CONTENTS                                                  May-Jun 2000

IN THE NEWS
Major sequencing projects planned in China Ö Licensing agreement for industrial enzyme development Ö New biotech lab offers genetic modification testing Ö Gene function altered in two major fungal pathogens Ö Biotech information campaign Ö Ranbaxy to set up R&D unit in the United States Ö Biotech enterprise zone planned in India Ö Rhizobium business Ö FDA modifies rules on bio-engineered foods and feeds Ö Pfizer to co-market hepatitis-B vaccine Ö New entrant to biotech field

INVENTIONS/NEW PRODUCTS
Transgenic malaria mosquitoes created Ö New technology improves enzyme functionality Ö First designer biomaterial for growing mammalian cells Ö High-affinity TCR proteins Ö PCR assay used to monitor bioremediation Ö Tissue culture helps propagate rare medicinal plant Ö Plants yield life-saving drug Ö New technology to preserve vaccines and blood products

R&D IDEAS
Research programme on new therapy for hepatitis-C Ö Cell growth regulating protein Ö New technology to enhance efficacy of DNA vaccination Ö Researchers locate gene that restricted tomato growth Ö Transgenic pest control Ö Immunity to virus triggered by vaccine in potato Ö Directed evolution creates carotenoid-producing bacteria Ö AIDS vaccine trials Ö Role of protein processing programme in cell signalling

MEDICAL BIOTECH
New way to regulate immune system-controlling enzyme Ö New AIDS vaccine Ö Genome-directed primers for DNA microarray analysis Ö DNA microarrays used in diabetes research

AGRI BIOTECH
New nutraceutical technology developed Ö Herbicide resistance by targetted modification of gene Ö Transgenic tobacco requires less phosphorus fertilizer Ö Synthetic gene advances

BIOREMEDIATION
Novel microbe for decontamination of PCE Ö Biodegradable plastic from wastewater Ö Common genetic key to aluminium tolerance in plants Ö Microbes for bioremediation Ö Fuel from residual waste Ö Textile chemical wastes-consuming bacteria

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

CATCHING UP WITH EVENTS