Nanotechnology has potential commercial applications in drug delivery, tissue reconstruction and diagnostics in the international markets, according to Bhuvaneashwar Subramanian, research analyst, technical insights, Frost & Sullivan.

In the current global scenario, US controls 65 per cent of the nanobiotechnology market, followed by Europe with 20 per cent and the remaining with the rest of the world.

Much of the work in nanotechnology is happening in the labs and these are up-scaled into the start-up companies. There are scores of nano biotech products under development. The funding is from federal governments and Asian countries serve as the hubs for contract research for the same.

The visible trends globally are diagnostics, therapeutics and prosthetics. The time line for research is huge and there are technologies which were researched in 2000 that need to be transferred to companies, stated Subramanian while providing a perspective on Nano Biotechnology at the Bangalore Nano event.

According to the Frost & Sullivan research analyst, the transfer of technology from academia to a company is both vital and crucial in Nano biotechnology. A possible time line for commercialisation of Nano biotechnology products is 2015.

Going by the efforts at research institutes and companies in Europe and the rest of the world, these countries are expected to catch up with the US advancements by then, he observed.

Some of the samples of future applications include Nano particle drugs that are transdermal products by an Australian company. There are also diagnostic systems to address genetic susceptibility to diseases. Also rapid disease detection and risk calculation in drug efficacy can be gauged.

With pharma companies increasing their focus towards drugs for the geriatric population, efforts are on by Nano biotechnology researchers to focus on non invasive modes of treatment and Nanotechnology will be an ideal platform.

Delving into the challenges in Nano Biotechnology, the F&S analyst stated that there is no standardisation in the segment. There is also competition from developed countries for India. There are also safety issues to be handled like for instance the toxicology standards of drugs from Nano Biotechnology.

From an Indian stand point, Nano biotechnology is still at a nascent stage and the funding is primarily from DST and DSIR. Between 2003-04, total funding received was just Rs.2 crore whereas this year the Union government has allocated Rs.1,000 crore for the same. The total investment for Nano product development in India is $50 million.

The key players in India in Nano Biotechnology are Dabur, Shanta Biotech, Bharat Biotech. There is a lot of research on at the Indian Institute of Science and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Research .

The strengths for India to enter Nano biotechnology are the young talent of researchers, low cost of R&D, production , increasing population and contract research initiatives. The weaknesses for the country in the segment are weak link between industry and academia, lack of venture capitalists, competition from the developed world. There is also a huge anti Nano bio propaganda and concern for safety issues which may affect the growth of the sector.

While India is increasing its efforts in basic research in Nano Biotechnology, there is a need to look at commercialisation by the research centres which is possible only by identifying the start-up to upscale the findings, he concluded.