Biotechnology

Biotechnology has made an enormous impact on established industries as well as creating new commercial activities. The sheer breadth of activity covered by biotechnology makes it one of the most exciting areas for postgrad research.

Biotechnology can be defined as the controlled and deliberate manipulation of biological systems (whether living cells or cell components) for the efficient manufacture or processing of useful products. It has revolutionised industries such as food processing and waste management, and has also given rise to the development of a whole new technology for industrial production of hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals, food and energy sources. The sector is the major growth segment of the pharmaceutical industry, accounting for over 30% of all new drugs in development, and is one of Ireland’s most successful business sectors with over €4.5 billion invested by companies to-date.

Not surprisingly, a number of postgraduate courses have emerged to tap into this commercial potential. For example, NUI Galway’s MSc Biotechnology course provides a broad training for primary degree graduates. The programme is a full time one-year course, although it is also possible to complete on a part time basis over two years. The minimum entry requirements for this course are a second class honours primary degree in science or a related subject, with an appropriate background in biological sciences. Candidates with three years’ relevant and appropriate research or industrial experience may also be considered. Graduates have found employment in such companies as Abbott, Allergan and Wyeth.

DIT’s MSc Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance and Biotechnology is designed to provide a bridge for students who have qualified in science disciplines to the specific requirements of the pharmaceutical and related industries with respect to quality assurance. Graduates of the course are well equipped to take up positions as quality professionals and managers in these industries. Applicants should have an honours degree in science or related discipline at 2.2 grade or higher or equivalent qualification.

UCC’s MSc in Applied Science (Biotechnology) is an intensive one-year course that prepares graduates for leadership positions in the dynamic industries of biopharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and biotechnology. Strongly interdisciplinary, the course involves six modules – Biopharmaceuticals & Quality Assurance, Bioprocess Engineering, Analytical Chemistry & Quality Control, Cell & Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering, and Functional Foods for Health – as well as a dissertation based on six months’ research in the university laboratories or as part of an approved industrial placement. The programme is open to graduates who have a good honours degree in biotechnology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, microbiology or similar science-based subject.

With the BIOMERIT Research Centre (www.ucc.ie/biomerit/), UCC is also a hub of research activity in innovative biotechnology. The Centre has three core research streams - Microbial-Host Interactions, Functional Genomics and Signalling in Gram-negative bacteria, and Environmental Biotechnology – and a current grant income that totals approximately €8 million.

Indeed, biotechnology is a science that has numerous centres of research excellence. Whether it’s health, food or the environment, there is somewhere to progress your particular research interest.

Another biotechnological research opportunity for instance, is provided by the Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre (http://shannonabc.com/), which is a joint venture of IT Tralee and Limerick IT. The Centre has an ongoing and expanding programme to explore natural products for new bioactive substances of value to the healthcare, forensic, pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, agricultural, environmental and bio-energy industries.

For researchers who wish to focus on the health outcomes of biotechnology, DCU’s National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology (www.nicb.dcu.ie) is a multidisciplinary centre of research in applied cellular biotechnology, molecular cell biology, ocular diseases and biological chemistry. It includes a multidisciplinary team of cell and molecular biologists, biotechnologists, chemists and computer scientists. The institute draws from the established expertise of researchers in DCU, IT Tallaght and NUI Maynooth and has combined the variety of expertise of its researchers to develop targeted research programmes in key areas relating to identification of new therapeutic targets and diagnostic methods for disease (in particular for cancer, microbial diseases and diabetes) and understanding of basic biological processes including regulation of gene expression during cell differentiation.

Also in DCU, the National Cell and Tissue Culture Centre (www.dcu.ie/~nctcc/) was established as a BioResearch Ireland centre of excellence for animal cell biotechnology in 1987. The centre is located in a stand alone facility with custom designed laboratories on the campus of Dublin City University. The NCTCC is one of Ireland’s foremost research institutes and has a wide range of research projects, originating from its expertise in oncology and cell culture. Research units include Immunology, Toxicology, Cell Differentiation, Molecular Biology and Diabetes.

The dynamism of the biotechnology sector, even during the recession, is symbolised by the ongoing development of the new National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (www.nibrt.ie). Based on an innovative research collaboration between University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University and Institute of Technology Sligo, NIBRT seeks to support the development of the existing bioprocessing industry in Ireland and attract additional companies to Ireland by training highly skilled personnel for the bioprocessing industry; conducting world-class research; and providing a critical mass of multipurpose bioprocessing facilities. The new facilities, construction of which began in November 2009, will include a pilot plant to support scale up operations and to enable students to get real time experience in an industrial environment.

Search the National Education Database for postgraduate biotechnology courses.