Targeting new milestones

The department has partnered with various government agencies and industries to provide hands-on training to the students

The department of biotechnology at NAAC “A� accredited Jamia Hamdard deemed university was established in 1997. The Department offers MSc and PhD courses in molecular biology and biotechnology.

The students are selected on basis of the national level admission test conducted by Jamia Hamdard. In the academic year 2011-12, the number of students enrolled for the post-graduate program stood at 38. The department has state-of-the-art facilities for gene cloning, delivery and expression in mammalian cell, insect cells, microbes, and plants.

The foundation course introduced for the MSc students provides basics of all the biological sciences and chemistry subjects, in addition to the biotechnology related subjects. The post-graduate students get placed in all the top ranked research institutes in India such as IISc, CCMB, CDFD, ICGEB, IGIB, and NII. The department prides in its fully equipped and dedicated laboratory facilities. The laboratories and class rooms are centrally air conditioned.

The faculty members of the department have been able to attract a large number of extramural funded research projects. At present the department has 18 ongoing research projects sponsored by DST, DBT, DRDO, AYUSH, CCRUM, CSIR, and ICMR. Since June 2000, close to 432 papers have been published in the international journals by the department. The nutrient management technology developed in the department for higher Artemisinin yield and 1000 tissue culture raised seedlings of Artemisia annua L. were transferred to Ipca Laboratories, Mumbai, in a consultancy program at an amount of 6 lakh. A novel protein isolated from the outer membranes of S. typhi has been transferred to Oscar Medicare for evaluation as a diagnostic probe for typhoid for a token consultancy of 19,500.

Based on its performance and potential, the department has been selected by UGC for a special assistance program (SAP) grant. A sum of 50 lakh has been awarded for purchase of equipment under SAP. This is in addition to the grant for the routine equipments from the university.

Fact file | Name of the Department: Department of Biotechnology
Courses: MSc and PhD in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
Coordinator: Dr S K Jain
Website: www.jamiahamdard.edu/biocenter.asp

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"While majority of the biotechnology programs in various universities are either plant biotechnology based or animal/microbial biotechnology based, the biotechnology program in Jamia Hamdard is one of the very few programs where equal emphasis is given to both plant and animal/ microbial biotechnology. The students here are therefore better equipped and ready to take challenges in both these fields"

Dr S K Jain department of biotechnology, Jamia Hamdard

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