Biotechnology for drug discovery and crop improvement

Abstract

Genomics has emerged as the single most powerful discipline for detailed analysis of organization expression, and interaction of an organism at the genome level. Pathogens like Candida albicans, Vibrio cholerae etc. are responsible for causing morbidity and mortality in human beings. Besides, phytopathogens like Magnaporthe oryzae can lead to potential loss of yield in staple crop of rice. Genes of N-Acetyl-d-glucosamine metabolic pathway has been found to be universal in the diverse pathogens like C. albicans, V. cholerae and M. oryzae, playing an important role in their virulence. Lack of optimal treatment and emergence of multi-drug resistance necessitate the designing of better/new drugs against these pathogens. Research on these pathogens has increased the understanding of virulence and pathogenicity factors which can serve as potential drug targets that can be efficiently utilized to design a successful therapy to combat various diseases. Agricultural biotechnology has provided new tools for effectively ensuring food and nutritional security that can overcome many of the technical roadblocks that limit the application of conventional biological techniques in agricultural research. Limitations of water resources, decreased fertility of arable land skyrocketing cost of energy and galloping increases in the population make it imperative that food supplies of the 21st century will depend on a new form of agriculture in which custom-made food plants will dominate the world market. The ultimate goal is to create crops that are tailored to provide better nutrition for humans, improved fruit shelf life and enhanced tolerance to various stresses.