Biotechnology and Health
Biotechnology for UPSC — recombinant DNA, GM crops and GEAC, CRISPR gene editing, vaccine platforms, stem cells, gene therapy and India's biosafety rules.
SyllabusGS III · Awareness in the field of bio-technology; developments in science and technology and their applications in health and agriculture
Biotechnology sits where science meets public policy: food security, public health, biosafety and farmers’ rights. Prelims asks how a technology works at the basic level — what a restriction enzyme does, how Bt cotton kills a bollworm, which vaccine uses which platform, what CRISPR cuts. Mains GS III asks whether India should adopt GM and genome-edited crops, how vaccines and gene therapies can be made affordable, and how regulation should balance innovation with caution.
Key sub-topics in this chapter
| Sub-topic | What to know |
|---|---|
| Recombinant DNA technology | Restriction enzymes, ligase, vectors, hosts; insulin as the first rDNA drug |
| GM crops | Bt cotton, Bt brinjal moratorium, GM mustard (DMH-11), GEAC and the 1989 Rules |
| Gene editing | CRISPR-Cas9; SDN-1, SDN-2, SDN-3; India’s 2022 exemption; genome-edited rice (2025) |
| Vaccines | Live attenuated, inactivated, subunit, toxoid, viral vector, mRNA, DNA |
| Health biotechnology | Stem cells, gene therapy, CAR-T cell therapy |
| Policy | DBT, BIRAC, BioE3 Policy (2024), Cartagena Protocol |
Begin with the topic note, then revise and test yourself with the practice set.