Department of Microbiology & Biotechnology
The Department of Microbiology & Biotechnology has kept a high standard of education and research in a wide range of the biotechnology field. Employing DNA technology, protein engineering, and cell/tissue culturing techniques, in combination with the recent advancement of biomolecular structure determination, genomic information, and bioinformatics, the department is revealing basic mechanisms of a variety of biological functions.
MS in Microbiology & Biotechnology is basically an interdisciplinary master’s degree program within the fields of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering. The program will be particularly suited to students who wish to improve their understanding of the biotechnological methods and processes and its application in the various industries like food, medicine and chemicals. An additional goal of the proposed program is to bring together academia and industry to common point of interest where both sectors will be bridged to execute research and development projects together.
Thematic Research Areas:
- Antimicrobial therapies & resistance
The antimicrobial therapies and resistance theme covers all sorts of antibacterial research like antimicrobial peptides, phage therapy, CRISPR-CAS, plant based extracts and novel compounds with antibacterial potential, and all kinds of antibiotic resistance studies.
- Vaccines & Therapeutics
Vaccines are biological preparations that provide immunity against specific infectious diseases or pathogens such as a viruses or bacteria, while in therapeutics we look for treatments or interventions used to manage, alleviate, or cure diseases, including antibiotics, antivirals, and chemotherapy drugs, and biological therapies such as monoclonal antibodies and vaccines used as treatments.
- Microbial genomics & system biology
Microbial genomics and systems biology intersect to understand how microorganisms function at a genetic and molecular level within complex biological systems. Genomics provides the data on microbial genomes, while systems biology integrates this data to analyse how genes, proteins, and other molecules interact to produce biological functions. It’s crucial for studying microbial communities, their behaviour, and their impact on various, industrial processes, and environments, including human health, agriculture, and ecosystems.
- Nanotechnology & Membrane Interfaces
The nanotechnology theme covers all nano-related research including nanoparticle designing and synthesis and its use as imaging agents for diagnosis and therapeutics as well as non-medical uses, nanobiosensors designing and formulation, and exploring bio-derived nanocompounds such as nano-based algal compounds. While the membrane technology covers all sorts of membrane techniques applied in Food, Environment and Energy related research.
- Food biotechnology or Food Sciences & Technology
Food biotechnology encompasses research on food preservation, food safety, probiotics, nutraceuticals, cultured-based meat technologies, and sustainable food packaging.
Head of Department Message
Dr. Fazal Adnan
Welcome to the Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, (ASAB). We are proud to deliver outstanding postgraduate professional education like MS and PhD that offers exciting and varied career opportunities. We aim to deliver excellent teaching facilities and research across the broad span of modern Industrial Biotechnology. The academic programs are assisted by regular and visiting faculties and offer some of the finest resources available to a modern-day scholar. Though young as a department, we have done spectacularly well to develop the spirit of entrepreneurship and ideas that can be scaled up and be of potential benefit to the industry. The scholars are well trained in multi-dimensional fields and the research being carried out reflects the expertise, creativity and initiative of the faculty who set the research agenda, and who have a long tradition of engaging with their colleagues and students to work across disciplines. Biotechnology has traditionally been associated with the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. However, Pakistan has a broad capability in industrial biotechnology with both research and commercial activities across several key areas including biofuels, biomaterials, chemicals and enzymes and bio-mining. Industrial biotechnology – also known as white biotechnology – uses enzymes and microorganisms to make bio-based products in sectors as diverse as chemicals, food and feed, healthcare, detergents, paper and pulp, textiles and bioenergy. A number of products already on the market include biopolymer fibers used in both construction and household applications, biodegradable plastics, biofuels, food processing, lubricants and industrial enzymes. Biotechnological processes also constitute a key element in the manufacturing of some antibiotics, vitamins, amino acids and other fine chemicals. Owing to their vast applications in various fields, the value of the biochemicals (other than pharmaceuticals) is expected to increase from 1.8% of all chemical production in 2005 to between 12% and 20% by 2015 according to the latest surveys. Moreover, a recent report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) concluded that converting biomass into fuels, energy, and chemicals has the potential to generate upwards of $230 billion to the global economy by 2020. Our faculty has been striving to establish state-of-the-art research facilities in the department. Finally, we are committed to building on our role as a ‘thought leader’, by making the insights of our researchers and teaching staff widely available. We also seek out leading international specialists for collaborative research, to run workshops, give public lectures and participate in forums, and are increasingly harnessing the zeal to attract the best of the very best. I warmly invite you to explore the benefits of partnering with us.
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