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PhD in Biotechnology
Sharpen your professional and pedagogical skills in Biotechnolgy
NIIT University’s (NU) PhD programme in Biotechnology equips aspiring doctoral students with the knowledge and expertise, necessary to become leaders in the fast-growing fields of industrial and academic biotechnology. The programme includes multidisciplinary and interrelated subjects in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Immunology, Biochemical Engineering, and Genetic Engineering. In addition to its extensive coursework, NU’s doctoral programme will sharpen candidates’ professional and pedagogical skills through intensive laboratory-based research, in-house seminars and national and international conferences.
Areas of research
- Medical Biotechnology
- Bioinformatics
- Genomics & Proteomics
- Bioprocess Technology
- Plant & Microbial Biotechnology
- Environmental Biotechnology
- Novel Drug Delivery Systems
- Nano-biotechnology
- Infectious diseases
- Host-Immune Response
State-of-the-art Biotech laboratories
Doctoral students at NU have access to many state-of-the-art laboratories for conducting advanced research in biochemical, microbiological and molecular techniques such as electrophoresis studies, immuno-technology studies, protein expression and purification, DNA/RNA isolation, PCR, genomics applications, cell culture technology, molecular cloning methodologies and bioinformatics software applications while adhering to appropriate biosafety measures.
NU has separate research laboratories dedicated to nanotechnology, plant tissue culture, animal tissue culture, functional genomics, transcriptomics, bioremediation, microbial biotechnology, novel drug delivery system and others. NU’s labs are well-equipped with instruments like HPLC, AAS-graphite furnace, GC (FID & ECD), ELISA reader, FPLC, Anaerobic Growth chamber, CO2 Incubator, Inverted Microscope, Real-Time PCR, DGGE and Fermenters.
Research themes
Here is an overview of some of our ongoing research themes in Biotechnology.
Environmental Biotechnology
Pollution of groundwater and soil is a worldwide problem that can result in the uptake and accumulation of toxic chemicals in food chains harming the flora and fauna of affected habitats. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which include carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides and metals, are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. This domain has an expertise in the area of microbial solid waste management. We also intend to explore the area of plastic degrading microorganisms in the sub-domain of bioremediation.
Bioenergy
Biofuels, produced from renewable resources, are increasingly attracting attention as worldwide public concerns on global warming and energy security continue to grow. Among biofuels, butanol and ethanol are currently under the spotlight. This research project is designed to improve butanol production by manipulating the bacterium, Lactobacillus brevis. The manipulation of L. brevis is carried out by the ldh gene mutation and transformation with a recombinant plasmid containing a Clostridial butanol synthesis gene cassette.
Nano-Biosciences
The nanoparticle, Titanium dioxide (TiO2), is receiving increasing attention for a large variety of applications like toothpastes, dental fillings, photovoltaic cells, beauty products, sunscreens and textiles. The eco-toxicological impact of manufactured TiO2 nanoparticles and residues from the degradation of commercial TiO2 nanomaterials (RDN) is still unknown. Currently, we are studying the effects of commercially available TiO2 and RDNs on the physiological activities of bacteria.
Medical Biotechnology
In this domain,, we utilised genetics and bioinformatics techniques/tools for the identification and analysis of promoter regions in the natural and novel RCR plasmids with the intention of constructing a broad host range prokaryotic expression vecto
Research is lacking on the simultaneous and stable expressions of antigens for mucosal immunisation against infectious agents. The aim of this project was to identify a novel bidirectional promoter region in the plasmid of the natural isolates of lactic acid bacteria for the construction of an expression vector. The expression vector will be utilised for the stable and simultaneous expression of genes against infective agents in the lactic acid bacteria for the development of a vaccine delivery system.
We also aim to enhance the research domain comprising human microbiome. Humans harbour more than 100 trillion microorganisms in the gut, mouth, skin and other organs. These microbial communities could be beneficial as well as life-threatening. Most of these microbial populations are non-cultivable. This property needs to be explored to understand the role played by human microbial communities in antibiotic resistance.
Research is lacking on the simultaneous and stable expressions of antigens for mucosal immunisation against infectious agents. The aim of this project was to identify a novel bidirectional promoter region in the plasmid of the natural isolates of lactic acid bacteria for the construction of an expression vector. The expression vector will be utilised for the stable and simultaneous expression of genes against infective agents in the lactic acid bacteria for the development of a vaccine delivery system.
We also aim to enhance the research domain comprising human microbiome. Humans harbour more than 100 trillion microorganisms in the gut, mouth, skin and other organs. These microbial communities could be beneficial as well as life-threatening. Most of these microbial populations are non-cultivable. This property needs to be explored to understand the role played by human microbial communities in antibiotic resistance.
Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
Structural BIoinformatics, Computer aided drug discovery, Next Gen Sequencing Data (NGS) analysis, Systems Biology, Vaccine designing, Database development are certain areas where we expertise.
Biotechnology is a thriving industry with funding support offered by several government agencies. At NU, the Doctoral Programme in Biotechnology consists of regular training and development programmes. Additionally, the department exposes its students to conferences and workshops that keep them up to date with the latest developments in the field while also encouraging research scholars to apply for the many funding and scholarship opportunities available worldwide.
Biotechnology is a thriving industry with funding support offered by several government agencies. At NU, the Doctoral Programme in Biotechnology consists of regular training and development programmes. Additionally, the department exposes its students to conferences and workshops that keep them up to date with the latest developments in the field while also encouraging research scholars to apply for the many funding and scholarship opportunities available worldwide.