Twentieth century witnessed a paradigm shift in the driving force of the world from the traditional military power to the industrial and financial powers. 21st century we are witnessing yet with another revolutionary driving force, 'the knowledge'. According to Dr Mashelkar,The 21st century will be a 'Century of knowledge… and a nations' ability to convert knowledge into wealth and social good through the process of innovation will determine its future. A new thinking centered on the concept of knowledge engineering for building up future 'knowledge societies' and 'knowledge industries' is gaining attention and acceptance both nationally and internationally. Four technologies namely, biotechnology (BT, information technology, herbal technology and nano-technology are going to be the most powerful instruments of the 21st century that would control the world trade and economics. Generating new knowledge and converting it into useful products, process and services using the latest advances made in S&T, and subsequent transfer of such products and technologies to industry and commerce with appropriate safeguards of IPR, protection are some of the key strategies that countries like India should focus on to achieve economic prosperity and sustainable development.
India has entered 21st century riding bullock-carts as well as jet crafts and using both the sickle and mechanical harvester. The independent India proclaimed freedom to all its citizens offering opportunity for leading a wholesome happy and prosperous life. But even after 59 years we could not achieve this goal.
21st century is now acclaimed as the century of biology - the advancements made in biological sciences if applied appropriately can transform the biodiversity rich nations like India to economic powers. India is blessed with a uniquely rich and varied biodiversity rich traditional knowledge system and above all a literate/skilled and intelligent human capital is well placed to make such a transformations to happen.
Knowledge-based, value-added product development and its commercialization has become one of the fastest economic activities in the world. The liberalization of the global trade policies and other economic reforms evolving currently with the emergence of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) requires a deeper study and understanding, especially in the light of the latest path breaking achievements in science and technologies. The history of human civilization and development of economic systems are all inherently and inveterately interwoven with our biological resources. Economic activity of humankind continues to derive its sustenance directly or indirectly from the biological resources. The unknown potentials of genetic diversity found in the biological organisms, particularly the plants represent a never-ending biological frontier of inestimable value. Genetic diversity will enable breeders to tailor crops to meet the increased productivity, adapt changing climatic conditions, disease resistance and also to meet the other essential needs and future aspirations of humankind. Biogenetic resources are the primary source of valuable genes, chemicals, drugs, pharmaceuticals, natural dyes, gums, resins, enzymes or proteins of great health, nutritional and economic importance. The combined world market for products manufactured using the bioresources are now estimated to be over US $500 billion.
The new thinking centered on the concept of 'knowledge engineering' for building up future 'knowledge assistance' and 'knowledge industries' is now gaining attention and acceptance both nationally and internationally. Biodiversity- rich countries with a long history of cultural diversity have generated immensely valuable knowledge systems on the use of biological and genetic resources. Such knowledge is known as traditional knowledge (TK). Making the best use of the TK and generating new knowledge, products and technologies with the intervention of science and technology is the method of generating economic wealth. However, generation of such technologies and its subsequent of commercialization require to be properly safeguarded by protecting the intellectual property rights (IPR) of the holders of such knowledge, so that they also could achieve economic prosperity and help in sustainable development.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the biological capital of our planet and it forms the foundation upon which the human civilization is built. A rich biodiversity of India thus forms the bedrock for bio-industrial development. Potential of biodiversity in providing mankind with new kinds of food, medicine, fibre, and other goods is enormous. The unknown potential of genes, species and ecosystems represent never-ending biological frontiers of inestimable value. Bioprospecting is the most efficient means to explore and evaluate the economic potential of the bioresources through modern scientific and technological interventions. Biotechnology is on the other hand refers to set of powerful tools that has been employed to understand the structural and functional dynamics of the organization at the cellular or molecular levels and manipulate the same to develop products and processes to generate wealth. Application of modern biotechnology has many critical areas of agriculture (including aquaculture, healthcare, medicine (particularly in developing vaccine, diagnostics, gene/protein, cosmetics, and environmental protection and bioenergy.
Traditional Knowledge (TK)
TK is a community - based system of knowledge that has been developed, preserved and maintained over many generations by the local and indigenous communities through their continuous interactions, observations and experimentations with their surrounding environment. It is unique to a given culture or society and is developed as a esult of the co-evolution and co-existence of both the indigenous cultures and their traditional practices of resource use and ecosystem management. TK is a general term, which refers to the collective knowledge, beliefs and practices of indigenous/local people on sustainable use and management of their ambient resources. Through years of observations and analysis, trial, error or experimentations, the traditional communities have been able to identify useful as well as harmful elements of their ambient flora and fauna. Such knowledge (acquired through ages) has always remained as part of their life, culture, traditions, beliefs, folklores, arts, music, dance, etc. TK covers a broad spectrum of the local and indigenous people's traditional life and culture, art, music, architecture, agriculture, medicine, engineering and a host of other spheres of human activity. TK thus can be of direct or indirect benefit to society as it is often developed, in part as an intellectual response to the necessities of their life. Protection and maintenance of TK of local and indigenous communities is vital for their well-being and sustainable development and for their intellectual and cultural vitality.
Third World Countries (TWC) like India are rich in biodiversity as well as have strong cultural history. For example, a megadiverse country like India has more than 7000 year's continuous cultural history and thus very rich in TK. The accumulated wisdom, knowledge, beliefs and practices embodied in the TK systems were handed down to generation by an unbroken tradition and culture. This is still a living tradition in many parts of the biodiversity-rich TWCs. A study of such knowledge system of traditional societies about the plant world is the subject matter of the science 'Ethnobotany'. Modern drug hunters consider ethnobotany as a cost-effective means of locating new and useful compounds of great pharmaceutical value. It is well accepted that the possibility of finding a potential bioactive compound through random screening of plant samples is 1 in 10, 000 and that of hitting a marketable drug is 1 in 4. In contrast the success rate of finding a bioactive molecule through selective screening based on ethno- botanical leads is 1 in 100 and that of discovery of a drug is 1 in 2.
Many plant-derived drugs employed in modern medicine were first 'discovered' through ethnobotanical investigation. The traditional societies in India as well as in other TWCs have always considered the natural resources and the associated TK system developed by them as commonly owned properties to be cared and shared by all and never to be commodified for the purpose of selling or marketing. It was with the coming of the westerners that the process of commodification and trading of bioresource and associated knowledge started. The westerners who initially came in search of the products of the rich biodiversity later began to colonize these countries. Thus the European traders first reached the biodiversity-rich Asia and later the American continent as traders and became conquerors by the might of the weapons.
Genetic resources and associated TK have great potentials and their contributions to global economy and global intellectual property regimes are enormous. Ranging from subsistence uses by indigenous and local communities for their livelihood security to the high - tech research and development programmes on bioprospecting, genetic resources and associated TK find an ever increasing demand and utility in a diverse array of sectors such as biopharmaceuticals, biotechnology (including agricultural biotechnology and health care), crop protection, agricultural seed production, horticulture, phytomedicines, cosmetics and personal care, and a myriad of other areas of products and processes development based on wild and domesticated genetic resources and their derivatives extracted from both in situ and ex situ sources.
Bioprospecting and development bio-products
Biodiversity, herbal technology, biotechnology and nano-biotechnology are the areas that deserve special attention from the perspectives of new rein of knowledge-based industrial ventures, international trade and IPR protection. Biodiversity has economic, ecological, aesthetic and existence value. The direct economic benefits derived from biodiversity include food, fodder, fuel, fibre, colorants, medicine, aromachemicals, flavorants, perfumes, oils, gums, resins dyes, biopesticides, bioinsecticides, honey, phytochemicals, proteins and genes. The development of value added and standardized products using low and medium technology is known as herbal technology, intervention of more advanced scientific and technological interventionwe call it as biotechnology and manipulation at subcellular/ ultra molecular level i.e. upto the 10-9 size level, it is called Nanobiotechnology.
Biodiversity thus represents (i) a priceless resource with many actual uses and potential values to humanity and (2) a complex self-sustaining ecological system that helps, maintain the integrity and resilience of biosphere. These two complementary perceptions would lead to the surmise that biodiversity is an invaluable natural resource, which needs to be conserved and sustainable utilized for the benefit of the present as well as the future generations of humankind. Humankind has tapped only a fraction of this great nature's genetic library. Bioprospecting is the systematic search for genes, natural compounds, designs and whole organisms of forest/wildlife with potential for product development. Bioprospecting has three important facets like 'chemical prospecting, gene prospecting and bionic prospecting'
Humankind has been prospecting biodiversity from the very dawn of his civilization. Modified use of bioresources for food, medicine and other material requirements had been the traditional form of bioprospecting. Modern prospecting involves well-organized research and methodologies. Bioprospecting in essence means - an activity involving survey, exploration, documentation and evaluation of biological resources and their derivatives and/or associated TK, leading to identification and/or isolation of commercially valuable products (genes, biochemicals) compounds, derivatives and/or any other tangible and in-tangible components including IPR covered processes, technologies and services derived from wild or domesticated biodiversity. With the advent of new tools and techniques the power of bioprospecting has been incredibly increased. Modern bioprospecting now includes systematic search for genes, natural compounds, designs and whole organisms of either domesticated or wild source with a potential for product development. Bioprospecting has thus three facets like chemical prospecting, gene prospecting and bionic prospecting. It is essentially an action-oriented multidisciplinary programme with the end in view of generating both knowledge and avenues for the development of a diverse array of IPR- covered value- added products and their commercialization with appropriate benefit- sharing arrangements.
Product development and technology transfers
The strategies for biodiversity-based value-addition processes, product development and diversification, by- product utilization, technology transfers, commercialization, etc. may vary from case to case depending up on a number of factors, such as the availability of the biological and genetic resources and associated knowledge; the scientific and technological capabilities of the country; priorities of consumption and trade at domestic and global levels; the legal and policy frameworks and the political will of a country to support promising value-addition programmes; and other relevant considerations in accordance with its national legislations. Value addition to biodiversity may thus include several activities and programmes starting from grass root level microenterprises to high-tech national or international bioprospecting or bioindustrial ventures. While it is important for any nation to consider promotion of both entrepreneurial microenterprises and economically intensive macroindustrial ventures as a national agenda.
India can adopt a two-prong strategy for developing bioindustrial partnership based on biodiversity and biotechnology:
1. Less technologically intensive low cost biotechnologies for location- specific product and processes development based on local biodiversity resources. E.g. Herbal Technologies - herbal drugs, functional foods, nutraceuticals, cosmaceuticals, natural dyes/gums, biopesticides, biofuels, etc.
2.High-tech biotechnology for bioprospecting involving highly sophisticated infrastructure, high cost and highly skilled human resources. E.g. Vaccines, enzyme/proteomics, transgenics, diagnostics, gene therapy, etc.
India is uniquely suited to launch biotech industries in almost all the areas of modern biotech industrial ventures. Important among them are: -
(i)Bio pharmaceuticals - This include mainly the diagnostics, vaccines and recombinant therapeutic proteins - proteomics, gene therapy and nanobiomedicals
Diagnostic devices- The market for diagnostics in India was about 200 million U.S. $ in 2002 and is growing and is expected to grow at the rate of 15 to 20% per year. Currently only 50% is produced indigenously and the remaining is imported. Therefore, if an industry in this sector is established in India it can generate a turnover of about 1 billion U.S. $ per year.
Recombinant therapeutic proteins - A large number of recombinant protein therapies have now reached the market. These include insulin, alpha interferon, hepatitis B surface antigen based vaccine, GM-CSE, G-CSF, blood clotting factor VIII, erythoroprotein, streptokinase, human growth hormone and follicle stimulating factor, etc. Of these only hepatitis B surface antigen based vaccine is produced in the country and all other products are imported. Recombinant insulin, human growth hormone, interferon and hepatitis B vaccine especially enjoy a very large and ever growing market. Medical proteins are yet other latest biotech products that have great market opportunities. The annual turnover from such industries could be to the tune of 70 billion to 100 billion U.S. $ per year with a growth rate of over 25%.
Vaccines- This is another fast growing sector in bio pharma industry. The current market is about 800 million U.S. $ and has a growth rate of 20% per year. The potential for the products is so large that this biotech industry with an annual turnover of over 1 billion U.S. $ per year is possible.
(ii) Bio fuel, Biofertililizers and Biocontrol Agents are other areas where the bio industry can contribute immensely to the country.
(iii) Herbal Technology - The end of the 20th century witnessed a return to nature, particularly in matters related to food, medicine, cosmetics and perfumery. There is a growing demand for herbal drugs, nutraceuticals, functional foods, health foods, cosmetics, bio pesticides and such other plant products. The average global turn over in this sector is estimated to reach over 7 trillion U.S. $ by 2005. With her rich biodiversity and associated knowledge system, expert manpower and R&D institutional support, India can aspire a leadership in herbal based industries with an annual turnover of over 100 billion U.S. $.
(iv) Floriculture - Diverse agroclimatic conditions available in India make it best suited for floriculture industry, ornamentals like orchids, anthuriums, tuberose, rose, lilies, chrysanthemum and gladiolus, etc can be successfully grown and marketed globally as cut-flowers and also as value added -dry flowers, silver/gold coated flowers for which there is an ever growing global market with annual turn over of over 300 million US $.
(v) Agricultural biotechnology - India is the producer of many cash crops like coconut,arecanut, pepper, ginger, cardamom, rubber and such primary plant produce. Much of these Agri-products are sold either as such or as semi or partially processed forms. There is immense scope in developing a variety of value-added fully processed/finished products in this sector. The market size of the Agrobased product is about 5 trillion U.S. $ with an annual growth of 20%.
(vi) Marine Biotechnology - India is very rich in marine and fresh water resources. It is possible to develop diverse value added products - both conventional as well as novel products - from these rich resources by establishing marine and fresh water biotech industries. The projected turn over per year could be to the tune of 1-2 billion US $ per year.
(vi) Information Technology- Bioinformatics is also another important sector where India can establish her supremacy. There are over 200 companies functioning in Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and UP state. IT majors such as Intel, IBM, Wipro are getting into this segment spurred by the promises in technology development. Bioinformatics play a crucial role in bio industry and herbal technology. According to Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) the global bio informatics industry has an estimated turn over of 2 billion U.S. dollar in 2000 and is expected to become 200 billion U.S. dollar by 2015.
(vii) Software support - Biotech pharmaceutical companies will need tremendous software support particularly in the area of genomics. Software expertise of India can find excellent opportunity to support this by providing the algorithms and develop appropriate software.
India's strength
India is strategically well positioned to provide leadership in several key areas of biodiversity, biotechnology and bioprospecting. India is rich in both biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge systems. India's biodiversity is marked by the occurrence of diverse ecosystems, high species diversity with high incidence of endemism, and enormous genetic diversity in crop plants, domesticated animals and their wild relatives (Pushpangadan 2002). The traditional knowledge systems embody a plethora of unique time tested and dynamic knowledge, wisdom, beliefs, traditions and practices associated with conservation and sustainable use of biogenetic resources. The traditional knowledge base of Indian ethnic and local communities is the richest in the third world. India's tribal and folklore traditions, particularly the traditional medicine systems are rich and unique.
India has an excellent network of R&D in biodiversity, biotechnology and bioinformatics managed by various government departments and agencies (Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Agriculture, Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy, Department of Forests & Environment, etc.) and universities. Indian plant biology research is spread across 200 universities, including three full-fledged agricultural universities, more than 90 R&D institutes and centres, and a few private foundations and companies.
India's R&D on biodiversity and related areas is supported by several international and national laws and policies like CBD, TRIPS, ITPGRFA, etc. The three recent national legislations enacted by Government of India are: (1) The Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers Rights Act (2001), (2) Biological Diversity Act (2002), (3) The Patent (Amendment) Act 2005. All the three contain adequate provisions to protect the sovereign rights over the bioresources and associated TK, promote conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and to prevent biopiracy i.e. plundering of the country's biodiversity and traditional knowledge by any person, organization or corporate bodies including foreign citizens and companies.
Thus there exists huge business opportunities for India venturing into herbal biotech industries. National and international biotech companies can enter into business alliance with potential many organizations like R&D institutions, Agriculture University etc. to start agri biotech industries producing a vide range of value added products based on the above products of the states.
(The author is former director of NBRI, Lucknow and a world renowned ethno-pharmacologist)