• Inicio
• Noticias

noticias

Versión en Español

Biotechnology Institute, a Dream that Came True

Date: (22/6/2009)

Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas

This institute also works with other research institutions as the National Science and Technology Council (CONACYT, Spanish abbreviation) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA, Spanish abbreviation).

By Juan Reyna

The Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon Biotechnology Institute (IB, Spanish abbreviation) is a research center in which environment sustainability and natural resources healthy enjoyment projects are carrying out.

Doctor Katiushka Arevalo Niño, who is UANL School of Biological Sciences (FCB, Spanish abbreviation) professor and Institute researcher shared with us her thoughts about institute functions and the way research process have been built up.

“It was Doctor Luis Galan Wong’s dream -who is FCB professor- when we were in old build of Microbiology. There was not Biotechnology term yet and we were working in different areas such as Agricultural Microbiology, Industrial Microbiology among others. Doctor always thought about creating a research institute because we worked with curses and laboratories. So, the opportunity of having the institute infrastructure was presented,” said Doctor Arevalo.

Biotechnology Institute was born since 2003, and 87 projects, 9 patent applications and more than 160 publications have been formulated working in four research lines: Industrial Biotechnology, Environment Biotechnology, Animal Vegetal Biotechnology and Agricultural Biotechnology.

“Most of the people have more than 25 years working together in this institution as professors and researchers, and five years as Institute. There is an academic group in which 14 researchers are participating, some have projects related with three research lines, other with just two and the other ones with one line,” said Arevalo.

In every research line are projects focused on environment's well-being and in favor of Biotechnology, which is defined as the application of organisms and their products to generate something good for environment as well as society.

Some of highlighting projects in which Doctor collaborates in are Agricultural Biotechnology Area and all these projects are related with basic and applied research. “What we are looking in biological control area is microorganism’s application such as bacterium or mushrooms that have the capacity of controlling insects plague in farming,” said.

Furthermore, we have to mention that Institute also works with other research institutions such as National Science and Technology Council (CONACYT, Spanish abbreviation) and governmental organizations as Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA, Spanish abbreviation).

Biotechnology in Mexico and in the entire World

Biotechnology concept is recent. However, many countries are concern about searching new options for preserving the environment and choose strategies that include this concept.

“Many countries have seen it as an area that will provide them consumptions needed by the organisms to resolve health and environment problems. This will allow biotechnology application in all environment and society fields,” commented the researcher.

Likewise, doctor said in our country a little backwardness is in this research area, but at the same time a big effort for working and giving enough importance is done and consequently look for environment problems solutions.