Biotechnology Programmes

DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

The scope of biotechnology is never ending as the power to alter life has just seen its beginning. The field of biotechnology is steadily growing in India – we are among the top 12 destinations for biotechnology education in the world, and hold nearly 3% share in the global Biotechnology industry (Source : investindia.gov.in, 2021).

The Department of Biotechnology at JIIT, NOIDA, established in 2002, remains committed to provide innovative research-informed teaching and learning, and vibrant R & D environment. Faculty with rich research exposure in academia and industry both in India and abroad contributes to the department academic core.

In response to continuously evolving technology and industry needs, curriculum is designed to impart skill sets enabling adaptation to academia, research, and industry. The curriculum provides engineering interface and integrates core subject area knowledge with professional development; focusing on entrepreneurship, analytical and research skills. Students undertake basic courses in genetics, molecular biology, genetic engineering and plant and animal tissue culture as well as specialised courses such as genetic screening and personalised medicine, bioprocess engineering and industrial microbiology, immunotechnology, nanotechnology and biosensors, as electives. Two minor projects of duration of one semester and one major project of two semesters duration help the students in transforming their theoretical knowledge to practical applications (Detailed curriculum : http://www.jiit.ac.in/curriculum-structure-%E2%80%93-4-years-btech-biote...).

Flexible credit based systems and option to choose from diverse elective subjects provide a wonderful opportunity to the students to broaden their knowledge and also obtain proficiency certificates in areas such as Industrial Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology, Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Environmental Biotechnology and Food Biotechnology. Students can also opt for Minor specialization in other branches of Engineering like Computer Science and Engineering and Information Technology, by opting for some extra credits.

The program is fully supported by excellent laboratories for all the core courses like Genetics, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Fermentation and Bioprocess Lab, Bioinformatics and some advanced laboratories such as Transcriptomics lab, Nanotechnology and Drug Delivery, Plant and Animal cell culture labs sponsored by external funding agencies. These labs are equipped with state-of-the-art instruments to encourage students to follow the trajectory of biotechnology experimentation during practical classes and projects. Institutional Bio-safety Committee (IBSC) and Institutional Ethical Committee (IEC) are in place as per mandatory requirement of Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, to generate awareness and monitor bio-safety aspects and regulations. (Link to Laboratories page: http://www.jiit.ac.in/biotechnology-laboratories)

THRUST AREAS OF THE DEPARTMENT

The departmental research is broadly segregated into two Centres as below:

Center of Excellence in Emerging Diseases

“Centre of Excellence in Emerging Diseases” addresses the questions of molecular mechanism/pathogenesis/host pathogen interactions of emerging and re-emerging viral (Chikungunya & Chandipura) and bacterial pathogens (Mycobacterium and others) and life style diseases such as obesity & diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and CNS disorders using both wet laboratory and tools of computational biology/bioinformatics (genomics, proteomics and evolutionary approaches). Research emphasis is also on peptide based therapeutics, regulatory peptides, biosensor and ELISA based diagnostics, and drug encapsulated nanoparticles and nanoemulsions.

Thrust area includes

Disease and Omics Technology
Bioinformatics
Nanotechnology
Industrial Biotechnology
Medical Biotechnology
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

(Link to Centre organisation and activities: Cick Here

Center of Excellence in Plant & Microbial Biotechnology

Plant & Microbial Biotechnology group addresses growing concern over environmental pollution, depleting natural resources and increasing demand of natural bio-products of therapeutic and industrial importance (food flavours-microbial production of Vanillin and probiotics; enzymes -Laccase, protease, tannase, polyphenol oxidase, keratinase from microbial sources, biosynthesis of chitosan, cellulose from microbial sources for bioprocess applications, bio-inoculants of plant and microbial origin for plant growth promotion and antibiosis, microbial remediation of organophosphate pesticides, biocatalyst for the removal of nitrogen and sulphur from petroleum products, phytoremediation of heavy metals-copper (Cu) and lead (Pb); screening for antimicrobial compounds-peptides/antibiotics).

Thrust area includes

Bioremediation
Bioresources
Environmental Biotechnology
Plant and Agriculture Biotechnology
Pro- and Prebiotics
Food Biotechnology
Microbial Biotechnology

(Link to Centre organisation and activities: Cick Here

Centre for Technology Solutions for Soil & Water Remediation

Rapid industrialization, increased productivity demands and environmentally inappropriate human activities continuously challenge natural resources including Soil, Air, & Water. Multiple pollutants generated as refuse/effluent present serious environmental threats. Biotechnology offers economical and safe solutions to restore Soil, & Water quality through application of a choice of plants & microbes. At Center, we aim to address issues of soil & water pollution broadly subdivided into three subdivisions namely: MAR - Microbe Assisted Remediation, PAR - Plant Assisted Remediation, EAR – Enzyme Assisted Remediation. In MAR, Bacteria & Fungi with proven bioremediation capabilities would be employed for clean-up processes in soil / water environments. Under PAR, chosen phytoremediator plants will be applied to decontaminate soil/water of organic and inorganic pollutants. EAR focuses on Metabolites & Enzymes derived from Plants or microbes, developing them as formulations (nano/micro) for bioremediation.

(Link to Centre organisation and activities: Click Here

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION SUMMARY

The research emphasis is reflected in the active doctoral program (66 students pursuing PhD and 37 completed), publications in international/national journals, and sponsored research projects totalling approximately INR-9.44 Cr from premier national funding agencies namely, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and Department of AYUSH.

Here is the research output from the last five years

Type of Publication	Count (Last 5 years)
International Journals	188
National Journals	8
International conferences	243
National conferences	15
Book/Book Chapters	36
GenBank Submissions	37
Patents	10

Publication profile of the department - Click Here

Given below is a snapshot of the ongoing research projects ongoing in the department

Sr. No.	Title of the Project	Duration	Funding Agency	Sanctioned Fund (Lakh)	Investigator/s
1	Design and fabrication of amperometric enzyme sensors for the detection of parabens	3 years (from 19th July 2021)	Department of Biotechnology, Government of India	34.77 lakh	Prof. Pammi Gauba & Dr. Ashwani Mathur
2	Evaluation of the production strategies, nutritional value and therapeutic properties of probiotic Seabuckthorn juice	2021-2023	Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India and Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), Egypt.	12 (from Indian Scientist only; Separate for Egypt Scientist)	PI: Prof. Pammi Gauba, Ashwani Mathur (India) jointly with Prof. Shoby El-Sohaimy, ARID Lands Cultivation Research Institute, SARTA City, Egypt
3	Nose to brain delivery of surface-modified drug loaded PLGA nanoparticles for management of Trigeminal Neuralgia.: Delhi, Grant Value: INR lakhs, ()	2020-2023	ICMR	40.6	PI: Dr. Shweta Dang; Co-PI: Dr. Pammi Gauba. Co Pi: Dr Amit Tyagi, INMAS,
4	Evaluation of the heavy metals content in market samples of plant raw drugs used in Ayurveda.	2017-2021	AYUSH	41.1	PI: Dr. Pammi Gauba
5	Application of customized PGPM based formulations for reclamation of soil permeated with Organophosphate pesticide residues.	2017-2020	DBT	62.1	PI: Dr. S Krishna Sundari Co-PI: Dr. Sudha Srivastava
6	Investigating microRNAs as the Next Generation Therapeutic Targets in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.	2018-2021	SERB-DST	40	PI: Dr. Vibha Rani
7	Developing Functional bacterial cellulose composites as immobilization matrix	2019-2021	Council of Science and Technology U.P	6.6	PI: Dr. Garima Mathur Co-PI: Prof Pammi Gauba
8	Targeting biofilm formation by inhibiting Cysteine biosynthesis pathway enzymes in ESKAPE pathogens with natural products.	2021-2024	DST	42.30	PI: Dr. Vibha Gupta/ Dr Prerna Diwan/Dr. Rakesh Kumar Gupta
9.	Exploring efficacy of plants and microbes for remediation of E-Waste Contaminated Soil.	2020-2023.	Ministry of Forest and Environment,	47.93	PI: Prof. Pammi Gauba, Co-PI: Dr. Shweta Dang.
10.	Building integrated pipeline for cancer genome analysis: Role of mobile genetic elements in cancers.	2017-2020	DBT	29.38	PI: Dr. Kamal Rawal Co-PI: Dr. Sanjay Gupta
11.	Potentially novel carbohydrases (cellulase and related enzymes) for waste management from cultivable bacteria and functional metagenomic library of North East India biodiversity hotspot	2017-2020	DBT	22.21	PI: Dr. Indira P. Sarethy

Detailed description of externally funded projects executed by the department - Click Here

Details of the ongoing and awarded PhD from the Department: - Click Here

PLACEMENT STATUS

Competent curriculum and interaction with leading scientists from academia and industry through invited lectures, workshops and conferences ensures all-round development of the students. Our students continue to secure positions in graduate schools for MS/Ph.D at universities of international/National repute such as Max Planck Institutes, John Hopkins, Georgia Tech, Keck Graduate Institute, Penn State, IITs etc. among others. Many students have been selected in core biotechnology firms Panacea Biotech, Cadilla Biotech, Ranbaxy, and Premas Biotech Ltd.

Table below shows the placement status of our students:

Batch

Total Participating

Students

Total No. of Offers

% of Total Offers

Absolute offers

% of absolute offers

2016-20

79%

89%

2015-19

79%

89%

MOTIVATION FOR COMPETITIVE EXAMS

As an activity of Capability Enhancement and Development Cell at our institute, departmental faculty and our curriculum supports students to ace the prestigious national and international examinations like GATE, CSIR-NET, ICMR, DBT-JRF, CAT, GRE etc. Following is a summary of our students who have bought us laurels in National and International Competitive Examinations in the past 5 years:

Examination Name	No. Of students qualified in past 5 years
GATE	32
CSIR – JRF	4
DBT-JRF	2
GRE	14
CAT	2

STUDENTS WORKING WITH BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

Biotechnology employers can come from diverse areas – small start-up firms pitching hydroponics, firms dealing with waste treatment and environmental engineering solutions, food and food processing firms, online education ventures, global pharmaceutical giants. Our students have placed in several well established biotechnology companies such as – TechSci Research, Nestle India, Unimrkt Research.

ALUMNI

The alumni represent the success stories of an educational institute. Each alumnus harbours a unique experience of and is a reliable knowledge source for current and prospective students. Our department continually engages with alumni for feedback on curriculum, guest lectures for students and trainings.

Distinguished Alumni: Click Here

STudent's Academic Enrichment Cells

A technical hub “RIBOSE” involves students in societal projects/events. In the past, the hub has organized difference technical events, quizzes, model making competitions and bio-entrepreneurship competition. Hub is also actively involved in organizing technical events during techno-cultural event of the institute ‘IMPRESSIONS’ and technical event of the institute ‘CYBERSHRISHTI’, where events ranges from model making competition to bioinformatics based technical events.

For details of student's activities, please visit Facebook Page: