Research Areas

Our research covers the spectrum – from basic Survey to Production of scientific products.

Our breadth of expertise across our faculties is supported by deep disciplinary knowledge. We have significant capability in 6 major areas of research, as mentioned below

• Plant Biotechnology
• Animal Biotechnology
• Microbiology
• Nanotechnology
• Bioinformatics
• Bioprospecting of Natural Pigments

Plant Biotechnology

The Department has a very well established plant biotechnology laboratory and the group is involved in pursuing research on fundamental and applied aspects of plant biology in various economically important plants. Our broad research goals are to establish the micropropagation protocols of various horticultural and medicinally important plants, marker assisted selection in various economically important oil yielding crops and evaluation of different elicitors for bio-priming of economically important crops against fungal and bacterial pathogen. So far two major research project and 5 minor research project has been sanctioned to the group members by government funding agencies (viz. UGC and GSBTM). The Department has published several research paper in the journals of International repute and is also offering a Career Oriented Programme (COP- a certificate course) in Plant Tissue Culture” to the students for enhancement of the skills and give them an opportunity to search the career prospects of Plant Tissue Culture. Currently three students has been registered for pursuing  their Ph.D. degree (Saurashtra University) under the  supervision of Group Leader Dr. Shivani Patel. The department has also organized several symposium/workshops and seminars on plant biotechnology in the past.

Animal Biotechnology

Department has well established Animal Tissue Culture facility where experiments related to all aspects of animal biotechnology can be conducted. The laboratory is equipped with state of the art facility which contains instruments like Class 2 Biosafety cabinet(ESCO), CO2 incubator(ESCO), Inverted Microscope(Invitrogen), Mini-Centrifuge, Multichannel micropipette(Thermo), Autopipette (Tarson), ELISA reader(Thermo), Pass-Box, Cryocanes and deep freezer. Laboratory is having separate areas like Storage room, Preparation room, Transfer room and Instrument room for easy functioning of Laboratory. Cell lines like HeLA and CHO are usually cultivated and maintained here for the experimental purpose.

Microbiology

Antimicrobial metabolites from Actinomycetes: The major activity is isolation and characterization of natural microbial products such as antimicrobial compound. We focused mainly on Actinomycetes as they are most potential candidate for antibiotic production. Several novel techniques has been develop for isolation of actinomycetes from terrestrial, marine as well as plant sources. Endophytic actinomycetes is one of the exciting resource for study of natural antibiotic against multiple drug resistant bacteria. Separation and purification of natural metabolites is one of the objectives of this group. In silico methods are under way to identify the potential target of purified antibiotic compound. Two research projects funded by University grant commission have been completed.

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary field which is an amalgamation of physics, material science, biology and chemistry. The department initiated its research in the field of nanotechnology in 2016. The major focus is on optimization of synthesis of various nanomaterials such as oxides of D block elements (Manganese, Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, Zinc etc.). These nanomaterials have been exploited for sustainable development by exploring their potential in bioremediation- azo dye degradation and heavy metal removal from waste water plants. Furthermore, we are working on green synthesis of nanomaterials to minimize the employment of chemicals which are detrimental for our environment.

Bioinformatics

miRNAs have been recognized as important regulatory factors in plant development. I am trying to explore the RNAi mechanisms operative in Jatropha curcas plants for lipid synthesis. The endeavour is to use this knowledge for crop improvement through employing RNAi based technology.

My scientific interests focus on range of issues related to bioinformatics. I am very much interested in molecular modelling of the structures of biomolecular complexes, molecular dynamics simulations, insilico approaches to drug target identification and drug design.

Bioprospecting of Natural Pigments

Natural dyes have been used long before the invention of Synthetic dyes and can be very effectively put into use in various techniques. Chemically prepared dyes have been proved hazardous to living organisms as some of them are carcinogenic and others can even cause cardiovascular diseases. Right from their production to their disposal they cause environmental issues. The naturally prepared dyes are far better in comparison to synthetic ones in terms biodegradation and also are devoid of any side effects and can be prepared easily by developing countries. The use of natural dyes has been a part of human life since ancient times. However, the synthetic (man-made) pigments completely substituted the natural pigments within a century, due to their lower prices and wide range of bright shades with considerable improved color fastness properties. The greatest source of natural dyes has been from the plant kingdom, notably roots, berries, bark, leaves and wood, but only a few have ever been used on a commercial scale. Synthetic dyes currently in the market for biological studies and in everyday life are toxic and lethal to the environment. Hence, to overcome the inadequacies of the synthetic dyes, a viable option is to replace them with the natural dyes, prepared from plant pigments. In our lab various projects on use of natural pigments were tested for its application in Biological methods, textile and food industry.