Research should be taken up in the areas of biomolecular dynamics, cell surface interaction, genetic engineering, to improve the state of biotechnology in the country, says Prof Dabir Viswanath, emeritus professor and Dowell Chair at the University of Missouri, Columbia, USA.

The syllabus in Indian institutes offering biotechnology programmes does not cover key areas such as genetic engineering and bioinformatics. AICTE and the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers should give accreditation to these institutes. Prof Viswantah was delivering eighth Dr PS Murti Memorial Lecture, as part of a seminar on ‘Chemical Engineering-Global Challenges’ that was recently held at IICT, Hyderabad. IICT is commemorating its diamond jubilee.

Dr KV Raghavan, former director of IICT said that the chemical engineering profession is constantly on the look out for a new role related to chemical and life sciences. The greatest scientific event of 20th century has been the chemistry meeting the biology to understand the design molecular system of life-sized complexity. Major developments in chemical and allied sciences since 1925 had been DNA structure elucidation, biotransformations, molecular design chemistry, spectroscopy and chromatography.

The quest for sustainability in real terms in the 21st century provides immense opportunities as well as challenges to chemical engineering science particularly in industrial ecology, macromolecular systems, nano-chemical systems, biology- engineering interface including proteomics, genomics and plant bioreactors, drug delivery facilitators, Dr Rahavan added.

Dr BD Kulkarni, Prof D V Khakhar and Dr VV Bhujle also took part in the seminar.