Chapter 40: Life Sciences

Introduction

The goal of life sciences is to understand the living world and to use this knowledge for the benefit of mankind. The enormous variety of living organisms and the complexity of what goes in them, has led to the development of many specialisms that focus on particular part of the whole area. Whereas at the school level, the subject called biology gives an overview of the living world, at university level and in the world of work there are such specialisms as biochemistry, molecular biology, genetic engineering, biotechnology, microbiology, cell biology, zoology, plant science, pharmacology, (and even environmental science) and many more. All come under the broad label Life Science. A brief account of these topics is given in Annexure 1. An extremely significant development in this field at the start of the new millennium has been the finalisation of the rough draft of all the DNA in a human cell (the human genome) under the Human Genome Project. It has brought not only science of biology but also medicine, agriculture, and industry to a new threshold.

Educational Opportunities

Educational opportunities in life sciences are available at the Bachelors degree level, postgraduate degree level (both Masters degree and postgraduate diploma), doctoral and postdoctoral levels. Those who are interested in postgraduate courses in any branch of life sciences must study biology as one of the subjects at 10+2 level followed by any branch of biological sciences (e.g., zoology botany, microbiology) at the BSc level. In view of the close relationship between chemistry and several branches of life sciences, study of chemistry at the graduate level is advisable. However, degree holders in other branches such as engineering & technology, agricultural & veterinary sciences, medical sciences are also eligible for biotechnology courses.

Apart from BSc degree courses with different branches of life sciences as combinations, recently some universities have introduced what is known as “application oriented courses” leading to the award of BSc (Microbiology), BSc(Biochemistry). This has been discussed in Chapter51 (Vocational Education). Anna University was the first to offer B Technology (Industrial Biotechnology). The admission is on the basis of an All India Entrance Test held at eight centres conducted by the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The qualification requirement is a pass in 10+2 examination with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics or Biology. Bharatidasan University (School of Engineering and Technology) and the Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University (New Delhi) have now introduced B Technology course in Biotechnology. The latter also offer an integrated M.Tech Course in the subject. There is a wide array of postgraduate courses in the area of Life Sciences available in a large number of universities, and in some of their affiliated colleges. The approximate number of universities which offer courses in broader areas are:

(1)  Life Sciences/Biological Sciences/ Biology – 40;

(2)  Biochemistry – 50

(3)  Biotechnology – 68

(4)  Microbiology – 45

(5)  Botany/Plant Sciences – 95

(6)  Microbiology – 45

(7)  Zoology – 90

(8)  Genetics – 7.

Apart from such courses in these broader areas, there are also specialised programmes with a wide variety of labels. Some examples are: (Biotechnology – Plant Biotechnology, Agricultural Biotechnology, Marine Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology, Industrial Biotechnology, Animal Biotechnology, (2) Biochemistry- Agricultural Biochemistry, Clinical Biochemistry, Environmental Biochemistry, Medical Biochemistry, Nutritional Biochemistry, (3) Microbiology – Agricultural Microbiology, Industrial Microbiology, Applied Microbiology, (4) Zoology – Marine Zoology, Agricultural Zoology, Ocean Life Science, (5) Biology – Human Biology, Environmental Biology, Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, Marine Biology, Wildlife, Socio-biology; (6) Genetics – Human Genetics, Biomedical Genetics and (7) Botany – Environmental Botany, Applied Botany. Then there are courses in newly emerging specialisations such as bio-informatics, bio-statistics, and biomedical sciences. However, the number of institutions offering such courses are still extremely small. Annexure 2 gives an indicative list of institutions which offer some of these courses. Several medical colleges also offer life science courses (mostly biochemistry and microbiology) leading to MSc and MD degrees. Many agricultural universities also offer MSc courses related to life sciences, such as, Agricultural Microbiology Agricultural Biochemistry, Dairy Microbiology. In some universities, these courses are also open to non-agricultural graduates.

Biotechnology Courses

The most sought-after course in the life science area, however, is biotechnology. Biotechnology is a sunrise industry, which employs a large number of scientists and technologists, Apart from agricultural and aqua-cultural applications, the focus of biotech industry has been on producing new drugs. In search for new drugs, the pharmaceutical industry would now depend more on breakthroughs in biology and medical science rather than relying on organic chemistry, In particular, the Human Genome Project to discover every single gene in existence will also reshape the process of drug discovery. For example, genetically engineered bacteria can produce insulin used for treating diabetics. In order to make sense of all the data being produced on genes, and genetic, make-up of all kinds of species, an entirely new field called “bio-informatics” has emerged.

Bio-informatics involves the identification of patterns in gene variation and the design of custom molecule that would attract suspect genes and proteins. Considerable research work on bio-informatics is in progress both in academic institutions and industries. However, educational opportunities in bio-informatics are yet to be developed in India. The Pune University (Bio-informatics Centre) and Madurai-Kamaraj University have introduced an Advanced Diploma Course in Bio-informatics of one-year duration. The course is open to holders of MVSc, MSc (Agriculture), MBBS and B Technology degrees. In view of its increasing industrial and other applications of biotechnology, the Government of India has set up a separate Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in the Ministry of Science and Technology, to implement an integrated human resource development programme to generate adequate and appropriately trained manpower in biotechnology.

The programmes include providing assistance to universities to introduce postgraduate and diploma courses in biotechnology and organising training programmes and awarding scholarships. A brief account of the programmes is given in Annexure 3. During the last several years, MSc (Biotechnology) courses have proliferated. Some universities have established separate schools for biotechnology, e.g., Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology at the Barkatullah University (Bhopal), Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University (Chennai); Centre for Biotechnology, Punjab University (Chandigarh). At present over 60 universities have introduced MSc/ MTech/ MVSc (Biotechnology) courses (see Annexure 4). Besides, many affiliated colleges particularly in the South, have been permitted to offer the course. Twenty one universities which have received DBT assistance, participate in a Combined Entrance Test (CET) conducted by the Jawaharlal Nehru University held at 32 centres in India for admission to MSc (Biotechnology), MTech/MSc (Technology) (Biotechnology), MSc (Agricultural Biotechnology) and MVSc Animal Biotechnology) courses offered by them. Annexure 5 gives particulars about the CET.

Biomedical Sciences

An emerging area in Life Sciences is biomedical sciences. It is only in Delhi University (Dr.BR Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical Research) that educational and research programmes on this specialism has been introduced. It offers four courses; (1) MSc-Ph.D Combined Degree in Biomedical Sciences (four years); (2) MSc in Biomedical Sciences (two years); MPhil (Biomedical Sciences); and (4) PhD (Biomedical Sciences). The Combined Degree and MSc degree courses are open to holders of graduate degree in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Veterinary Science and Medicine. For the research degrees the eligibility requirements are master’s degree in the appropriate field of science, MVSc, Sc, M.Pharm or MD degrees.

Doctoral Degrees (PHD and MD) in different branches of Life Sciences are offered by a large number of university departments and research institutions in collaboration with universities. DBT has sponsored a post-doctoral research programme in Agricultural Biochemistry at the National Research Centre on plant Biotechnology (IARI), New Delhi 110012. It had also sponsored two postgraduate diploma programmes: (1) Diploma in Methods of Biotechnology (Madurai-Kamaraj University) of one-year duration open to holders of BSc (with biological science), MBBS, MVSc degrees; and (2) Postgraduate Diploma in Biochemical Technology of one-year duration (Sri Venkateswara College (Delhi University), Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi 1100021) open to Graduates with Botany, Zoology, Microbiology, Biochemistry or Chemistry as subjects of study. Punjab University (Centre for Biotechnology) offers a post-MSc Diploma in Biotechnology. In some institutions doctoral and post-doctoral students are eligible for scholarships, fellowships and associateships.

Career Opportunities

Life Sciences is basically a research-oriented discipline although some of its branches have considerable industrial applications. As such, employment opportunities are available mostly in universities and research institutions. However, a pre-condition of taking up a research career is the possession of a doctoral degree. Apart from some universities which have strong life science departments with excellent research facilities, there are a large number of research institutions under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Department of Biotechnology, which provide opportunities for research careers. A list of some well-known institutions of this nature is given in Annexure 6.

Among the life science disciplines, however, biotechnology has the potential for providing career opportunities in industries. Although the biotech industries have yet to take firm roots in the industrial sector, the future is bright. Pharmaceutical industry is another area which offers job opportunities not only for biotechnologists, but some other scientists, such as microbiologists and biochemists. For those who want to make a career in life sciences abroad, USA is the destination of choice.