Status and prospects of biotechnology in the Middle East and North Africa

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Status and prospects of biotechnology in the
Middle East and North Africa

• First Jordanian Swedish Biotechnology Symposium
• 26-27 March 2007
• Dr. Amjad Khalil
• Associate Professor of Biotechnology
• Biotechnology Research Group
• College of Science
• KFUPM

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PART A

• BIOTECHNOLOGY AS A STRATEGIC GOAL

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INTRODUCTION

• What is Biotechnology?
• Biotechnology applies scientific and engineering
  principles to living organisms in order to
  produce products and services of value to
  society.
• Biotechnology has been identified as one of the
  frontline technologies today being developed and
  used to understand and manipulate biological
  molecules for applications in medical,
  agricultural, industrial and environmental
  sectors of the national economy.

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INTRODUCTION/CONT

• Biotechnology is not new.
• Examples of the old technologies include
  fermentation (such as in the production of beer
  from malt) and plant propagation and breeding.

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INTRODUCTION/CONT

• However, there is a new biotechnology which has
  emerged in the last 25 years and which has been
  built on new knowledge of DNA structure and
  manipulations.
• In particular, it has allowed geneticists to move
  genetic material from one life form to another in
  a way that was not previously possible.

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Importance of Biotechnology

• Biotechnology is expected to be the engine of
  global economy during the 21st century.
• The growing biotechnology industry and its
  sectors considered the new directions for
  long-term economic growth.

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Importance of Biotechnology

• - Rabid advances in genome science are opening
  up a multitude of new business opportunities in
  the life science-related industries.
• - To accompany this growth, manpower
  appropriately trained and educated in
  biotechnology is certainly needed.

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• Recent advances in biotechnology provide good
  opportunities for immediate benefits to
  developing countries.
• The innovations made in biotechnology
  applications include
• A- the development of micro-propagation
  systems for many plant species and of new plant
  varieties with highly desirable characteristics.
• B- the manipulation of genetic material and
  its cloning into other organisms.
• C- the production of genetically engineered
  plants that are resistant to viruses, insects and
  herbicides.

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• D- fermentation technology producing many human
  and animal health products, as well as food and
  feed ingredients.
• E- treatment and utilization of liquid and solid
  wastes. These developments could have wide
  applications in agricultural production and
  environmental protection.

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• Most countries in the Middle East and North
  Africa are characterized by severe weather
  conditions, lack of fresh water and widespread
  soil erosion.
• As a result, viable agriculture to produce food
  of both plant and animal origin is strictly
  limited and is below consumption levels.
• Since the population is expected to double in the
  next two decades, the countries in this region
  face a food supply problem of some magnitude.
• They already suffer from a low standard of
  living, inferior quality of food, poor health and
  weak economies.
• This clearly indicates the need of these
  countries to gain access to the new advances and
  products of biotechnology.

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• In order to achieve this goal, a long-term
  program should be established for the generation,
  transfer and development of biotechnology to the
  Middle Eastern countries.
• Major components of this program will be
• A- the development of trained personnel,
• B- the strengthening of research and technology
  transfer facilities
• C- the establishment of international and
  regional collaboration in the field of
  biotechnology.

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• This PRESENTATION analyses the major trends of
  biotechnology in the region as a whole as well as
  in individual selected countries then examines
  the prospects of strengthening biotechnology in
  conjunction with conventional technologies and
  finally, it outlines the strategies for the
  promotion of biotechnology in the region.

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Major trends and prospects of biotechnology
applications

• The main challenges facing the Middle Eastern
  countries are related to food supply and
  conservation of resources. Using biotechnological
  approaches, different resources can be utilized
  by
• A- increasing soil fertility through
  biological activities
• B- increasing food production through genetic
  manipulation and plant cell culture
• C- biological waste water treatment
• D- bioconversion of waste for food and feed
  ingredients.
• Most biotechnological activities present in these
  countries are limited to traditional methods to
  serve their needs, i.e. industrial fermentation,
  soil microbiology and bioconversion of waste.

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• There are various sources of raw materials for
  fermentation in the Middle Eastern countries.
• A- Huge quantities of hydrocarbons and methanol
  are found in oil-producing countries,
• B- carbohydrate by-products (molasses) and
  lignocellulose waste (cardboard, paper) are found
  in most countries.
• C- Agricultural and forest residues generated in
  some countries (Morocco, Turkey, Yemen, Iraq and
  the Syrian Arab Republic) are considered
  renewable resources that can be utilized by
  biotechnological means for the production of
  food, feed, fertilizers and fuel.

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• The majority of these countries have established
  A- traditional fermentation industries, i.e. (the
  United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman,
  Kuwait, the Syrian Arab Republic and Egypt)
• B- baker's yeast production (The Syrian Arab
  Republic, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt)
• C- methanol and acetic acid production (Iraq, the
  Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon and Egypt) and D-
  acetone, butanol and citric acid (Egypt).
• E- Fermented dairy products' plants have been
  established in all countries.

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• F- Most of these countries have established
  biological treatment plants for sanitary waste
  water and have utilized the treated waste water
  for landscaping and agriculture. However, there
  is still a need for more research and development
  to adapt and optimize treatment technologies, to
  upgrade the quality of treated effluent and for
  proper management of sewage sludge.

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• In 1982, the production of dates in the Near
  Eastern and North African countries accounted for
  about 73 percent of total world date production
  (1.9 million tonnes). Iraq and Saudi Arabia were
  the leading producers, followed by Egypt,
  Algeria, Yemen and the Sudan.
• The date-palm produces, in its long lifetime,
  relatively few offshoots which are suitable for
  transplanting. Vegetative micropropagation
  through tissue culture is therefore a promising
  technique for multiplying elite, high-yielding
  and disease-resistant trees. The results obtained
  in Saudi Arabia as well as in Morocco, Algeria
  and Tunisia have shown that in vitro
  micropropagation can be very successful. However,
  future research is needed to overcome the
  difficulties related to early flowering and lack
  of uniformity of the cloned plants.

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• It is particularly important to create date-palm
  clones resistant to the disease caused by
  Fusarium wilt, which is threatening the palm
  groves in Morocco. In the date-producing Arab
  countries, high-quality dates are still imported
  even though domestic production exceeds
  consumption. In these countries, the application
  of tissue culture techniques to improve date-palm
  varieties, coupled with progressing, packaging
  and marketing efforts, would lead to major
  changes in their capacity to export high-quality
  dates.

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• As regards plant production, most countries that
  responded to the questionnaire adopted tissue
  culture techniques to improve plant production,
  in addition to conventional methods of plant
  breeding. These countries are cooperating with
  international organizations for the adoption of
  advanced plant biotechnological techniques .
• Some activities related to animal health were
  reported from Egypt and the Sudan. The Animal
  Health Production Institute (AHRT) and the
  Veterinary Serums and Vaccine Research Institute
  in Egypt were cooperating with FAO and
  international institutes in Finland and the
  United States in combatting brucellosis and other
  animal diseases.

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Algeria

• Successive governments have had to search for
  means to increase food production and reverse the
  downward economic trend.
• The government intends to develop
  self-sufficiency in cereals.
• Algeria depends on imports of durum wheat. This
  dependence on cereal imports is reflected by the
  focus of several biotechnology projects which
  have been implemented under government auspices.
  Both the National Institute for Agricultural
  Research and the Department of Plant
• Currently, these institutions also use various
  biotechnology approaches to look for alternative
  sources of protein, such as potato and chickpea.
• The Department of Animal Production focuses on
  the protein content of straw for livestock feed.

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• Basic biotechnology research is mainly carried
  out at the Houari Boumedienne University of
  Science. .
• The relationship between universities and
  commercial breeding companies is still in a state
  of evolution, the only successful undertaking so
  far has been a program for potato
  micropro-pagation supervised since 1989 by the
  Institute for the Development of Vegetable Crops.
• In 1988, plans for future biotechnology research
  were formulated by the High Commission for
  Research.

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• Five priority areas were identified
• A- Food industries. Production of single-cell
  protein, Spirulina, enzymes and solid-state
  fermentations.
• B- Increase and improvement of agricultural
  production.
• C- Production of pharmaceuticals. For the
  extraction of biologically active plant
  substances.
• D- Immunology. Production of vaccines and
  monoclonal antibodies.
• E- Use and recycling of agricultural and
  industrial wastes and by-products. For the
  production of ethanol, acetone butanol and
  methane.

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Egypt

• In Egypt, biotechnology activities were initiated
  in the early 1950s..
• The government showed its interest in providing
  support to biotechnology by offering to host one
  of the principal laboratories of the
  International Centre for Genetic Engineering and
  Biotechnology (ICGEB)
• this culminated in the agreement that Egypt would
  establish an affiliated ICGEB biotechnology
  centre with the Academy of Scientific Research
  Technology (ASRT) as the principal liaison
  institute.
• The academy established a national biotechnology
  committee in 1984 since then, research in plant
  biotechnology has been carried out in different
  institutions.
• The Cell Research Section of the Agriculture
  Research Centre (ARC) in Cairo became the
  Biotechnology Centre of the Ministry of
  Agriculture. In 1990, the Ministry of Agriculture
  decided to create a

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• National Agricultural Genetic Engineering
  Laboratory (NAGEL).
• The main research objective of NAGEL is to
  apply genetic engineering and tissue culture for
  transfer of desirable traits such as tolerance to
  salt and drought and pest resistance in the major
  crops.
• - Tissue culture is used for micropropagation
  of strawberries, potatoes, bananas, and
  date-palms.

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• At the National Research Centre (NRC), a Division
  of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology was
  established with the following departments
• Molecular biology for enzyme production for
  industrial and clinical diagnosis.
• Cell biology for animal cytogenetics (chromosome
  and gene mapping) biotechnological methods for
  embryo technology (embryo culture, transfer,
  sexing, splitting pre-implantation, embryo
  freezing and twinning).
• Plant cell and tissue culture for plant tissue
  culture to produce secondary metabolites the
  selection of plant cell lines for stress
  tolerance e.g. to salinity and drought the
  production of virus-free potato planting
  material and the micropropagation of plants with
  difficulties for conventional propagation.
• Microbial biotechno1ogy for ethanol production
  from sugar by-products and methane production
  from agro-industrial wastes.
• Microbial genetics for the production of useful
  microbial compounds through genetically improved
  strains such as saponin production in Poinciana
  regia to Azotobacter elimination or degradation
  of pollutants transformation of cellulolytic
  nitrogen fixers construction of Saccharomyces
  cerevisiae strains capable of cellulose,
  cellobiose or lactose consumption.

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• sterility in indica x japonica crosses, fixing
  inherited traits such as protein content and
  starch characteristics and generating
  variability.
• Research on the use of the biofertilizers to
  increase rice yields in Egypt has demonstrated
  the beneficial effects of the blue-green algae,
  Cyanobacteria, for rice growth and yield
  increase. Algal supplementation has been found to
  reduce the need for inorganic nitrogen by 30 to
  50 percent, and to maintain soil fertility and
  gradually improve the content of soil organic
  matter. Another major advantage of this
  biofertilizer is the ease with which it can be
  produced, stored and distributed. The Ministry of
  Agriculture has set up a programme for the
  production of sufficient Cyanobacteria inoculum,
  to cover an area of about one million feddans
  (400 000 ha).

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Need for Biotechnologists in the Kingdom

• Despite the urgent needs for biotechnologists as
  professional manpower, none of the academic
  institutes in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia offers
  any program of biotechnology.
• One of the main objectives of the suggested
  program is to supply the market of the Kingdom
  and the region with well-trained, professional
  biotechnologists.

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Need for Biotechnologists in the Kingdom

• KFUPM could become the first university in the
  Kingdom and the gulf region to successfully
  graduate biotechnologists with strong background
  in different disciplines of biotechnology.
• In the near future ,hospitals, pharmaceutical
  industry, and research institutes will need a
  well trained biotechnology professionals.

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Need for Biotechnologists in the Kingdom

• In the last few years, the gulf region lunched
  two projects on Biotechnology. First, Jeddah
  BioCity as an international pioneering company in
  the transference of biotechnology via the
  creation of projects in research and development
  to produce a high economic return.
• Second, Dubai Biotechnology Park (DuBiotech) is
  designed to be the center of excellence in
  biotechnology that will link government, academia
  and industry through national and international
  collaboration to develop new technologies and
  products to address regional health and
  environmental issues.
• The presence of these biotechnology centers in
  the gulf region will increase the demand for well
  trained and professional biotechnologists in the
  near future.

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Why at KFUPM?

• KFUPM has established a very strong and reputable
  sciences and engineering programs, Thus it
  could play a very important role in preparing
  students with strong science background in the
  field of Biotechnology.
• KFUPM will be the first university in the area
  that has taken the lead in proposing to design
  such a program, which could serve the community
  and the students by transferring the new
  technology to Saudi universities and companies.

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BIOTECHNOLOGY AS STRATEGIC CHOICE

• Taking a strategic decision by KFUPM to go for
  Biotechnology program will be an excellent point
  in its history.
• The opportunity exists for KFUPM to position
  itself as an important contributor to the
  advancement and evolution of biotechnology in
  this century.
• The Biotechnology team believes that KFUPM can
  become known as a major national key player in
  the area of biotechnology.
• The university support for this strategic
  initiative is an opportunity to build excellence
  in an area affecting all forms of life.

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• To achieve success in the area of
  biotechnology KFUPM should do the followings
• Formation of Biotechnology steering committee .
• Build human resources in the area of
  biotechnology.
• Develop scientific and technological
  capabilities.
• Linkages between academic institutions and
  industry.

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• Successful Examples from the rest of the world
• There are a variety of lessons that KFUPM can
  learn from the organization and management of
  biotechnology in other countries, particularly
  developing countries such as Cuba, Brazil,
  Argentina, Thailand and China, which have made
  significant strides in the development and
  commercialization of biotechnology over the past
  two decades.

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Brazil

• Brazil is emerging as one of the developing
  country leaders in biotechnology .
• Excellent achievement in citrus crop diseases and
  cancer .
• Development of vaccines for diseases such as
  tuberculosis, and hepatitis B.

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Nigeria

• Nigeria is one of the African countries that has
  embarked on a determined program to exploit
  biotechnology for the benefit of its peoples and
  to ensure that Nigeria becomes a key participant
  in the international biotechnology arena within
  the next decade.
• The Federal Government provided the National
  Biotechnology Development Agency with US 263
  million per annum for three years as a take-off
  grant to fund the executive programs in
  agriculture, health, industry, environment and
  human resource development.

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Cuba

• - Cuba is a developing country that has
  made significant strides
• in biotechnology.
• - 35 national research institutes dedicated
  to health-related
• biotechnology
• - 25 agricultural centers apply
  biotechnology approaches.
• - Produces the worlds only successful
  anti-meningococcal
• vaccine, which is patented worldwide.
• - Cuba has invested more than US 1000
  million in its
• biotechnology research centers alone.

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USA

• USA has the largest and most profitable
  biotechnology industry, consisting of more than
  1,300 companies, with combined revenues of over
  22 billion and employing 162,000 people.
• Some of the biotechnology companies
• are of the top 15 Nasdaq-listed
• companies .

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Australia

• The number of biotechnology companies 160
  companies.
• The total biotechnology sector generates annual
  revenue of roughly R4 billion.
• The Australian Government spends roughly one
  billion rand a year on biotechnology research.
  Most of this money is spent through the
  universities.

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Jordan

• In the last 10 years, Jordan moved into the area
  of Biotechnology and achieved number of good
  goals such as
• 1- Four universities offer undergraduate
  Biotechnology programs, and one graduate program.
• 2- Two centers of Biotechnology
• A- Biotechnology center at Jordan University
  affiliated with Hamdi Mango Center for Scientific
  Research.
• B- The Virtual Biotechnology Center directed by
  The Higher Council for Science and Technology .
• 3- Two Pharmaceutical Companies work in the area
  of Biotechnology for developing Recombinant
  Drugs.
• 4- Jordan developed a National Biosafety
  Framework as main components of Cartegena
  Protocol on Biosafety.

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Conclusions of Part A

• To achieve a significant progress in the field of
  biotechnology, KFUPM requires a body (committee)
  to champion biotechnology.
• establishing well-funded and staffed agencies
  dedicated to biotechnology is essential.
• The need to build up a scientific and
  technological capabilities.
• Investment in biotechnology must be based on an
  explicit national goal of generating products and
  processes and commercializing these on domestic
  and international markets.

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PART B

• OUTLINE FOR THE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM IN
  BIOTECHNOLOGY AT KFUPM

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Vision

• The KFUPM undergraduate program of Biotechnology
  aims at taking a leading role in research,
  innovation, education and postgraduate training
  in the Gulf and Middle East regions.
• The program will support and enhance the
  technology transfer, industrial development and
  community services .

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MISSION

• The mission of the program will be provided high
  quality education, research, and community
  service in the area of biotechnology and related
  fields.

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• Specific components of this mission are
• 1- To conduct basic and applied research that
  expands knowledge in the area of biotechnology
  and provides innovative solutions and
  differentiating technologies for the Saudi
  industries and for the healthcare services.
• 2- To provide high-quality education in
  biotechnology and its related sciences, and to
  prepare professionals for the ever increasing
  complexity of the systems in this field and
  extend collaborative links both nationally and
  internationally.
• 3. To provide high-quality professional
  training and consultation in the area of
  biotechnology.

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Program Objectives

• Develop basic laboratory skills, perform standard
  techniques, and work with the state of the
  art-instruments.
• To broadly educate students for positions in the
  biotechnology industry and to prepare students
  for graduate and professional study in the life
  science.
• Students will be able to solve problems in
  biological sciences using biotechnology
  approaches.
• Linking research establishments with economic and
  service sectors by concentrated comprehensive
  marketing to facilitate the creation of new
  highly skilled work force and jobs that will
  benefit the Saudi community.

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• BENEFITS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

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Benefits to the society

• the biotechnology program is beneficial to
  the society as a whole because KFUPM, a leading
  university in science and technology, will
  contribute to the scientific training of under
  graduate student of this program and provide the
  community with well trained graduates with
  adequate scientific knowledge and skills.

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Benefit to KFUPM

• The University will play an important role in
  creating, developing and advancing research and
  development in biotechnology which benefit the
  Kingdom and the region.

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Benefit to the Industry and Economy of KSA

• Biotechnology is a goldmine in the developed
  economies.
• KFUPM will help in linking research
  establishments with economic and service sectors
  by concentrated comprehensive marketing to
  facilitate the creation of new highly skilled
  work force and jobs that will benefit the Saudi
  industry and economy.
• KFUPM biotechnology program will encourage the
  government to support the investment in
  Biotechnology applications which are expected to
  have futuristic concept that blends innovative
  research and manufacturing in an economic
  container that would contribute to the welfare
  and prosperity of KSA society.

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Benefit to students

• Biotechnology program will help the students to
  acquire a strong foundation in biology,
  chemistry, and physics.
• This program will put heavy emphasis on
  methodology through laboratory experience that
  provides students with state-of-the-art
  biotechnology instruments and skills.
• Students will be able to apply the principles of
  biotechnology to solve problems encountered in
  medicine, public health, research and
  development, agricultural, industrial and
  environmental sciences.

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Major Biotechnology Courses

• This program should expose the students to number
  of core courses in Biotechnology in order to give
  them the knowledge and the experience to be an
  excellent professional Biotechnologists and
  become qualified to into the market of the
  biotechnology positions., such courses include
• General Microbiology
  
• Introduction to Biotechnology
• Principle of Genetics
  
• Biochemistry
  
• Cell Biology
  
• Molecular Biology
  
• Microbial Biotechnology
  
• Molecular Genetics
  
• Methods in Recombinant DNA Tech
  
• Applied Molecular Biology
  
• Proteomics and Protein Technology
• Mammalian tissue culture
  
• Plant Tissue Culture
  
• Ethics in Biotechnology
  
• Bioinformatics
  

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Career Opportunities

• Lab specialist in biotechnology, food,
  pharmaceutical, medical and agrotechnology
  industries .
• Research assistant as part of a larger research
  team, conducting experiments in the laboratory or
  in the field.
• Forensic and medical laboratory specialist.
  Examine DNA and other scientific evidence
  relating to criminal investigations and analyze
  DNA from clinical samples from patients for
  diagnosis of genetics diseases.
• Environmental consultant by assess and monitor
  environmental contamination and help in
  developing and implementing bioremediation
  programs to clean up the environment.
• Scientific journalist and media presenter by
  writing articles and help in preparing broadcast
  programs to communicate the importance of
  scientific development to the public.
• Sales representative / marketing professional
  sell and provide advice about special scientific
  products to clients in research, help to solve
  specific problems related to equipment
  applications and experimental procedures.

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List of Universities

• 1- Drexel University / USA
• 2- Whitehead University/MIT
• 3- University of Queensland / Australia
• 4- North Iowa University / USA
• 5- University of Maryland University College/USA
• 6- Purdue University Calumet / USA
• 7- University College London / England
• 8- Indiana University / USA
• 9- University of Georgia / USA
• 10- Lund University / Sweden
• 11- University of Helsinki / Finland

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CONCLODED STATMENT

• Biotechnology is one of the frontline
  technologies today and considered to be the
  engine of global economy during the 21st century.
• Biotechnology solve problems in biological
  sciences for the benefits of humanity, provided
  high quality education, research, and community
  service.
• Lessons should be learned from the experience of
  other countries , and to start now is better than
  10 or 15 years later.

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• THANK YOU