CONTENTS                                                  Sep-Oct 2000

IN THE NEWS
Pest resistance in pigeon pea Ö Zeneca eyes India for biotech venture Ö Collaboration for Ribozyme Ö Sybron to acquire Abbott's products Ö Reliance plans biotech foray Ö Biotechnology to enhance wheat quality Ö China to grow GM crops Ö Joint venture to commercialize new enzymes Ö Biological Evans ties up with premiere research institute Ö Genetic database on Schizosaccharomyces pombe Ö Corporate pact to expand PCR market Ö Biotechnology to rescue sunflower industry Ö First GPCR crystal structure decoded by researchers Ö Japan's first cloned pig born Ö First pheromone gene discovered in humans

INVENTIONS/NEW PRODUCTS
Transgenic trees for paper production Ö New vaccines for fish diseases Ö Genetically engineered groundnuts for better yields Ö Ultra-sensitive method for prion detection Ö Integrated pathogen detection system Ö Microbial conversion of phytosterols to steroid drugs Ö Blue biotechnology Ö Novel reporter system to monitor microbial activity

R&D IDEAS
GeneChip arrays for cystic fibrosis studies Ö TrueBlue technology to decipher B. pertussis genome Ö Biocatalytic success Ö Potatoes altered to yield high-amylose starch Ö Gene for fastest known biological motor cloned Ö Prions influence normal proteins to become infectious Ö Molecular structure of botulism toxin unravelled

MEDICAL BIOTECH
PCR test to detect tuberculosis in children Ö Plague vaccine Ö Diagnostic kit for tick-borne disease Ö Transposons used in gene therapy Ö New clot-busting therapy approved in the United States

AGRI BIOTECH
Technique to control major coconut pest Ö New hybrid coconut Ö Transgenic tobacco plants tolerant to heat stress Ö Caffeine-free tea and coffee on the horizon Ö Delayed ripening of banana Ö Virus-resistance technology in plants developed

BIOREMEDIATION
Electrochemical and biological waste treatment Ö Biodegradablethermoplastics Ö Solution for solvent problem

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

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