  
• Gulbarga University, Jnana ganga
  
• Aligarh Muslim University
  
• Osmania University
  
• Annamalai University
  
• NITs (JEE)
  
• BHU
  
• Goa University Biotechnology Entrance Examination
  
• J.N.C.S.R (Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research)
  
• J.N.T.U (Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University)
  
• M.K.U (Madurai Kamaraj University
  
• University of Hyderabad
  
• Sastra University
  
• University of Kashmir
  
• Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology
  
• RGPV
  
• Khalsa College Chandigarh
  
• DCE
  
• All India Pre-Veterinary Test AIPVT 2015
  
  

All these colleges offer undergraduate and post-graduate courses. Many of these offer seats on first come first serve basis as well. Some of the colleges like DU have stringent cut-offs for 12th marks.

I hope these suggestions will help you in making a wise decision for a career in Biotechnology right from the beginning.



If there is any other information needed, do let me know.


All the best

Sunil

GATE BT 2017 Solutions,  Answers, Discussion and Answer keys  shared here....

#GATE Biotechnology 2017
#GATE Biotechnology Solutions
#GATE Biotechnology Answer key
#GATE BT
#GATE Biotech

hi, i am a student of biotech from mumbai. I want to go to goa for my industrial visit so i need a list of all biotech related companies in goa. Can someone please help me.

Peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) is an analytical technique for protein identification. Basically, the unknown protein of interest is first cleaved into smaller peptides, whose absolute masses can be accurately measured with a mass spectrometer such as MALDI-TOF or ESI-TOF.
The advantage of PMF method is that only the masses of the peptides is need to be known, while time-consuming de novo peptide sequencing is then unnecessary, as long as the protein sequence is present in the database of interest.

GATE 2016 is on the cards now, and the lines for application are expected to open in Sep-Oct 2015. GATE, undoubtedly is the most sought after exams for admission in IITs and IISc and other top notch colleges in India and abroad. This article is thus aimed at providing you up to date information on GATE BT 2016.

 

 
Scholarship through GATE

 
 
GATE 2016 Organizer
 
 
Recommended Books for GATE BT 2016
 
Please click this link : http://in.biotechstudents.com/gate-biotechnology-subjects-books/ to find the complete detail on important subjects and books to follow for GATE Biotechnology 2016.
 
Important Topics for GATE BT 2016
One may refer the article: http://in.biotechstudents.com/gatebt-crucial-topics/ to find the list of crucial 25 topics for GATE BT 2016 preparations. The topics are compiled after a comprehensive analysis of previous year papers of GATE BT.
 
We will keep you posted of all the important updates on GATE BT 2016 under this thread. Keep watching this space for staying up to date! It's recommended to “subscribe to this thread”, once you comment under this thread, which will help you to get regular emails about any activity on this thread.
 
All the Best!
 
Best Wishes!
Sunil Nagpal

---

Question Posted by >> dipak0mukherjee


I am now in third year and 6th semester is coming on May. I have started preparation for Gate BT 2016..as I have only one year...I have checked the year wise list of conducting gate institutes...and from this I have guessed that IISC Bangalore will conduct gate 2016..But my question is as IISC Bangalore has ug courses in B.Sc biology courses..so how should I prepare myself..as there are so many subjects like neurobiology, hormones and endocrine system   and if questions will come from those topics then it will create problem as these topics are not in gate bt syllabus..plz help...

Cellulose nanocrystals are an emerging class of nanomaterials which are attracting attention for a number of possible applications owing to desirable properties. These include their renewable starting materials, such as tunicin, bacterial or algal cellulose or wood pulp, their relatively low production costs and their biodegradability and biocompatibility. They also have desirable physical properties, including high water absorption capacity, mechanical strength, and stiffness. As a result, cellulose nanocrystals are being investigated for potential use in medical materials such as hydrogels, drug-delivery vehicles and wound dressings and in optical films. However, in a new review of the cellulose nanocrystals toxicity literature, published in the journal Industrial Biotechnology, Prof Maren Roman of Virginia Tech suggests that potential adverse health effects of cellulose nanocrystals may be influenced by, for example, exposure routes and that further study is needed before conclusions on non-toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals can be drawn.

Prof Roman reviewed the published literature on effects of cellulose nanocrystals on the respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, skin, and cells. Studies on oral and dermal toxicity had mainly concluded that cellulose nanocrystals lack adverse effects. However, Prof Roman cautions that additional studies required to validate the general conclusion that cellulose nanocrystals are nontoxic on ingestion or skin contact, as the number of studies so far published is very small.

Oral toxicity is assessed in terms of adverse health effects due to entrance into the orogastrointestinal tract, consisting of the oral cavity, the oesophagus, the stomach, and the small and large intestine, through the mouth. While most studies suggest that the nanoparticles pass through the tract and are eliminated via the faeces, some have demonstrated gastrointestinal barrier permeation by micro- and nanoparticles. Prof Roman explained that the size, electrostatic properties, molecular structure, and pH of cellulose nanocrystals properties make it unlikely that they would penetrate the gastrointestinal barrier, but she also noted that only two studies have been published on oral toxicity specifically of cellulose nanocrystals. In terms of dermal toxicity, the three published studies on cellulose nanocrystals toxicity did not indicate any skin sensitization or tissue damage.

For respiratory toxicity, it seems that the body can clear particles from the nasal–pharyngeal–laryngeal (NPL) region to the mouth via the mucociliary escalator. Particles deposited in the alveolar region, by contrast, are cleared primarily by immune cells called alveolar macrophages through phagocytosis, a process by which particles are engulfed and degraded. Very few studies have been published on respiratory toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals, however. Early studies suggested that tissue damage and inflammation were dependent on the form in which the nanocrystals were prepared and delivered, i.e. via dry powder versus suspension in a carrier liquid. While a later study on rats showed no ill effects from inhaled aerosolized cellulose nanocrystals, Prof Roman pointed out that the study did not involve characterization of the aerosolized particles in terms of size, shape and surface charge.

Studies on cytotoxicity of cellulose nanocrystals have been discordant. Most suggest that cellulose nanocrystals are not toxic to cells, however dose is important. Human cells, such as from the brain, throat, and eye, and cells from other animals have been studied. Prof Roman commented: "The discrepancies in the results are not surprising considering that the studies all used different cell lines, cellulose sources, preparation procedures, and post-processing or sample preparation methods." She also pointed out that many studies did not take account of other chemicals that could be present from the processing. She concluded: "Only by careful particle characterization and exclusion of interfering factors will we be able to develop a detailed understanding of the potential adverse health effects of cellulose nanocrystals."

References
Roman M. Toxicity of Cellulose Nanocrystals: A Review. Industrial Biotechnology (2015) 11(1): 25-33. doi:10.1089/ind.2014.0024.

Press release available at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/vt-msn030915.php
 

2nd International Conference and Exhibition on Biotechnology

Organisers: Bright International Conferences & Events Organization
Dates: 03-04 August, 2015
Location: Leonia International Centre for Exhibitions & Conventions, Hyderabad, India

Website:  http://brightice.co.in/biotechnology2015.html
The website gives all the necessary information on abstract submission, fees, registration, conference agenda, hotel, exhibitions and other important facts.

Conference theme
"Harnessing the current research in Biotechnology"

Purpose of the conference
The conference aims to ‘strengthen co-operation between relevant organizations and built networks between scientists, researchers, practitioners, students and business executives from around the world to discuss and share the latest knowledge in latest Science & Technology’. The conference offers speaker & young speaker presentation opportunities, poster presentation opportunities and sponsorship & exhibition opportunities. It also offers networking opportunities, including online partnering software available prior to the event and networking events during the conference.

Topics:

• Microbial & Biochemical Technology
  
• Petroleum & Environmental Biotechnology
  
• Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
  
• Biotechnology and Its Applications
  
• Bioremediation & Biodegradation
  
• Food Biotechnology
  
• Medical Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering
  
• Regulatory and Economical Aspects In Biotechnology
  
• Stem Cell Research & Therapy
  
• Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  
  

Publication opportunity
Abstracts will be published in International Journal of Microbiology and Allied Sciences (IJOMAS).

Who are the organisers?
BRIGHT International Conferences & Events were established in 2012. Their stated vision is to strengthen “co-operation between organizations & scientific research communities, practitioners, students & business fraternity to build a strong network to share latest development in the field of life sciences, biotechnology, healthcare & relevant subjects.” Their stated mission is to organise “various global conferences with a sincere dedicated approach to provide extensive platform in the field of life sciences & technology, inviting global scientific fraternity, industries, students community to share their valuable, latest developments in the relevant core subjects.” Further details can be found on their website: http://brightice.co.in/

6th World Congress on Biotechnology

Organisers: OMICS Group International
Dates: October 05-07, 2015
Location: Crowne Plaza, Twin District Centre Rohini, New Delhi, India

Website:  http://www.biotechnologycongress.com/india/
The website gives all the necessary information on abstract submission, fees, registration, conference agenda, hotel, exhibitions and other important facts.

Conference theme
"Biotechnology: Meeting the Needs of a Changing World."

Purpose of the conference
The conference aims to facilitate the bringing together of  worldwide experts, researchers and decision makers from academia, Biotech, Pharmaceutical and healthcare industry to exchange their knowledge, experience and research innovations and build a biotechnology community. This forum enables a common platform where any participant can discuss their research in order to establish a scientific network that binds industry and academia together to foster collaboration and to evaluate emerging issues, technologies and innovations in the arena of biotechnology and allied fields to explore new possibilities and improve the existing opportunities.

Topics:

• Biotechnology in Agriculture
  
• Biotechnology in Health Care
  
• Food and Bioprocess Technology
  
• Cancer and Genomics Research
  
• Genetic Engineering and rDNA Technology
  
• Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular biology
  
• Microbiology and Microbial World
  
• Animal Biotechnology and Cell Culture
  
• Bioinformatics and Biosensor
  
• Environmental Biotechnology and sustainable development
  
• Aquaculture and Marine Biotechnology
  
• Current Scenario of Biotechnology
  
• Tissue science and engineering
  
  

Publication opportunity
All accepted abstracts will be published in respective OMICS Group Journals
 
Who are the organisers?
OMICS Group International is an amalgamation of Open Access publications and worldwide international science conferences and events. They were established in 2007 with the aim of making the sciences and technology information ‘Open Access’. They publish 300 online open access scholarly journals in all aspects of Science, Engineering, Management and Technology. Their main stakeholders are Research Scholars, Students, Libraries, Educational Institutions, Research centres and the industry. They organise 100 International conferences annually where knowledge transfer takes place through debates, round table discussions, poster presentations, workshops, symposia and exhibitions.

Researchers have exploited the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system, used by bacteria to protect themselves against viruses, to help human cells resist and fight against HIV infection. The study is published today in the journal Nature Communications. It comes from a research team based in the Salk Institute in California, the Iowa State University and the University of Tsukuba in Japan, led by Prof Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, of Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory.

CRISPR works along with CRISPR-associated genes (Cas) to create site-specific double-stranded breaks in DNA of hostile viruses.  Prof Izpisua Belmonte said "Evolution has led to some of the most astonishing mechanisms for protecting organisms against their natural pathogens. Understanding the immune responses by which bacteria protect themselves against viral infections has allowed us to engineer novel platforms for the targeting of devastating viruses, such as HIV, in human patients."

In the current study, the research team adapted the CRISPR/Cas9 system to human cells to try to develop a strategy to overcome the issue of latent HIV infection. CRISPR uses guide RNAs to dictate the location of the DNA cuts. The researchers developed guide RNAs specific to unique spots on the HIV virus and added CRISPR, the guide RNAs and other necessary molecules to immune cells that had been infected with HIV. The results indicated that that CRISPR successfully cut and inactivated the virus, resulting in complete virus removal from up to 72% of cells. Importantly, the CRISPR could disrupt latently integrated viral genome. The authors suggested that their system would provide ‘long-term adaptive defence against new viral infection, expression and replication in human cells’. The work extended previous studies showing that CRISPR was active against shortened, inactive forms of HIV to show that it was effective against full-length, active HIV and could, as first author  Hsin-Kai (Ken) Liao of the Izpisua Belmonte lab pointed out, “actually excise the virus out of the human genome."

The researchers also tested whether CRISPR would have a prophylactic effect by adding it to human cells prior to HIV infection. The results showed that CRISPR targeted copies of the virus before they began to replicate, preventing infection. Prof Izpisua Belmonte commented: "The main advantage of this technology is not only that viral DNA integrated into the human genome can be eliminated but perhaps, most importantly, the prophylactic application. By eliminating the virus at the early steps of its life cycle, we can altogether prevent the infection of human cells in an analogous manner to how conventional vaccines work."

The team engineered human induced pluripotent stem cells that stably expressed HIV-targeted CRISPR/Cas9 and showed that they could be differentiated into different types of HIV reservoir cells, all with HIV resistance. However, further research is required into how the technology could be used in human patients. It is also vital to determine whether rapid HIV evolution will lead to escape from CRISPR. With that in mind, the team is studying the effectiveness of adding more guiding RNAs to the CRISPR mix, allowing recognition of a greater range of cut sites. "The HIV virus can mutate very quickly," said Liao. "If we target multiple regions at the same time, we reduce the chance that the virus can develop resistance." The research continues into this promising new anti-viral therapeutic strategy.

References
Liao H-K, Gu Y, Diaz A, Marlett J,                Takahashi Y, Li M, Suzuki K, Xu R, Hishida T, Chang C-J, Rodriguez Esteban C, Young J, Izpisua Belmonte JC. Use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system as an intracellular defense against HIV-1 infection in human cells. Nature Communications (2015) 6, Article number: 6413 doi:10.1038/ncomms7413

Press release available at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/si-csc030915.php

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex psychiatric disorder which is particularly challenging to study given the presence or trigger of a traumatic event, for example serving in a combat zone. Researchers have succeeded in a new study in identifying discrete groups of co-regulated genes associated with PTSD development in blood samples from U.S. Marines before and after deployment in combat zones. The relevant genes are associated with immune responsiveness.

The study comes from researchers at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in New York and the United Kingdom. Co-senior author Dr Christopher H. Woelk, reader in genomics and bioinformatics at University of Southampton and assistant adjunct professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, explained: "The odds of obtaining a sample both before and after a traumatic event are incredibly small. Under this experimental design, not only can we identify differences between U.S. Marines with PTSD and without, but we can go back in time, so to speak, to see if any of the Marines who eventually developed PTSD contain prognostic signatures that might be indicative of eventual PTSD emergence. In this vein, we are able to start labeling findings as being putatively 'causal' in nature." The study is published in an advanced online version in the March 10 issue of the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

In the study, the research team used a system called whole-transcriptome RNA-Seq gene expression to examine gene expression from blood leukocyte samples taken from 188 U.S. Marines both pre- and post-deployment to conflict zones. The researchers identified discrete co-expression modules (groups of co-regulated genes). One module was identified at both pre- and post-deployment as containing proposed causal PTSD development signatures. This module was enriched in innate-immune response and interferon-signalling genes. Interferons are normally released by host cells in response to infections. The results were replicated in a second independent sample of 96 U.S. Marines. A second module was identified post-deployment containing PTSD resiliency signatures. This module was rich in genes associated with haemostasis and wound healing.

Co-author Dr Dewleen G. Baker of the VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health and Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego commented:  "What's interesting is that molecular signatures of innate immunity and interferon signaling were identified both after developing PTSD as well as before developing PTSD. The question to ask is what's stimulating an interferon response prior to PTSD development. The answer could be any number of factors, ranging from a simple explanation of increased anticipatory stress prior to deployment or more complex scenarios where individuals may have a higher viral load. It's a question for future studies."
The researchers conclude that their findings suggest two lines of further enquiry. The first would be development of a blood panel of predictive biomarkers for identification of individuals at greater risk of PTSD development. The second would be utilising the molecular information from blood samples for design of targeted therapies for either treatment or prevention of PTSD.

References
Breen MS, Maihofer AX, Glatt SJ, Tylee DS, Chandler SD, Tsuang MT, Risbrough VB, Baker DG, O'Connor DT, Nievergelt CM, Woelk CH. Gene networks specific for innate immunity define post-traumatic stress disorder. Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication 10 March 2015; doi: 10.1038/mp.2015.9

Press release available at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/uoc--gnf030415.php

There is currently widespread interest in development and implementation of strategies to improve crop productivity and address worldwide food-security concerns. One long-standing research challenge in this field has been the task of enhancing catalysis of the photosynthetic CO2-fixing plant enzyme Rubisco. Rubisco is the most abundant protein on Earth and is responsible for conversion of carbon dioxide to organic compounds. However, Rubisco is famously inefficient in its enzyme activity.

A new study from scientists based in the Australian National University and in the University of Wollongong, also in Australia, may have come up with the solution. The research team used genetic engineering to introduce a modified version of one of Rubisco's partner chaperone proteins, RAF1. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Rubisco and RAF-1 had evolved together and when modified Rubisco is introduced into plants, it requires a complementary modified RAF-1. When both modified tobacco Rubisco and RAF-1 were introduced into the model Arabidopsis plant, plants were produced that had increased Rubisco biogenesis and improved leaf phosynthesis and growth. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The current study results suggest that the issues encountered in improving Rubisco performance in other studies may have arisen from misunderstanding of how highly complex the structure of Rubisco is. The enzyme has 16 pieces that requires the assistance of more than 12 other proteins, including the RAF-1 chaperone, for correct assembly. Research team leader Dr Spencer Whitney of the Australian National University explained the significance of the study in terms of food-security: "Understanding the partnership with RAF1 has important implications with regard to ongoing efforts to accelerate the sluggish activity of Rubisco - a key goal for improving crop productivity. In a world with increasing demands for food, this is a milestone towards increasing the photosynthetic rate in crop plants that rely heavily on Rubisco." These would include staple food crops such as wheat and rice, as well as other important commercial crops such as cotton. Dr Whitney added: "The finding also explains why our prior attempts to insert more efficient versions of Rubisco from some algae into plant leaves have failed - they require different chaperones to those available in leaf cells."

The authors concluded that the outcomes of their study: “have application to the growing interest into identifying and implementing strategies to supercharge photosynthesis to improve crop productivity and stem global food-security concerns.”

Reference: Whitney SM, Birch R, Kelso C, Beck JL, Kapralov MV. Improving recombinant Rubisco biogenesis, plant photosynthesis and growth by coexpressing its ancillary RAF1 chaperone. PNAS (Early edition) (2015). doi: 10.1073/pnas.1420536112

Press release available at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/anu-spo030215.php
 
 

Results of a phase 3 clinical trial of a new testosterone nasal gel called Natesto were presented on Saturday 7th March at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego. The gel is manufactured by Trimel Pharmaceuticals and the phase 3 results indicate that it raises low testosterone levels in men to normal, with few side effects. Lead study author Dr Alan Rogol of the University of Virginia and a consultant to Trimel said: "The unique delivery system makes this a convenient and easy-to-use, self-administered form of testosterone to treat adult males with hypogonadism [low testosterone]. Also important is that intranasal testosterone minimizes the risk of unwanted secondary exposure of testosterone to women or children." The latter point is important as there is a risk of transfer to others from testosterone products applied to the skin. Natesto, on the other hand, is designed to be administered in specified amounts by a multiple-dose pump dispenser applied to the nostrils.

Natesto was approved last May by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In the phase 3 trial presented at the Endocrine Society meeting, effectiveness and safety of the nasal gel was assessed in 306 men with hypogonadism attending 39 U.S. outpatient centres. Men were randomly assigned to use Natesto for 90 days in both nostrils either twice a day (228 men) or three times a day (78 men) in order to determine the most effective dose. They remained on the drug for another 90 or 180 days for evaluation of both tolerance and effects of treatment.

The results indicated that after 90 days, blood testosterone levels were in the normal range for 90% of the men who applied the gel three times a day as opposed to 71% of the twice-daily users. This informed the decision of Trimel to recommend dosing of three times a day in each nostril, to achieve a total daily dose of 33 mg. No serious adverse effects were noted in either dosing group and rates of problems of tolerance of the gel were low, with 3.7% of the thrice-daily users discontinuing the drug due to side-effects. Treatment results in significantly improved erectile function and mood. 84% of the 99 men who completed a survey on their experience with the drug, reported feeling confident that they were correctly using the applicator within two days of beginning treatment. Dr Rogol concluded: "These results indicate that testosterone nasal gel is an effective and practical alternative to other available testosterone replacement therapy products."

Reference: Rogol A. A Novel Testosterone Nasal Gel Formulation Normalizes Androgen Levels in Hypogonadal Men. Presented March 7 2013, The Endocrine Society's 97th Annual Meeting (San Diego).

Press release available at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/tes-tng030615.php

A new ‘heart-on-a-chip’ system may provide a highly effective in vitro model for screening of cardiovascular medications and for testing cardiotoxicity of other pharmaceuticals, according to a new study in the journal Scientific Reports. The cardiac microphysiological system (MPS) was developed by a research team led by bioengineering professor Kevin Healy of the University of California at Berkeley.

Currently, new drug development relies heavily on animal models and animal-derived cell lines. This makes the process inefficient and expensive, as inter-species differences in key biological pathways and pharmacokinetic properties mean that animal models cannot completely mimic human physiology. Ion channels, for example, are key for conducting cardiac electrical currents and can vary widely in type and number between humans and animals. Prof Healy explained: "Many cardiovascular drugs target those channels, so these differences often result in inefficient and costly experiments that do not provide accurate answers about the toxicity of a drug in humans." These types of differences lead to issues including inaccurate prediction of human cardiotoxicity of new drugs. As a result, about one third of pharmaceuticals withdrawals due to safety concerns are related to cardiotoxicity. On average, a new drug takes 10-15 years and approximately $5 billion to produce, with many of the costs being incurred in the preclinical and clinical development. The current study aimed to address the gap in availability of reliable in vitro systems based on a human genetic background for prediction of cardiac effects of drugs.

In the current study, the research team used human induced pluripotent stem cells to derive human cardiac tissue. Differentiated human heart cells were added to the loading area of the cardiac MPS structure, which was designed to be comparable to the geometry and spacing of connective tissue fibres in a human heart. Microfluidic channels were used as models for blood vessels, to mimic nutrient and drug exchange by diffusion. The confined geometry of the system allowed cells to be aligned in multiple layers and in a single direction, making it physiologically relevant. Lead author Anurag Mathur, a postdoctoral scholar in Prof Healy's lab explained: "This system is not a simple cell culture where tissue is being bathed in a static bath of liquid. We designed this system so that it is dynamic; it replicates how tissue in our bodies actually gets exposed to nutrients and drugs."

Within 24 hours of loading the heart cells, they began beating independently at a normal physiological rate of 55 to 80 beats per minute. In order to test the responsiveness of their system, the research team used four well-characterised cardiovascular drugs, namely isoproterenol, E-4031, verapamil and metoprolol and measured changes in the heart tissue's beat rate. Beat rate changes were predictable and consistent with data on tissue scale references as opposed to cellular scale studies.

The study authors noted, for example, that the system could be adapted for modelling of human genetic diseases or for individual drug screening. They are also interested in the system’s potential for study of multi-organ interactions. They envisage accommodating hundreds of microphysiological cell culture systems on a single standard tissue culture plate. Prof Healy explained: "Linking heart and liver tissue would allow us to determine whether a drug that initially works fine in the heart might later be metabolized by the liver in a way that would be toxic." The viability and functionality of the engineered heart tissue over many weeks adds to the system’s versatility and suggest that the system could be used for assessing various drugs. In conclusion, the authors of the study: “anticipate the widespread adoption of MPSs for drug screening and disease modelling.”

Reference: Mathur A. et al. (2015).  Human iPSC-based Cardiac Microphysiological System for Drug Screening Applications. Scientific Reports  5, Article number: 8883. doi:10.1038/srep08883

Press release available at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/uoc--bph030615.php