Nanotechnology is a branch of science that deals with the application and manipulation of structures as small as 1 to 100 nanometers in scale. Nanobiotechnology in turn is the convergence of molecular biology and engineering for the development of atomic, molecular and macro-molecular structures for application across bioimaging, drug discovery, drug delivery, plant biotechnology and others. It is believed that the confluence of these two disciplines will revolutionize the field of medicine through advancements in molecular imaging, selective targeting for cellular delivery and will be a significant step towards realization of personal drug delivery.
Scientists worldwide have established successful collaborations for advancing research and development in this field with reasonable funds from the government authorities. The USA National Science Foundation has estimated that the global nanotechnology market will be $1 trillion by 2015.
Initiatives in India
In tandem with promotion of nanotechnology in other parts of the world, the Government of India has started a National Nanoscience and Technology initiative for fostering research and development in nanoscience and technology.
It has allocated funds worth $200 million for the promotion and development of nanotechnology in India for the period 2006-2011. On its part, the Department of Science and Technology has established various shared facilities and identified nine centers of excellence across various regions in the country to promote nanotechnology in the country.
The government has also initiated public-private partnerships within areas like stimuli sensitive polymeric nano particle based advanced drug delivery systems for liver cancer, diabetes and anti-bacterials.
Some of the prominent research institutes active in the field of nanobiotechnology are:
#. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
#. Department of Biological Chemistry at the Indian Association for cultivation of Science at Jadavpur
#. Molecular Biology Lab, Department of Biotechnology at IIT Roorkee
#. Department of Chemistry and Zoology at the Delhi University
#. The Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Applied Sciences, New Delhi
Research projects undertaken by these institutes encompass a myriad of areas, including nanolithography, nano structured high strength structures, targeted drug delivery systems and designing DNA chips for development of biosensors for pathogens detection, developing a method for improving the potency of DNA vaccines and immunotherapeutics.
The Indian Government has also established successful cross border collaborations with countries like Germany, Italy, Taiwan, Israel and the EU for nanotechnology based research and its commercialization. In 2005, the government in partnership with Germany, Japan, Russia, Ukraine and the United States had set up a national center for nanomaterials at the International Advanced Research Center for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) in Hyderabad. Similarly, the EuroIndiaNet FP6 is a cross-border techno-logy collaboration between nanoscience related academia and industries within India and the EU to promote collaborative research, development and commercialization in the field of nanotechnology and nano-bioscience. The EuroIndiaNet is funded by the European Commission under the FP6 program. The participating institutes include IIT Mumbai, IISc Bangalore, University of Delhi, Science and Technology Park, Pune among others.