Objective of Department

The main objective of the Department is to provide academic training and conduct research in the interdisciplinary areas of biotechnology with particular emphasis on extending the knowledge generated from these studies towards the development of technologies of commercial significance.

- Provide students with a complete vision in the field of biotechnology in various fields

- Preparing distinguished researchers in the field of medical, agricultural, pharmaceutical, industrial and environmental biotechnology

- Raise the level of scientific research and its applications that have a direct return on development plans and community service

Vision

Our vision is to produce competent Biotechnologists who can employ premium processes and applications which will profoundly influence existing paradigm of agriculture, industry, healthcare and restoration of environment providing sustainable competitive edge to present society.

MISSION

Provide Biotechnology educational Program with impetus to generate quality workforce, create awareness about potentials of biotechnology with socio-ethical implications, instill spirit of innovation and creativity in young minds with sound research aptitude and nurture confident individuals who are effective contributors towards growth of the nation.

The department's mission is achieved through:

• Applying quality standards in preparing and describing the programs and academic courses taught in the department in order to keep pace with the latest global developments.
• Raising the capabilities of students in the department through discussion sessions and practical exercises.
• Transferring the latest scientific expertise and techniques in the field of biotechnology to students through holding workshops, conferences and specialized seminars, and cooperating with local and international scientific and research entities.
• Standing on the most important problems and obstacles facing society in the fields of biotechnology and developing research plans to find appropriate practical solutions to face them and how to solve them.
• Participation in scientific publishing and international and local scientific conferences.
• Strengthening scientific and cultural ties with other universities and local, Arab and foreign scientific bodies within the framework of the state's general policy.

Head of Department: 

Prof. Dr. Bahaa El-Din El-Sayed Abdel-Fattah (Professor of Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture)

Staff Members:

Dr. Hisham Yousef Awad Darwish (Lecturer at the Institute, specializing in animal biotechnology)
The department also includes a distinguished group of faculty members assigned to participate in teaching and supervising postgraduate students in the department from the Faculties of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, Agriculture, Computers and Information.
 

1-    Plant Biotechnology

The focus of this discipline is the genetic manipulation of plants using the tools of biotechnology for highly increased quality and quantity of yields. Applications of plant genetic engineering (transgenic plants) are: propagation of plants for crop improvement, disease resistance, heat tolerance, drought and salinity resistance, herbicide resistance……etc. 
The postgraduate (MSc and PhD) of Science in Plant Biotechnology provides students with a strong background in genetics, pathology, the physiology of plant growth, and the development of crop plants for food, feed and industrial uses. It also introduces students to the fundamentals and applications of the advanced biotechnologies currently being used in crop development industries and research.

2-    Animal Biotechnology:

Animal biotechnology is a branch of biotechnology in which molecular biology techniques are used to genetically engineer (i.e. modify the genome of) animals in order to improve their suitability for agriculture, industrial, or pharmaceutical applications. Animal biotechnology has been used to produce genetically modified animals that synthesize therapeutic proteins, have improved growth rates or are resistant to disease.

3-    Microbial Biotechnology:

Research in the field of Microbial Biotechnology is focused on microbes with environmental, industrial or clinical relevance. Work includes several approaches based on molecular genetics, systems and synthetic biology, genomics, proteomics and metagenomics.

4-    Food and dairy biotechnology:

In this interdisciplinary and research-oriented food and dairy Biotechnology program at the department of biotechnology, strengthens on conveying knowledge about the properties, production processes, and diverse possibilities of applying enzymes and microorganisms in the food industry. Application of biotechnology in food and dairy industry, dairy effluents. Genetic manipulation of dairy starters for improved attributes of commercial value. Dairy enzymes and whole cell immobilization. Ethical issues related to use of genetically modified foods.

5-    Environmental Biotechnology:

In Environmental Biotechnology program R&D activities are focused on to support research and development program in the areas relevant to waste management & environmental improvement, development & demonstration of wastewater specific effective bioremediation options and Bio-restoration technologies for restoration of degraded ecosystems  on various aspects of development of treatment process of industrial effluent, bioremediation of xenobiotic compounds, biodiversity conservation & characterization of biodiversity... etc. in this program students will be capable of manipulating the microbial genomes to be more efficient in industrial processing, environmental cleaning and combating environmental pollution. Moreover, biotechnological techniques are being used for biodiversity conservation.

6-    Pharmaceutical industries:

In the fields of pharmacy and industrial biotechnology, the postgraduate student will be well qualified in biopharmaceutical, pharmacogenomics, and drug design. Here, postgraduate students study the genetic makeup of economically important microorganisms and how to genetically modify these organisms to make them more productive (qualitatively and quantitatively) in the various industrial processes for producing drugs as well as studying medicinal plants and their genetic makeup to identify the genes responsible for the production of active substances to be used in the production of drugs Medical