VELLORE: A first of it kind compendium on the outcome of various research projects funded by the Department of Bio Technology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India has been compiled by Dr A S Sahul Hameed, Associate Professor of Zoology at the A Abdul Hakeem College in Melvisharam. The compendium, which is expected to be highly valuable to scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs involved in aquaculture and marine biotechnology, was released recently at the University of Madras by Dr Ninawe, Chairman of the DBT Task Force.Hameed, who is a member of the DBT Task Force as well as an expert recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health attached to the Food and Agricluture Organisation (FAO),said the benefits related to the developments in marine biotechnology and aquaculture, especially after the advent of genomic and molecular biology, are immense. “Given the fact that the world today faces unforeseen challenges like environmental degradation, health hazards and climate change, which have an adverse impact on the food and energy sector, an intelligent approach to research on microbes will have an incredible number of applications in food, fisheries, medicine, industry and agriculture,” said Hameed.The compendium, with the contribution of over 200 scientists, has helped bring out the works of several experts who have specialised in molecular biology. It has also helped highlight the need for infrastructure to augment and expedite research and development activities in this field. Besides identifying grey areas, this research will also encourage entrepreneurs to commercialise existing technologies that relate to aquaculture and marine biology. The compendium contains research reports in 180 publications. These reports relate to projects sponsored by DBT from 1998 to 2010. While only two publications carried DBT sponsored project reports in 1998, it increased to 45 in 2010 with 21 national and 159 international publications.This has inspired other government departments also to come out with such compilations so as to inculcate some accountability on research funding, said Hameed.Interestingly, around 20 of his publications have also been listed in this compendium. Two of his ingenious technologies, a diagnostic kit to detect viruses that attacked shrimp and herbal immuno-stimulant for shrimp have been transferred to Chennai based Posesidon Biotech to reach the shrimp farmers at an affordable cost under the brand name ‘Dr Sahul’s PCR kit’. Besides five more technologies developed other principal investigators under the DBT funding have also successfully ended up for commercialisation.The other important offshoot of these research projects is the initiative taken for patenting by the researchers. So far seven applications have been filed for patent where two were granted. The Mangalore Fisheries College has filed four patents of which one has been granted for sequencing of genome of white spot virus that affected shrimps. The Cochin University of Science and Technology which had filed only one patent on prawn hatcheries had been granted.
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