Established | 2000 |
---|---|
Parent institution | Kannur University |
Address | Kannur University, Palayad campus , Thalassery , Kerala , 670661 , India |
Campus | Urban |
Language | English |
Website | https://www.kannuruniversity.ac.in/en/academics/campus/all-departments/department-of-biotechnology-and-microbiology/ |
The School of Life Sciences, Kannur University hosts two departments, Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, which was established in 2000 for conducting master's degree (M.Sc) courses and research (Ph.D) in Biotechnology and Microbiology.[1] An Inter University Centre for Bioscience was also established at the department by the Higher Education Department, Government of Kerala, to be a global center of excellence for research in biological sciences.[2][3] Master's degree course in computational biology was introduced in 2020.[4]
The department have 6 tenured faculties which includes, 2 professors, 3 associate professors and 1 assistant professor. The founding head of department, Prof. M. Haridas serves as an emeritus professor, who is also the director of Inter University Center for Bioscience.[5]
The main area of research includes Structural biology, Computational biology, Medicinal chemistry, Enzymology, Microbial technology, Bioprocess technology, Immunology, Endocrinology, and Plant molecular biology.[7] Research findings from the department has significantly contributed for the growth of macromolecular crystallography in India.[8]
The School of Life Sciences is located in Thalassery campus, which have well equipped modern classrooms, teaching and research laboratories. A new building for the School of Life Sciences in Thalassery campus will be established to advance the facilities in the microbiology and biotechnology departments. The government had already sanctioned ₹6.5 crore, out of the estimated cost of ₹18 crore for the project.[9]
The School of Life Sciences together with Inter University Center for Bioscience have active collaborations with different research Institutes and industry across the country.[10][11][12]
Anti inflammatory activity of biotransformed derivatives of berberine.[13] For the discovery of ‘Phormidin’ an inhibitor of the enzyme Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS), a potential anticancer drug, US patent has been awarded.[14] This is the first international patent earned by the university.[15]
Organized by the Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology and the Inter University Centre for Bioscience, Kannur University, Kerala, India (15-17 March 2012 at, Kannur). ICABS witnessed a unique spectrum of scientific programmes on the most recent and exciting developments in modern biology.[16]
The International Conference on Research and Development in Biosciences (CRDB) 15-17 January, 2019, was organized by Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University and co-sponsored by Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment. Recent advances in the frontier areas of Biological Sciences including Microbial Biotechnology, Immunotechnology, Molecular biology, Genomics and Structural Biology were the highlights of the conference.[17]
Dr. Surekha Memorial Oration is an invited lecture held annually in the memory of former faculty in the department, Dr. Surekha. Invited lectures from eminent professors and scientists are held in the second week of August.