Why in News?
The Government launched the Roadmap: “Building India as a Leading Bioeconomy Powerhouse by 2035” and announced India’s first Engineering Biology undergraduate course to develop a future-ready biotechnology workforce.
Key Highlights
- First Engineering Biology Graduation Course to be introduced in India.
- Objective: Build a sovereign biotechnology ecosystem by integrating engineering, biology, medicine and AI.
- IITs are preparing interdisciplinary programmes in collaboration with medical institutions.
- Focus on AI-driven biology, synthetic biology and advanced biomanufacturing.
- Bioeconomy Growth Fund: Proposed ₹50,000 crore to support innovation and commercialization.
- Emphasis on industry-academia partnerships, talent development and indigenous biomanufacturing.
What is Engineering Biology?
- Engineering Biology is an interdisciplinary field that applies engineering principles to biological systems for designing and modifying organisms to develop useful products and technologies.
Applications
- Precision medicine and gene therapies, CAR-T cell therapy, Sustainable biofuels and bio-based chemicals, Climate-resilient agriculture, Alternative proteins and food systems, and Environmental remediation
India’s Bioeconomy: Key Facts
- Grew from ~USD 10 billion (2014) to ~USD 95 billion (2026).
- Expected to reach USD 300 billion by 2030.
- Roadmap targets USD 700 billion by 2035.
- Over 11,000 biotechnology startups.
- Nearly 100 bio-incubators.
- Annual growth rate: 15 to 18%.
- Contributes around 4.8% of GDP.
Government Initiatives
- BioE3 Policy (Biotechnology for Economy, Employment and Environment)
- Promotion of AI-enabled biology and synthetic biology.
- Strengthening bio-manufacturing and biotechnology innovation ecosystem.
- Expansion of biotechnology education and skilled workforce.
Prelims Facts
- Synthetic Biology: Designing or modifying biological systems for useful applications.
- Biomanufacturing: Using living organisms or biological processes to manufacture products.
- CAR-T Cell Therapy: Personalized immunotherapy where a patient’s T cells are genetically modified to attack cancer cells.
- DNA Vaccine: Uses genetically engineered DNA to trigger an immune response.
[2025] With reference to monoclonal antibodies, often mentioned in news, consider the following statements:
I. They are man-made proteins.
II. They stimulate immunological function due to their ability to bind to specific antigens.
III. They are used in treating viral infections like that of Nipah virus.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
[A] I and II only
[B] II and III only
[C] I and III only
[D] 1, II and III