Bhubaneswar: Rama Devi Women’s University organised a national conference on ‘Advances in Life Science and Biotechnology’ here Thursday. On the occasion, director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar Gitanjali Batamanabane and former NCCS director Gopal Chandra Kundu were present as chief guest.
In the conference, Kundu said cancer cases related to women are increasing with each passing day in the country and more research in biotechnology sector will help in curing cancer in women.
“The biotechnology market is currently one of the largest industries in the world. Biotechnology is defined as technology that is used to modify or upgrade the biological system, in order to improve human welfare. However, despite being the largest sector globally, there are still various segments that haven’t been fully tapped into. In more technologically advanced nations, researchers have developed techniques and procedures that can completely cure or slow down the spread of specific ailments such as cancer or HIV,” he said.
Notably, processes within the industry include microbiology, genetic engineering, biochemistry, red biotechnology, recombinant technology, and DNA sequencing among many others.
AIIMS Bhubaneswar director Gitanjali said, “We need more presence of women in science which will help in understanding the problem and sensitivity of women. The scenario had changed in present times,” she said.
Padmaja Mishra, vice chancellor of RD University said, “Research in science is very important to understand newer inventions and Rama Devi Women’s University understands that well. Recently, a multi-disciplinary centre for gender research was inaugurated at the university which is named after Sarala Devi, noted social activist, writer, freedom fighter and politician. It will later be converted into a Centre of Excellence.”