Biotechnology is the use of biology to develop new products, methods and organisms intended to improve human health and society. Biotechnology, often referred to as biotech, has existed since the beginning of civilization with the domestication of plants, animals and the discovery of fermentation.
Biotechnology is essential for the sustainable development of the country. This is in fact the science of the future and the experts in this discipline are in highest demand, in Pakistan as well as abroad.
Biotechnology is currently being used in many areas including agriculture, bioremediation, food processing and energy production. DNA fingerprinting is becoming a common practice in forensics. Production of insulin and other medicines is accomplished through cloning of vectors that carry the chosen gene. In agriculture, genetic engineering is being used to produce plants that are resistant to insects, weeds and plant diseases.
The graduates will be able to find lucrative opportunities in many industries e.g. Pharmaceutical industry, chemical and bio-process technology industry, research fields, medical laboratories, agriculture etc. There are also attractive career opportunities available in petrochemical industry where the biotechnology graduates will play an important role to develop new compounds, extreme ophiles and oil spills.
Biotechnology also has a strong role in environmental protection practices as this field helps to identify and improve the fungi and bacterial culture to use them in environmental cleansing.
Health technology and medical research is also one of those fields in which biotechnology is high in demand as biotechnology is required to develop various medicines to detect and treat various diseases.