Parent :
Ben Gurion University
Type :
University R&D Center
Core Business :
Environmental biotechnology, agricultural biotechnology, food biotechnology, biomedical engineering, bioactive products & red algae genomic on biochips.
Main Markets :
Overview :
The role of NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEGEV (formerly the Institute for Applied Biosciences) is to serve as Ben-Gurion University''s Center for biotechnology. The main goals of the Institute are twofold: To establish a center of know-how and to apply research results towards commercialization. Internationally renowned scientists are involved in advising its activities.
To meet meaningful challenges in the area of biotechnology and to exploit the fruits of basic and infrastructural research, a decision was made to focus on priority topics, rather than spreading resources over a wide area. Priority areas are chosen according to a combination of the following criteria: applied potential participation of leading scientists at Ben-Gurion University potential to excel in the Israeli arena and interdisciplinary nature. To date, two major subjects-deemed to meet the criteria described above-have been chosen: biosensors and biomaterials and specifically polysaccharides. Biosensors are based on biological recognition elements, including antibodies, enzymes, and receptors. The exquisite sensitivity and specificity of such species confers significant advantages on biosensors vs. conventional chemical sensors. The biosensor effort will address important contemporary sensing problems in areas such as agriculture, the environment, and medicine. The 80s and 90s were thus mainly devoted to research on proteins and DNAs, but next millenium will be the era of the polysaccharides. The mission of the polysaccharide project is to create an interdisciplinary center of expertise on polysaccharides that will bring about development of applications in this area, mainly in pharmaceutics, cosmetics, and agriculture. Other priority areas are now under consideration, for example, environmental biotechnology in close cooperation with the Unit for Environmental Engineering.
In addition to its scientific activities, the Institute has taken upon itself the organization of an Interdisciplinary Equipment Center for the researchers of the University. The Center includes various units: genetics, analytical chemistry, microscopy and bioprocessing. Some of the Center''s equipment is already in operation, e.g., the DNA sequencer and synthesizer, and services are being successfully provided.
As part of its mission to establish itself as a center of excellence in the international biosciences community, the Institute has organized-and will continue to initiate-international symposia and interdepartmental seminars. We plan to use these events as a leverage to expose our activities to the international community and towards the establishment of a biotech industrial park in the Negev.