Ongoing biotechnological projects and areas of research

The biotechnology is going to play a major role in the following areas of research and technology:

Production of bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers- this will reduce the dependency on chemical pesticides and will safeguard the environment.
Production of photosynthetically efficient plants- this will solve the relevant energy related issues.
Production of transgenic animals as bioreactors for producing valuable drugs- This area has generated a lot of debate as there are concerns regarding the interaction of these transgenic animals with the environment and the consequences under certain conditions e.g if these undergo spontaneous mutations.
Human Gene Therapy- excellent alternative in medicine to cure certain diseases at genetic level.
Production of plants resistant to herbicides, viruses, insects and other pests- This approach will not only reduce the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides but will increase the crop productivity as well.
Production of diagnosis kits for toxoplasmosis identification.
Production of monoclonal antibodies for organ transplant tissue typing- This will help to reduce the failure rates of graft/tissue rejection.
Production of human interferons microbiologically.
Production of human insulin microbiologically- an alternative treatment for diabetics.
Production of xanthan gum in oil fields for enhanced crude oil recovery.
Microbiological upgradation of hydrocarbons.
Production of ethanol by continuous fermentation.
Bioprocessing alkenes to valuable oxides and glycols.
Production of fructose using inexpensive forms of glucose.
Improved production of Vit B12.
Developing immobilized cell and enzyme systems to use in chemical process industries.
To use genetic engineering for constructing organisms with desirable traits for their use in specific industries.