The new era of growth has begun for the biotechnology industry in India. Crucial sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, industry, services, and information technology hold the potential to transform the Indian economy and drive the country’s growth. The biotechnology industry is recognized as one of the key drivers for India’s economy targeting $5 Trillion by 2024. India is among the top 12 destinations for biotechnology across the globe, with approximately a 3% share in the global biotechnology industry. As a result of the government’s effort and support over the years, the Indian biotechnology industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5%, which shows the potential to ensure significant economic growth and development to the citizens of the country. The Indian biotechnology industry encompasses 2,700+ Biotech start-ups and it expects to grow up to 10,000 by 2024. There are more than 2,500+ Biotech companies in India. The biotechnology industry growth is driven by extensive investment in R&D promoting new drugs and vaccines, disease-resistant crops, and enzymatic manufacturing processes along with increased R&D expenditure fosters new industry product development, which in turn boosts industry revenue.  

The Indian biotechnology market is composed of five major sectors that include bio-pharmaceutical, bio-services, bio-Agriculture, bio-industrial, and bioinformatics. Each sector contributes significantly to the biotechnology industry. The Indian biotechnology industry is complexly unified such that there is constant interaction between all these segments. For instance, the production of biofertilizers is a result of output from both the bio-agriculture segment and the bio-industrial segment. Similarly, the product that Bio-IT provides is heavily dependent on the research and analysis of products generated by the other segments.

BIO-PHARMACEUTICAL SEGMENT

The bio-pharmaceutical segment consists of products that are therapeutic or preventative medicines that are derived from materials naturally present in living organisms, using recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology. Biotechnology finds potential application in the healthcare sector, owing to the increasing prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases across the globe. This results in the increasing biotechnology research and government funding for the R&D of potential medicines, devices, and diagnostic tools, for accurate diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Biotechnology is gradually considered by the pharmaceutical industry as a promising field to discover and develop products that may generate high revenues and profits. The bio-pharmaceutical segment accounted for the largest revenue share of 64% in the Indian biotechnology industry in 2016. The Indian biopharmaceutical industry encompasses more than 300 companies is growing at a 12% growth rate. 

Currently, biopharmaceuticals are one of the fastest-growing biotechnology segments in India. Several pharmaceutical companies have been stepping out towards the development of personalized medicine, novel therapeutics for COVID-19, cancer, and other disorders, and accurate and reliable diagnostic tools for several conditions. This has led to the growth of the biopharma sector. The significant biopharmaceutical clusters of India are located in Haridwar, Sikkim, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Pondicherry, Mysore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi NCR. Serum Institute of India (Pune), GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (Mumbai), Sanofi India (Mumbai), Reliance Life Science (Mumbai), and Intas Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (Ahmedabad) are the top 5 companies in the Indian biopharmaceutical industry. 

A FEW OF THE KEY FINDINGS IN INDIA’S BIOPHARMACEUTICALS INDUSTRY THAT ARE SHAPING INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIVE AND INVESTMENT STRATEGY INCLUDE:

• Growth in India is Primarily Export-Driven: Export sales of Indian biopharmaceutical products are currently rising at an annual rate of approximately 45%, while domestic sales of Indian biopharmaceutical products have risen only 4–5% per annum. 
• Vaccines are the Largest and Fastest Growing Sector: Indian vaccine sales currently account for about 43% of the country’s total biopharmaceutical sales, compared to 16% for diagnostics and 13% for therapeutics. India is one of the world’s leading suppliers of vaccines for measles and other childhood vaccinations. 
• Extensive Range of Products: Indian companies manufacture an increasingly wide range of biopharmaceutical products. These include recombinant insulin, erythropoietin (EPO), G-CSF, recombinant hepatitis-B vaccine, streptokinase, interferon-alpha-2b, rituximab, and an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody product.
• Indian Biopharmaceutical R&D Is Increasing Rapidly: Since 2003, the R&D budgets of the top ten Indian pharmaceutical companies have more than doubled. Much of this increase has come in biopharmaceutical R&D, and the pipelines of Indian biotech companies are filling with novel large-molecule drugs for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, oncology, and anti-inflammation applications, among others.

BIO-SERVICES SEGMENT

Bio-services mainly include clinical research & contract research organization (CRO) along with custom manufacturing. Bio-services has been witnessing emerging demand owing to the increasing demand for outsourcing by pharmaceutical companies for drugs, medical devices, and diagnostic tools. In addition, contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) offers custom active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing services ranging from lab-scale to multi-ton commercial production with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) scale-up. For API, CDMO services comprise the production of steroids & highly potent APIs (HPAPIs) and cytotoxics. Lonza Group AG and AbbVie are some major CDMOs across the globe. AbbVie Contract Manufacturing is known for the development of successful small molecules and biologics. Lonza is a provider of integrated development and manufacturing service for small molecule drug substances and their intermediates. Lonza is known for its API manufacturing services.

A FEW OF THE KEY FINDINGS IN INDIA’S BIO-SERVICES INDUSTRY:

• Making India the Main Destination for Clinical Trials: India is the second-most populous nation across the globe and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), accounts for about 20% of the global disease burden. India, therefore, is a perfectly suitable destination to conduct clinical trials for new drugs and medical techniques. As of February 2019, India accounted for only 1.2% of the clinical trials of the world. This % is expected to increase as the CRO and CDMO are continuously increasing their capacity and capabilities according to current demand. 
• Presence of Major Bio-Services Industry Players: Indian bio-services industry is growing significantly attributed to cost-effectiveness, competition, and increased confidence in capabilities and skillsets. The Indian bio-services industry is flourished by the presence of major bio-services industry players such as Jubilant Bio-sys, GVK BIO, and Advinus. Jubilant Bio-sys is among the leading Indian CROs providing an integrated platform for drug discovery right from target validation to clinical trials and data management. 

BIO-AGRICULTURE SEGMENT

Bio-agriculture is segmented into hybrid seeds, transgenic crops, biopesticides & biofertilizers that improve the yield and provide a solution to the food supply. Bio-Agriculture is the third-largest segment in the domestic biotechnology industry. The bio-agriculture industry is driven by rising food demand as a result of the continuously growing population, increasing regulatory and consumer focus on sustainable agriculture, increasing health consciousness in India, and rising demand for organic products. Modern biotechnology comprises the use of genetic engineering tools. Biotechnology offers tools to farmers that can make production more manageable and more cost-effective. For instance, some biotechnology crops can be engineered to tolerate herbicides, that supports to make weed control easier and more efficient. In addition, some crops have been engineered to be resistant to insect pests and plant diseases. This can decrease the use of synthetic pesticides and make pest control more reliable and effective. Such crop production alternatives can support to meet the increasing demand for food while safeguarding crops against disease and decreasing production costs. The sector consists primarily of firms that are either technology development seed firms, with key players including Rasi Seeds; Mahyco Monsanto biotech; Ankur Seeds; Nuziveedu Seeds, and Metahelix Life Sciences.

A FEW OF THE KEY FINDINGS IN INDIA’S BIO-AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY:

• Key Innovations in Bio-Agriculture Industry: Biotechnology offers multiple innovative techniques to develop high-yielding crops that can counter the biotic and abiotic stress associated with Indian agriculture. 

Top Innovative Techniques-

• High-yielding seeds
• Biofortification
• Nutrition
• Pest management
• Wastewater utilization
• Investments and Developments in Agriculture Industry: Extensive investment in the agriculture industry is boosting the industry. According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Indian food processing industry has cumulatively attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow of about $9.98 billion between April 2000 and March 2020.
• Government Initiatives Supporting the Industry: Government initiatives in the field of bio-agriculture are the key factors contributing towards India’s biotechnology market. Some of the recent major government initiatives in the sector are as follows-
• In May 2020, Government announced the launch of an animal husbandry infrastructure development fund of Rs 15,000 crore ($2.13 billion).
• In May 2019, NABARD announced an investment of Rs 700 crore ($100 million) venture capital fund for equity investment in agriculture and rural-focused start-ups.
• The Government of India (GoI) came out with the Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) scheme to provide financial assistance for the transport and marketing of agriculture products in order to boost agriculture exports.
• The Agriculture Export Policy, 2018 was approved by the Government of India in December 2018. The new policy aimed to increase India’s agricultural export to $ 60 billion by 2022 and $ 100 billion in the next few years with a stable trade policy regime.
• The Government of India has allowed 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the marketing of food products and in food product E-commerce under the automatic route.

BIO-INDUSTRIAL SEGMENT

Bio-industrial predominantly involves the application of biotechnology for sustainable industrial processing and production of chemical products, materials, and fuels. Industrial biotechnology (bio-industrial) involves the use of enzymes and microorganisms to manufacture goods for several industries, which include food, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical and agricultural products, and energy carriers. Biotechnology has applications in several industrial areas. Enzymes and microorganisms can be used to produce food supplements including energy carriers such as biogas and bioethanol, vitamin B2, and biobased plastics including polylactic acid. Industrial biotechnology uses renewable resources including vegetable oils or sugar beet from oil palms, sunflowers, and rapeseed and carbohydrates from cereals and corn. Bio-energy in India could be derived from incinerating biomass from agricultural produce, agricultural waste, and forestry products, or from the production of biofuels using agricultural products, jatropha plantation, neem forestry, or algal resources. The majority of dedicated biotechnology companies engaged in industrial biotechnology are active in the fields of pharmaceutical production and food/feed. 

A FEW OF THE KEY FINDINGS IN INDIA’S BIO-INDUSTRIAL INDUSTRY:

• Reduce Dependency: India is highly dependent on imports of fossil fuels like crude oil for its energy requirements. Such dependency links the energy and financial situation of the country to the volatility of the external markets. To address these challenges, the Indian government is making concerted efforts to move towards the use of renewable energy.
• Attractive Destination for Foreign Players: Foreign biotechnology players are investing in India due to potential industry and cheap labor. For instance, Novozymes, the biggest player in this sector is rapidly expanding its presence in India by developing the enzymes sector for the food, beverages, and home-care market. Novozymes has been present in India since 1983 and currently occupies three sites in Bangalore. During the first phase of development (2016-2018), Novozymes expects to invest approximately $50 million (Rs. 300 crores). 
• Growth in Bio-Energy Sector: India is among the largest energy consumers and further demand is rising constantly. While coal, oil, and gas dominate the Indian energy sector, biomass is still a prevalent energy resource in the rural parts of India. Hence, there are emerging initiatives to promote the complete utilization of biomass resources in rural parts to efficiently meet their energy demand as bioremediation techniques.

BIO-INFORMATICS SEGMENT

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary scientific field of life sciences. It involves the combination of computers, databases, and software tools, to address biological questions. Research and application of bioinformatics include the analysis of genomics data and molecular sequence; genome annotation, molecular folding, building biological networks; gene/protein prediction, and expression profiling; modeling, and design; development of databases and data management systems. In addition, it includes the development of software and analysis tools; bioinformatics education and training, bioinformatics services and workflow; and mining of biomedical literature and text. The biopharma industry is actively integrating bioinformatics tools for research purposes. These tools offer certainly more efficient and possibly more cost and time proficient solutions by assimilating them with cloud computing. 

Bioinformatics has been increasingly playing a vital role in almost all phases of drug discovery and development. This is the smallest segment contributing roughly 2% of the total biotechnology revenues. Bioinformatics tools are highly potential in terms of forecasting, analysis, and interpretation of clinical and preclinical findings. Bioinformatics has applications in molecular medicine, personalized medicine, gene therapy, drug development, microbial genome applications, alternative energy sources, and more. Increasing human genome research has led to the demand for bioinformatics platforms. Modern biological research is dependent on substantial amounts of data. For instance, the human genome is coded by over three billion letters. Bioinformatics applications vary from the identification of patterns in massive data sets and sequence analysis to the study of metabolic or biological signaling networks.

A FEW OF THE KEY FINDINGS IN INDIA’S BIO-INFORMATICS INDUSTRY:

• Need for New Bio-informatic Tools: The need for bio-informatics tools and expertise has increased as genome sequencing projects have resulted in the exponential growth of sequence databases. Pharma companies are partnering with bioinformatic tool providers for introducing genome tools. For instance, in January 2020, Illumina declared a new sequencing system named NextSeq 1000 and NextSeq 2000 sequencing system, in partnership with Roche and software suite to leverage the adoption of genomics. NextSeq 1000 and 2000 are designed to support clinical facilities, core labs, and small to medium research labs to access high-intensity sequencing applications with the use of its sequencing by synthesis (SBS) technology. To meet the emerging demand for clinical-grade genomic information at a lower cost, Illumina declared the NextSeq 1000 and NextSeq 2000 sequencing systems offering breakthrough system design, chemistry innovations, and on-instrument integrated informatics for rapid secondary analysis. 
• Integration of AI Technology: Pharma companies are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) in combination with bioinformatics tools for the identification of drug targets. For instance, in July 2017, GlaxoSmithKline declared that it uses the AI-enabled platform of Exscientia for the development of new drugs. GlaxoSmithKline will use Exscientia’s platform for the discovery of novel and selective small molecules for up to 10 disease-related targets that can be used across multiple therapeutic areas.

GLOBAL BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

Biotechnology involves tools that are used to adopt and modify various biological organisms, products, processes, and systems, and develop processes that are eco-efficient and profitable, unlike conventional chemical technologies. Pre COVID-19, the global biotechnology market was estimated to be around $436.4 billion in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 6.1% during the forecast period. The market is mainly driven by increasing R&D projects in the biopharmaceutical domain and rising funding in the biotechnology industry. The biopharmaceutical companies are investing heavily in the R&D projects, attributed to advances and discoveries. From genomics to personalized medicines, all the recent advancement has created significant scope in developing unique treatment options for various chronic diseases including cancer, and other infectious diseases. According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA), the US biopharmaceutical companies invested an estimated $102 billion in R&D in 2018. There are around 8,000 medicines under clinical trials across the globe, owing to the robust investment and funding in R&D projects. 

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

For centuries, the pandemics or global outbreaks of infectious diseases (with no known vaccines) have been responsible for millions of fatalities. Four influenza pandemics that include (H1N1 Spanish Flu (1918), the H2N2 Asian Flu (1957), the H3N2 Hong Kong Flu (1968), and the H1N1 Swine Flu (2009) have been recorded in the past hundred years. The Spanish Flu, a pandemic of 1918, was the most severe disease responsible for 50 to 100 million fatalities. A pandemic is a global concern that can be triggered either naturally or deliberately into the population, it is important to understand the natural mutation of viruses as compared to the deliberate use of pathogens as a weapon. Biotechnology has enabled to understand the different viruses and develop solutions ranging from diagnostic assays and therapeutics to prophylactic vaccines. 

The outbreak of the COVID-19 was reported in December 2019, in mainland China, within months it reached across the globe. Initially, China was the epicenter of the COVID-19 in January 2020, however, Europe was affirmed as the new epicenter in mid-March (2020), as the number of positive cases and fatalities exceeded that of China’s. Recently, in August 2020, the US has taken over all the countries, in terms of positive COVID-19 cases that soared to 6 million, and mortalities that exceeded 180,000; becoming the worst-hit economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The total number of global confirmed cases of COVID-19 exceeded 23 million, while the number of global mortalities exceeded 800,000 until August 2020. Such a sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 has burdened the global biopharmaceutical players to develop vaccines and effective treatment options. The continuous research in the field of infectious diseases and vaccines is fueling the demand for biotechnology such as DNA sequencing, and cell-based assay. 

Further, to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the biotechnology market players are also supporting to rebuild the pipeline and ensure that the most promising and innovative diagnostics and therapeutics reach out to people in need during the time of this crisis. In July 2020, more than 20 leading biopharmaceutical companies announced the launch of the AMR Action Fund, a partnership that aims to bring 2-4 new antibiotics to patients by 2030. These treatments are urgently needed to address the rapid rise of antibiotic-resistant infections – also called antimicrobial resistance or AMR.  The companies have raised so far nearly $1 billion new funding to support clinical research of innovative new antibiotics, that are addressing the most resistant bacteria and life-threatening infections. Such funding to promote innovative healthcare products has significantly contributed to market growth. Owing to the rising funding and advancement in the biotechnology domain by the government and private players have developed various diagnostic and therapeutic solutions to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

POST COVID-19 GLOBAL BIOTECHNOLOGY MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST, 2019-2026 ($ BILLION)

The global biotechnology industry is valued at around $426.4 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.0% during the forecast period. The market growth is primarily driven by the demand for diagnostics and therapeutics solutions due to the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19. The global demand for COVID-19 testing is estimated to rise, millions more tests/day above current testing capabilities are expected. The biotechnology market players are expected to make a substantial contribution to expanding the global testing capabilities, ultimately driving the growth of the global biotechnology market. Indian biotechnology holds considerable potential for future growth in the global industry. In recent years, the Indian biotechnology industry has shown a robust growth owing to government initiatives such as ‘Make in India’, Atal Innovation Mission, and National Health Protection Scheme. The continuously growing pharmaceutical industry driven by enhanced capabilities in R&D and formulation development and escalating the presence of Indian major drug manufacturers in large international markets such as the US and UK  is also evolving Indian market at a global level. Enormous opportunities exist for pharma and biotech firms to find innovative ways to harness the strengths in vaccine development, bio-informatics, and traditional medicine to gain global presence and to bring a novel drug molecule for the country.

INCREASING GLOBAL INVESTMENTS FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENTS

The severe impact of the COVID-19 around the globe created a massive demand for treatments and therapies. Major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are increasingly spending on R&D for the development of antibodies and vaccines to treat COVID-19 patients. Working on finding a vaccine has become the most important piece of scientific research in 2020, yielding many discussions as well as additional funding for the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industry. Over 30 countries, the United Nations, and philanthropic bodies have pledged $8 billion towards R&D for a COVID-19 vaccine. For instance, the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer partnered AstraZeneca for the mass production of the Oxford vaccine. The University of Oxford is working with the UK-based global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for further development, large-scale manufacture, and potential distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, with plans for clinical development and production of the Oxford vaccine progressing globally. AstraZeneca has partnered with 9 biopharmaceutical companies to develop 2 billion doses. Further, in September 2020, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has partnered with the Hyderabad-based global pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy’s on clinical trials and distribution of 100 million dosages of Sputnik V in India.

KEY MARKET TRENDS: INDIAN BIOTECHNOLOGY MARKET

US-India Collaboration: A Move Toward the Strong Biotechnological Base

• The US is among the major contributor towards innovations in biotechnology owing to high R&D investment and government initiatives. India is among the emerging potential player in the biotechnology market. According to India Brand Equity Foundation, India is among the top 12 biotech destinations across the globe and holds about 2.0% share of the global biotech industry. The growing foreign investment and government initiatives in the field of biotechnology are the key factors contributing to India’s biotechnology market. For instance, during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit-2017, 54 MoUs worth $736.1 million in the biotechnology sector were signed by 37 companies. The partnerships collaboration between these two countries in biotechnology is anticipated to offer growth opportunities for both countries. India’s existing dominance in the production of vaccines has great potential for collaboration in the areas of bio-defense, bioterrorism, chemical-warfare vaccines, and vaccines for pandemics. Therefore, the collaboration of these two countries is anticipated to make a strong biotechnological base across the globe.  

Key Programs Supporting Indian Biotechnology Industry

• Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP) was launched back in 2008, with an aim to support industries in the development of novel and high-risk futuristic technologies mainly for viability gap funding and enhancing existing R&D capacities is boosting the biotechnology market growth. Additionally, state-level efforts of the government to better the biotechnology industry will also offer new growth opportunities to the biotechnology market. For instance, In January 2017, 54 MoUs worth $767.18 million were signed for projects in the biotechnology sector in Gujarat Global Summit-2017. In addition, the Government of Gujarat is also aiming to create 1 lakh jobs in the state’s biotechnology industry. Furthermore, various policies are being launched by the government aimed to strengthen India’s position in the biotechnology market. For instance, the National Biotechnology Development Strategy (NBDS) was launched aiming the 5-year period of 2015 to 2020 with the strategy to establish India as a globally recognized bio-manufacturing hub. SBIRI (Small Business Innovation Research Industry) launched to support innovation for the Small-Medium Enterprises of the biotech sector, with provision for a grant of 80% of the total cost of the research project if it is below Rs 2.5 million and 50% for any amount up to Rs 10 million. Furthermore, BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) to support and assist start-ups, especially SMEs, to catalyze biotech in the private sector and promote PPP (public-private partnership) projects. Such initiatives are expected to significantly impact the growth of the biotechnology market.

Scheme for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry by the Central Government

• The objective of the ‘Scheme for Development of Pharmaceutical Industry’ by the Indian government is to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the domestic pharmaceutical industry so as to enable them to play a lead role in the global market and to ensure accessibility, availability, and affordability of quality pharmaceuticals for mass consumption. This scheme is a Central Sector Scheme with and comprises the following five sub-schemes-

a) Assistance to Bulk Drug Industry for Common Facility Centre

b) Assistance to Medical Device Industry for Common Facility Centre

c) Assistance for Cluster Development

d) Pharmaceutical Promotion and Development Scheme (PPDS)

e) Pharmaceutical Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme (PTUAS)

Next-Generation Sequencing Benefitting  

• The biotechnology industry uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) to develop advanced diagnostic kits, to screen for the pathological conditions and infectious diseases. Biotechnology industries are making large investments in evolving preventive vaccines and therapeutic vaccines that can stop or cure diseases varying from viruses to infections. The NGS provides the key to understanding the progression of oncogenesis in a genetic manner, due to its ability to provide information regarding a genomic sequence. The NGS is capable of, both detecting expected mutations in a certain clinical situation and determining an unexpected sequence variation, therefore, playing a significant role in the treatment and for other therapeutic purposes. One of the most important applications of NGS in pharmaceuticals is for personalized medicine. Additionally, the use of NGS and whole-genome sequencing is beneficial for R&D purposes. Personalized medicine is not only in oncology but also in other segments, such as anti-infective and immunology, which currently hold the largest markets in pharmaceuticals. Other diseases, such as pediatrics, prenatal, infectious diseases, CVDs (cardiovascular diseases), and neurological diseases are likely to soon have personalized medicines. The availability of reimbursement for personalized medicine in the future is likely to make the medication more affordable and indirectly contribute to the growth of the biotechnology market.

Introduction of CRISPR Technology in Agriculture 

• CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, it is used to edit the DNA of an organism or a crop. This technology helps to develop modified crops to increase crop production and quality. The CRISPR technology is a plant breeding technology that uses site-directed nucleases to target and modify DNA with great accuracy. Gene modification is scientific development to alter the genes of crops, flowers, and vegetables. Additionally, DNA modification is emerging at a considerable pace in aquaculture and livestock to fulfill the requirement for healthy and properly mature animals for various applications. Gene modification is actively pursued in the developed Indian agriculture industry with the help of research teams in the CRISPR technology projects. These research activities are on the rise owing to the financial support from the private and government organizations. Several initiatives by the bio-agriculture players as well as the government concerning the growth of the country are attributed to the growth of the agri-biotechnology market, as agriculture employed more than 50% of the Indian population and contributes approximately 17-18% to the nation's GDP as of 2019. For instance, in August 2015, Tano India Pvt. Mauritius invested $7.4 million in Windlas Biotech Ltd. and in July 2016, Helix Investment Holdings Pte. Ltd. Singapore invested $12 million in Concord Biotech Ltd. Thus, such heavy investments in advance technology such as CRISPR in the agriculture lead to the rise in the biotechnology industry in the country. 

Potential Applications of Nanobiotechnology

• The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a global demand for the effective diagnosis and treatment, as well as mitigation of the spread of infection, all through large-scale approaches such as specific alternative antiviral methods and classical disinfection protocols. Nanotechnology offers a number of solutions to fight viruses, both outside and inside the host, and several nanotechnology-based platforms have already been successful in preclinical studies to counter several human viral pathogens such as HIV, human papillomavirus, herpes simplex, and respiratory viruses. Nanotechnology-based approaches are expected to fight against the COVID-19 as well as any future pandemics, in a number of ways, which includes-

1. Novel vaccines and drugs, where nanomaterials can be leveraged for direct delivery of broad-spectrum antivirals and to support targeted therapies to the lungs.

2. Highly specific, rapid, and sensitive tests to detect infection or to detect immunity (serological tests).

3. Superfine filters for face masks or blood filtering.

4. Novel surfaces or surface coatings that are resistant to viral adhesion and can inactivate the virus.

5. The improvement of tools for contact tracing.

The Outlook of Personalized Medicines Seems Optimistic in the Future

The personalized medicines are gaining focus, due to their effectiveness in treating patients suffering from rare genetic disorders. The advantage of personalized medicine is higher treatment effectiveness through customization of prevention, prediction, and treatments. The personalized medicine is gaining importance owing to the rapid increase in the incidence and prevalence rate of cancer, and other chronic disorders; quick results with fewer chances of misusing the medicines, which lead to adverse drug reactions. Awareness among patient pools also leads to an increase in recognition for personalized medicine. Various techniques are developed in personalized medicine for different therapeutic areas. The personalized medicine needs a lot of tests to be done, to confirm the disease condition, which requires different biotechnology techniques. Sophisticated techniques for handling precise amounts of samples for personalized medicine are required. A large demand for technological advancements in personalized medicine is expected in the future and biotechnology will play an imperative role in the development. Hence, the growth of personalized medicine creates significant opportunities for the biotechnology market in the future.

TOP BIOTECHNOLOGY CLUSTERS AND CITIES

With a country comprising over three million square kilometers that are grouped into 28 states across eight union territories, India has space and flexibility to develop multiple centers of industrial focus. Its biotechnology hubs stand out as geographical centers that have been fostered by strategic investments to supply the necessary infrastructure, institutional support, and workforce to sustain the country’s position as among the global biotechnology leader. The biotechnology industry in India is driven by government initiatives, like setting up of more biotech parks and encouragement to public-private partnerships (PPP). The state government initiatives over the past few years have resulted in developing Biotech industry clusters in the state of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, and National Capital Region (NCR) which are major contributors for the industries revenue. 

TOP BIOTECHNOLOGY CLUSTER IN INDIA