Biotechnology

[pandaboy]

Actually, what does a biotechnologist do? Let's say u have a Bachelor of Biotechnology degree, what kind of job you can get? From what I had observed during my hospital attachment in a private medical centre, those ppl with biotech degree actually work in the lab, conducting tests on blood sample and all other sorts of samples from human body. Are they biotechnologist as well? I am interested in studying biotechnology, but I'm really afraid that I wont be able to look for job after graduating. Will biotechnology become like what happened to the computer technology? I realised that ppl with computer degrees kinda hard to look for jobs nowadays, cos the demand is less than the "supply". And there is one case I heard from my friend, who claimed that a biotechnologist in US earns around US$200K per annum. Is that true? That is really a large sum of salary, dont you think? Hope fellow Recom members can voice out opinions about biotechnology. Take care!

[ElansarGelmir]

I'm into biochem, not bio techonology... But i think i can give you a rough idea of what's it about. A biotechnologist doesn't mean that you have to work in hopitals... I think the blood testing thing is being done by some lab assistant ... A bio technologist deals more to genetic stuffs. It's a small branch of biochemistry that focuses on gene techniques like PCR, Gene Therapy, DNA fingerprinting and stuffs (hey, correct me if i'm wrong). Usually biotechnologists work in agriculture labs ... i think ...

[windy_city]

wan to know more about latest US jod prospect, salary and the statistics about them, go to http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
You can find the latest info there for almost every occupation that excists.

[pandaboy]

I'm into biochem, not bio techonology... But i think i can give you a rough idea of what's it about. A biotechnologist doesn't mean that you have to work in hopitals... I think the blood testing thing is being done by some lab assistant ... A bio technologist deals more to genetic stuffs. It's a small branch of biochemistry that focuses on gene techniques like PCR, Gene Therapy, DNA fingerprinting and stuffs (hey, correct me if i'm wrong). Usually biotechnologists work in agriculture labs ... i think ...

thanks for the info...
what is the difference between biochemistry and biotechnology? where are u studying biochemistry at the moment, elansargelmir?

[pandaboy]

wan to know more about latest US jod prospect, salary and the statistics about them, go to http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
You can find the latest info there for almost every occupation that excists.

thanks..but how about the prospects of studying biotechnology in other countries besides US?

[ElansarGelmir]

what is the difference between biochemistry and biotechnology? where are u studying biochemistry at the moment, elansargelmir?

There's not much difference between Biochem and Biotech. As i've mentioned earlier, biotech is more focused on gene techniques and stuffs... Both need to do research... Biochem has a wider gamut in terms of research field... I'm more into drugs research. you can even get into food research too from biochem.

I'm going to the States soon for undergrad studies. I think rite now, i've chosen Brandeis University over Wisconsin.... Yale ... it's like out of reach .... :(

[janewai]

Don't worry too much about the working opportunites. BioTechnology still can be considered as a quite fresh field. I don't really know details about BioTech, but as what i know about it roughly through my NanoTechnology textbook's introduction, Biotech more into those technology stuff, such like doing research about DNA programme, Pin Point Drug Delivery, Bio-chip ( not sure is it being called like this in english, because I haven't study the chapter yet and i translated it directly from my korean textbook) etc.

Don't worry too much. Just study what you interested in and wish to know more about. :)

[windy_city]

Bio tech and bio chem, generally most top us universities do not offer bio tech as an undergraduate major. That what i know, like Nadiah, the gal that went to Harvard class 2007, she is doing bio because Harvard does not offer bio tech, but she wish to do bio tech for her master level.

[soul_out]

Biotech graduates can choose to work in any area that they are interested for instance work in the lab, research, medical sales representative, scientific writer and acedemic field as lecturer. Their job prospects are almost the same as any other science gradutes such as degree in applied science, degree in sciece and degree in biochem.

Biotech graduates are not guaranteed a job right after they graduate like medical and pharmacist graduates in our country.

If you are studying for a job, i would recommend you consider to do medicine or pharmacy.

If you are studying for your own interest, biotech will be your choice if you really like it.

If you are still in dilemma, try to think of what type of life you want in future, discuss with your parents, and move on.

I personally think that the most important is you are studying the field that you like, because in the end of the day, you are the one who have to study and sit for the exam, not those who are giving comments.

Hope this help.

[pandaboy]

thanks for all ur replies...



Biotech graduates can choose to work in any area that they are interested for instance work in the lab, research, medical sales representative, scientific writer and acedemic field as lecturer. Their job prospects are almost the same as any other science gradutes such as degree in applied science, degree in sciece and degree in biochem.

Biotech graduates are not guaranteed a job right after they graduate like medical and pharmacist graduates in our country.

If you are studying for a job, i would recommend you consider to do medicine or pharmacy.

If you are studying for your own interest, biotech will be your choice if you really like it.

If you are still in dilemma, try to think of what type of life you want in future, discuss with your parents, and move on.

I personally think that the most important is you are studying the field that you like, because in the end of the day, you are the one who have to study and sit for the exam, not those who are giving comments.

Hope this help.


U see, most of us dont just study for the sake of study or gaining knowledge. Of cos, studying is something like an investment, esp for ppl like me who did not get any sponsorships. And i do know that I have to study what I am interested in, but I am definitely not interested in being an unemployed, not interested in investing several hundred thousands and ended up looking all over for jobs. So, I just wanna ask ur opinion about the job prospect of this field, not that I am asking whether i should go for interest or job prospect. But if can, I will definitely go for both...

anyway, thanks for all the opinions and keep em coming...take carez...

[soul_out]

No doubt education is a type of investment. The best you can do is studying a degree that you are interested yet don't have to worry about being jobless after you graduate.

I personally think you won't be jobless with a Biotech degree, but the problem is whether you can the job that you like or not.

All the best.

[lilet]

I am also quite into Biotech and am trying to get sponsored under this field. Are there any ReCom members specifically doing Biotech under any scholarship organisations?

And may I ask a question too about Biotech and it's prospect in various countries? Life sciences, including Biotech, is currently a major hit in those developed countries. Singapore has high hopes of this field and it is highly encouraged to venture into the life sciences area here. Malaysia too, is not losing out with all the Biovalley and things like that. Western countries are definitely the pioneers (am I wrong about this?) but what about the other countries like in Japan, Korea, Germany..etc.. :?: Do they put a great deal of emphasis in their Biotechnology field too? And not forgetting the career opportunities too, if we graduate with a Biotech degree in these countries... Meaning, if we learned it all in a foreign language, say Japanese, how high are the chances of getting a job back in Malaysia or should we concentrate on staying back in Japan or something like that?

Thanks to anyone who can explain this to me... :D

[janewai]

No doubt education is a type of investment. The best you can do is studying a degree that you are interested yet don't have to worry about being jobless after you graduate.

I personally think you won't be jobless with a Biotech degree, but the problem is whether you can the job that you like or not.

All the best.

I agree! Don't need to worry so much about job. Just study what you are interested and you will feel great that you are enjoying the process of your study. In other words, you won't feel stress on your study, indirectly, it makes your study become easier.

[ElansarGelmir]

I study what I'm interested and also how it will benefit me in the future. To me, the course that we choose must be balanced by several factors. You can't choose a job which will only give you a high income while you're not enjoying a single bit of what you're doing. meaning, you're doing just for the sake of money. however, that doesn't mean that we should get a job that we're interested in and neglect our pay. We need money for our livings. Our children (if we have any inthe near future) need new clothes, books, and education funds. Thus, we should not be selfish and go for our own interest only. A good example would be as portrayed in Mrs. Doubtfire (I guess most of you have watched this Robin William's comedy in ACS). Daniel Hilliard quitted his job because he's against the smoking policy by his employer. yeah, we should stand for what we think is right, but in the end, he is jobless and because of that, he can't get his children's custody...

[janewai]

And not forgetting the career opportunities too, if we graduate with a Biotech degree in these countries... Meaning, if we learned it all in a foreign language, say Japanese, how high are the chances of getting a job back in Malaysia or should we concentrate on staying back in Japan or something like that?

Don't you think that it is an advance for you when you apply for job? Last year, there's 2 staffs came to our college in Korea from a new company in Malaysia calledSILTERRA, located in Kulim, Kedah, head office is located in East California. They gave some introduction of thier company and explained to us why they need those workers who know some foreign languages. What I want to say is just study what you interested in. There is always a way out after you graduate, no matter where you graduate from. As what I said in the post above before, Biotech still be considered as a new field in Malaysia. In my opinion, you don't have to worry about job opportunity in this field. Anyway, good luck.

[lilet]

Yup, I agree with janewai that having a good command of foreign languages is an advantage when it comes to job opportunities but I guess that mostly applies only if you get a job in an international firm that has business overseas, not locally only.

I am not that worried about job opportunities, I think there are always many opportunities out there if we work hard to find them. 8) Just that I am curious about the current market value of Biotech graduates. Am I correct to assume that most of these graduates will end up in the Reseach and Development area or are there any other kinds of work suitable for their qualification? :?:

Thanks. :wink:

[orestes]

As far as i know, biotech majors are only offered in 5 "qualified" unis in America... Its UC Davis, Penn State, Rutgers and god knows what the other 2 is... correct me if im wrong...

[chocoholique]

Hey its nadiah here. Hmm biotech...well dont let job prospects worry you too much. Biotech actually isnt a mojr onto itself in most unis in america. What you will learn is a little bit of everything, physics, math, chem but always how it applies to biological organisms. And bio is a hot topic right now. 22% of harvard undergrads are doing bio contrary to popular belief that they all want to go to business school. But then of course, theres the med school...

Boston is a hotbed for biotech and what they wasnt is divers. They want biochemists, clinical researchers, lawyers, businessmen...they need people with many skills but all these jobs require a scientific background. I had the chance to talk to some CEOS of boston biotech companies and all of them agree that you may not need a PHD in biochemistry but with an undergrad science degree you can enter the jobmarket and even end up heading a venture capitalist firm speacilizing in emerging biotech companies...

ok ok ive crapped enough. just dont limit yourself when it comes to deciding about bio...

[fish]

There seem to be some confusion between biotechnology and biochemistry.

Biotechnology is more of a field in which you apply technology to biology, normally using living organisms or their products for commercial purposes.

Biochemistry is a field of study in which you study the chemicals of biology. In other words, it involves chemical pathways and their products in living things.

We also have molecular biology, which is concerned particularly with the forms of biological molecules (three dimensional and structural biology). This is where DNA, protein and nucleic acid studies comes in.

The reason why unis often offer them together is that you cannot really separate them into different components. You need to understand the biological chemical pathways(biochemistry) before you can use organisms or their products and to have a better understanding of the products and organism, you need molecular biology to understand biochemistry.
Dolly the sheep is an example of biotechnology`s application.

You could venture into lots of fields with Biotechnology. I would say that almost anything that you venture in Biology or Medicine has something to do with biotechnology. With a biotechnology degree, you could be in these fields,

1) Pharmaceuticals (not as a pharmacist but a researcher,etc)
2) Medical sciences
3) Agricultural sciences
4) Biochemistry/ Molecular biology/ Microbiology

The scope is not as limited as some posted. Now that Malaysia is developing towards a scientific community, biotech definately has a great future. Singapore has already expanded its animal cell culture industry and Malaysia is probably headed towards agricultural (which emphasis on plants) biotech-type development. Agents such as PORIM, GUTHRIE, RRIM do need people with biotech expertise to handle plant culture. In fact, there was a grand expo called Bio-Malaysia 2002 which highlighted the state of art biotech equipments in PWTC.

I would suggest those whom want to get a local degree for biotech to try either UPM or USM.

Current market value of Biotech grads in the private sector will most likely depend on a good command of English, personality and a good degree. Often, there is a choice of wheter to do research or customer service. There is always the sales department (for technical sales) and the technical support department. However, as with the case of other graduates, biotech grads will have to face stiff competition due to the high number of students graduating every year.

[weirdsalmonella]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently studying in Singapore and will be graduating soon in May with a Dip of Biotech!!!

Well, I chose this course as I had great interest in forensic science.

If anyone of you decide to take this course (Degree or Dip), be prepared to study like hell. Same like studying for Biology for SPM. But, under Biotech, there are much more things that you can learn. E.g: Molecular Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Microbiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Biochemistry, Plant Technology, Aquaculture etc.

Biotech is actually a very broad field. After graduating, you can either go into the research or diagnostics labs and even into sales management! And if i'm not mistaken, they said that you can also go into medicine after obtaining a degree of science.

Going into research field means that you'll have to spend hours and hours in lab doing experiments that might not work out the way you wanted. Therefore, another word of advice. If you don't like to work in lab (less interaction as compared to other jobs like in business), then think twice before choosing this course.

Anyway, I hope that I'll be able to further my studies and take a Degree after graduation. Wish me luck!

[pandaboy]

Just wanna ask something about Nanotechnology here. I go through most Nanotech courses syllabus in Australia, but seemed they dont learn anything related to biology, say....medical related. The role of nanotech in medical research seemed interesting to me, ...any uni in Australia offering such nanotechnology course?

[chenchow]

pandaboy, I am not sure how Australia education works, but I think you can take courses in other fields. Generally each department has courses of their own. Say I am an Electrical and Computer Engineering student, I take courses in ECE Dept for those related courses, and then I can take courses in any other Dept on campus and I take about 80% of my courses outside of ECE Dept.

So, if you want to emphasize on biology, go ahead and take courses in biology department.

[weich]

hmm....i think nanotechnology is a very specialised field....normally universities offer them in master's/PhD programs....you would have to know alot about the innerworkings of the human body before we can put things inside man!

one of my professor's doing some research on bloodflow in the body....and we're in the Aeronautics department...there's no limit in where you go in science i think =)

[chenchow]

There are courses in Cornell on nanoscience, nanotechnology etc from freshman (1st year undergrad onwards).

There is a new block over here, Duffield Hall, which is specifically catered for nanotechnology research and development and courses in the field. I know that there are a great number of undergraduates who are working in the nanotech lab over here. Some started research there since freshman.

Nanotech is not just about putting things inside human body. There are a lot of research out there that are also concentrating on nanoelectronics, nanomachines, nanorobots, nanofabrication (basically various lithography techniques) etc.

[DFish]

Just wanna ask something about Nanotechnology here. I go through most Nanotech courses syllabus in Australia, but seemed they dont learn anything related to biology, say....medical related. The role of nanotech in medical research seemed interesting to me, ...any uni in Australia offering such nanotechnology course?
University of New South Wales offer nanotech course under science faculty. Parts of the program structure related to biology:

Year 1
Molecules, Cells and Genes

Year 2
Biophysics 1
Principles of Molecular Biology

Year 3
Molecular Biology of Nucleic Acids
Molecular Biology of proteins (recommended electives)
Biosensors and biodevices (recommended electives)

Year 4
Electives:
Fundamental of Microbiol & immunology (Er, is this biology?)
Biophysics 2

[CyberJaya]

Biotech capable of replacing IT inhttp://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2004&dt=0517&pub=Utusan_Express&sec=Economy&pg=ec_02.htm the 21st century.

[morpheous]

aahh..biotechnology..morpheous will say a few things about this...
checked this website already
Biotechnology Information Center (http://www.bic.org.my/index.html)
came to these conclusions...

1)never assume there will be lots of foreign direct investment in this biovalley project.do not put high hope that US$10-12 billion will come pumping in the next 5-10 years.very hard to say on this.

2)this biovalley venture sounds more like malaysia government's effort in creating scientist jobs for many young malaysians(especially the bumiputra).not bad.probably we have many bumiputra scientists who are in life science/biology category.no wonder the swing of funding to benefit them.
finally msian government is following the wheel of socio-economic change?morpheous is all for support and funds for science.morpheous can see names of msian scientists involved and in charge.believe they r genuine and capable researchers...

3) important areas mentioned are botany/agriculture science, veterinarian(animal), food science, molecular biology/biochem, medical, environment science and pharmarcy.of all these,morpheous will say the critical ones will be medical,molecular bio/biochemistry and pharmarcy.the difficult ones,of course.
hope msian government will place more importance on these fields.

4)the website mentioned about biotechnology degree courses and where to study for it.see?education-biotech industry-government link.
now this is where young msians have to tread carefully.
morpheuos will say degree/master/phd in botany,agri science,veterinary,food science,molecular biology/biochem,medical,environment science and pharmarcy will enable any young msians keen in career in life science will get "bowl of steel" (government) jobs in biovalley.just choose your fancy.

5)be careful about the degree in biotechnology.check their syllabus carefully.seek life science experts' opinions on this matter.see if those crucial core subjects are missing or purposely removed and replaced with lesser academic values subjects.beware of these if you r pursuing this biotech course at private uni/college!
you don't want to end up like those thousands of msian IT grads with obsolete knowledge and now jobless!MSC cannot help them,can it..?

last few sentences...remember from history lessons..biology,medicine can be further developed because of the invention of microscope.microscope invention is possible because of human undestanding of optics (physics). so all the big money pumped in biology/biotech/biovalley will not yield much promised results because we could be missing important ingredients from other branches of science.for example..a breakthrough in nanotech,maybe?

so this biovalley project may be a mid-term solution for Malaysia.long term solution?is to support and fund all important branches of science(chemistry,physics and math/comp science (i hope they are doing that in MSC!!)).

for that ..it is up to the young malay generations to truly master math,physics and chemistry...don't worry..we still have oil and gas to buy us time to "fix" msia education system ..so do so at your own pace(i mean mastering math,physics and chemistry)...remember this, the non-bumiputra races are not that patient anymore on NEP..each passing years..the clutches could be removed,slowly..... :lol:

[The_Observer]

Biotech is the way to the future.

I am not into biotech but I know its potentials. For example, in the medical field. Biotech has done a lot and will do a lot more.

Heck...even here in Melbourne Uni, they are building a giant research facility nearby all for biotech. Recently, I heard that even the Cambridge researchers are moving here...

Too bad Malaysia missed out on a big part of it. Better pick up the crumbs before somebody else does...

[CyberJaya]

you don't want to end up like those thousands of msian IT grads with obsolete knowledge and now jobless!MSC cannot help them,can it..?

Is the situation really that bad for Malaysian IT grads? It seems that in the states Computer data processsing industry is going to be one of the fastest growing industries. What about in Malaysia?

[pandaboy]

Just wanna ask something about Nanotechnology here. I go through most Nanotech courses syllabus in Australia, but seemed they dont learn anything related to biology, say....medical related. The role of nanotech in medical research seemed interesting to me, ...any uni in Australia offering such nanotechnology course?
University of New South Wales offer nanotech course under science faculty. Parts of the program structure related to biology:

Year 1
Molecules, Cells and Genes

Year 2
Biophysics 1
Principles of Molecular Biology

Year 3
Molecular Biology of Nucleic Acids
Molecular Biology of proteins (recommended electives)
Biosensors and biodevices (recommended electives)

Year 4
Electives:
Fundamental of Microbiol & immunology (Er, is this biology?)
Biophysics 2

wow...the syllabus seems interesting to me...but i cant find this info from UNSW's website....their website seems to be down for so long already......bad bad uni....

[DFish]

Just wanna ask something about Nanotechnology here. I go through most Nanotech courses syllabus in Australia, but seemed they dont learn anything related to biology, say....medical related. The role of nanotech in medical research seemed interesting to me, ...any uni in Australia offering such nanotechnology course?
University of New South Wales offer nanotech course under science faculty. Parts of the program structure related to biology:

Year 1
Molecules, Cells and Genes

Year 2
Biophysics 1
Principles of Molecular Biology

Year 3
Molecular Biology of Nucleic Acids
Molecular Biology of proteins (recommended electives)
Biosensors and biodevices (recommended electives)

Year 4
Electives:
Fundamental of Microbiol & immunology (Er, is this biology?)
Biophysics 2

wow...the syllabus seems interesting to me...but i cant find this info from UNSW's website....their website seems to be down for so long already......bad bad uni....
I got it from the 2004 international undergraduate prospectus of UNSW. They provide a link to this info, but after i tried to access it a few time, i still fail. Try email the science faculty of UNSW science@<hidden> . Hope it works!

[ElansarGelmir]

Hmmm...... Is Nanotech a broad subject? I dunno... All the websites that i checked out talks about Nanotech in manufacturing stuffs. Nothing to do with Biology. Can someone enlighten me what's the use of Nanotech which is related to the Bio field?

[pandaboy]

Hmmm...... Is Nanotech a broad subject? I dunno... All the websites that i checked out talks about Nanotech in manufacturing stuffs. Nothing to do with Biology. Can someone enlighten me what's the use of Nanotech which is related to the Bio field?

Nanotech does have it importance in biological field....esp in medical field. I've read about those tiny devices where they can dig through ur skin(so tiny that u cant feel anything) and go through ur blood system and perform a check up for u, and those devices where they can kill specific cancerours cells ...without harming the normal cells...and many more. It's actually a very high prospect field, but bcause it deals with devices which can reach as small as an atom.... not many companies have the ability for this tech...

LIke Elansir, I cant find Nanotech courses which has something to do with Biology or Medical field. And UNSW website is still down....ggrrh... Besides that uni, any other uni that offer such nanotech with biology related course?

[tzuohann]

Eh Sup all,

This me two cents on nanotech in biotech and kinda in medic. I so hapen to be werking in a molecularbio lab and it so happens that there is alot of nanotech involved tho not as awesome as the nanorobots that repair stuff in da body. So okays, ermmm, me view, and me is starting from the nanorobots. The fabrication of such nanorobots needs lots of stuffz. So say the thing requires a tiny battery, tiny wires, tiny video-cam and tiny arms for the cancer boxing things. So, tiny wires is a lot like the manufacture that is being talked about. How to make a wire so small that the resistance is ~zero, so that the little battery wun be overburned. So, the resistance at tiny scales comes into play, physics! The tiny video cam has to be a different material, glass is too 'soft' to be made that small, so we need some other stuff, and materials science comes in here, battery, aiyah, leave it to chem la, lithium batteries will do too much good to the body if it leaks. So, regarding bio, and medic, we need to understand alot more about drug delivery, signals between cells, inside cells(if not fully know how cells talk, how to talk to it with robot? rite or not?) the actual crystal strutures of the building blocks of biochemicals. Proteins are nanorobots that do their own few things really, so thats one thing that is nanotech in disguise. So, thinking about nanotech as in the robot that does wonders is for our grandkids,as for now, and for a good few years to come, as far as I know, we still need to further our understanding about basic biochemistry and crysttolography(Sp.), fabrication of nanomaterials and finally, a way of actually putting the thing together. And, the best we have so far I believe, is a drug carrying capsule, like a tiny football filled with drugs, and the seams break apart with either heat or EM wave triggers and that way, minute amounts of drugs are released when the capsules are really close to cancer cells, minimizing damage to adjacent healthy guys, tho the damage is appalling on the molcular level. That nanorobot is a long way to go. Not fiction, but a long long way to go. So, yeah, nanotech is not about such glamor stuff yet. PS, mit scientists are simply trying to sambung wood and metal without bonds. Coz if we can do that, we dunned screws for our robot, easier that way. So, think outside the common shell of nanotech, its a really, really broad field, and one that overlaps in every area of science.

Tzuo Hann @<hidden> Dook and begging forgiveness for not being an english major

[ElansarGelmir]

Hi tzuohann, you sure talked like a nanorobot. LOL! Thanks for the enlightenment. Which lab are you working in?

[chenchow]

Thanks Tzuo Hann for sharing. hopefully ReComers can help us in brainstorming about possible suggestions on Biotechnology to Datuk Jamaluddin Jarjis.

http://recom.homelinux.org:8000/~recom/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=19137#19137

[luke]

i just happened to feel bored and ended up reading the whole thread ... well here are my 1.65 cents ...

1) nanotech and biotech are 2 different fields .. they are related just like mechanical engineering and chemical engineering becoming related through cars .. but never substitute one with another .. they are totally distinct ..

2) i'm confused and intrigued by the statement that biotech will soon replace IT ... I can't imagine using a genetically-modified apple to check my e-mail ... will kids of the future waste their time playing with genes just like we do by playing Counter Strike and Need for Speed? it totally doesn't make sense, does it? so, i don't understand people worrying about IT graduates not having jobs ... it's not that we are going to throw away our PC .. IT jobs will be here to stay .. microsoft won't change into a biotech company, will it? ... so, if you are already in IT streams, stay that way ... don't change major unless you really think IT is not your stuff ... don't just be like a 'lalang' ... who knows some other new field might emerge in the future .. change field again? heh ... unless if you still don't specialise, well, here comes biotech ... go for it!

ok ok i stop now ...

[tzuohann]

What Luke said is totally spot on.
Nothing replaces another field of study completely. Nanotech simply opens up many new and exciting dimensions in many different fields, biology/biotech/biochem being one of them. And, unlike changing civil engineering, nanotech radically changes how we look at biosciences. IE, building a house small enough for your pet yeast is not too exciting compared to looking at the genes in the yeast that is making it human. To answer a question, humanizing yeast is what I'm doing over summer. Just a little project that my boss gave me.

Ok,

Nanotech is not about only making small robots. It's, basically, 'the science of the very small'. Like biology is science of the living. So, in a nutshell, nanotech ranges from understanding how molecules bind on the molecular level, how they interact, how we can manipulate them, how those tiny tiny interactions get expressed in our macro world.

How does this affect biosciences. There is always a joke that goes this way. Physicist: You biologist just look and look at cells, when you gonna understand it fully? Biologist replies: When you Physicists find a way to allow us to look at them more clearly. So, just repeat that question among different fields and you will see that nanotech is all over the place. For instance, if we can bind metal to plastic effectively, we can reduce the number of screws in an airplane by half(lets say) and that means half the screw inspection when the planes land.

In biosciences, we have studied what we can see for a long time. Now we want to know what goes on when proteins, this stuff, that stuff, human 1,2 twistiesmuncherase does in the body. IE we know marijuana makes us high, but we don't know how it really does it. If we knew, we'll make something that does the same thing and it be legal to get high rite. :) Ok, so to do that, we need to know things on the molecular level. We can do that in a number of ways. Can trail and error, get 100 mice high. Chemical reactions. Mix this stuff and that stuff, run it. But nothing beats actually 'looking' at the thing work. Going back to that robot, you'll see that many fields come together to put that robot in place so that it can one day, do what we hope it will do.

So, my main point is, nanotech is everywhere. Just like how math is an integral part of all science. And it is new and exciting to bioscience, like how I have explained briefly. So, if nanotech is what you want, don't worry about which place offers a nanotech course. It isn't really a department of science, it's a new dimension of it. A huge field dealing at things at a tiny scale. And, in bio, its super, super big time. So, if biotech and nanotech is what you want, go for it.

Peace out.

Tzuo Hann @<hidden> Duke

[chenchow]

Guess before we look further into nanotech, which is definitely affecting biotechnology field, lets look at the famous speech by Feynman in 1959 "There is plenty of room at the bottom".

http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/feynman.html

[jiinjoo]

1)never assume there will be lots of foreign direct investment in this biovalley project.do not put high hope that US$10-12 billion will come pumping in the next 5-10 years.very hard to say on this.
That depends on some of our figure heads next weekend here :) Any "tips" to pass to them? go post on the other thread that chen chow started...


Thanks for shedding light on both nano/bio field - is there a website / book that surveys all the basics of these? Trying to look for a concise introduction to what has been done and where we're going. Thank you!

[chenchow]

This is an article on Pak Lah's visit at the Konvensyen BIO 2004 at Moscone Centre. Hopefully his interest would help to propel Malaysia in this field.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2004&dt=0610&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_02.htm

[chenchow]

A huge boost for biotechnology industry.

The Government is studying the possibility of sponsoring 3000 Malaysians who have PhD in biotechnology area for post-doctoral studies in biotechnology and other specific areas in leading institutions overseas.

It will also set up twinning programmes with laboratories employing Malaysians with the expertise the country needs, leading to more intensive collaboration with foreign scientists.

The government is comtemplating measurements for top local bio-tech Malaysians to work remotely from prestigious laboratories abroad.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/Frontpage/20040621075331/Article/indexb_html

[chenchow]

This is an interview to Minister of Science and Technology and it touches on biotechnology, especially in terms of protection of Intellectual Property, Brain Gain, sponsorship of Malaysians to do post-doc in biotechnology area, linking of Biotech to ICT (where he cited that human genome would not be possible without ICT), etc..

He also talked about National Biotechnology Policy, where it will cover issues of infrastructure, incentives and will recognise that it will be years before we see the returns of investments in biotechnology. We will consider offering the biotech industry players a Bill of Guarantees, as we have those in ICT, nothing less.

Looks like great step ahead for Malaysia. http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/20040621082202/Article/indexb_html

Any thought?

[PJKru]

<Moderator Action: Thread deleted, with 2 reasons, copyright infringement (Please do not post whole article in forum. We would love to do that, but we just can't.) (This same link has just been posted earlier, exactly same link.)

Thank you.

-chenchow

[pandaboy]

Sigh...I'm the one who started this thread...
But I think I wont be studying Biotechnology. Until now, I'm still not sure about the future of Biotechnology here in Malaysia. Furthermore, a degree less than PhD will not guarantee a good job with good pay for those studying Biotechnology.
I think I will be going for Pharmacy...

[The_Observer]

Sure beats trying to stick a tube up/down bodily orifices.
Then, I do not have to do any of those dreaded rectal probes...

[morpheous]

A huge boost for biotechnology industry.

The Government is studying the possibility of sponsoring 3000 Malaysians who have PhD in biotechnology area for post-doctoral studies in biotechnology and other specific areas in leading institutions overseas. ......


......................Third, the worst of possible scenario occurs when I am tempted by unscrupulous ethnic politicians to believe that 'they owe us'. The truth of the matter is that historical injustices, real or imagined, excuse little.

No affirmative action programme in the present can make up for the incalculable pain and suffering of a people in the historical past. This would be so even if there were actual historical injustices in Malaysia equivalent to the anti-Chinese legislation in Canada, the White Australia policies, black slavery in the US or apartheid in South Africa,

Umno-sponsored academics and spin doctors justify present ethnic-based policies by a short- sighted crude rewriting of official Malaysian history replete with 'historical injustices' but with little regard for a balanced view. This may be more damaging than anyone ever anticipated to its intended ethnic beneficiaries.

The only way out for any of us is to look forward to the future. If ever I came to believe that ethnic others were to 'owe' me anything and that I need not exert myself to my utmost simply because of my 'special position', then disaster would have already have struck and blighted my future irreparably.

I cannot think of a more crippling notion than that anyone anywhere owes me a living. We are thus stuck in a dilemma. The implementation of the NEP has in many ways sabotaged its original objectives. .........................

degrees,masters and phds, they sponsor/"buy" for the bumis by sending them overseas...........
now, Malaysia government has to go worldwide to buy "postdoctoral experiences"...??


.........The Brazilians, the Mexicans, the Iranians, the South Africans, the Egyptians, the Turkish, the Russians, the Arabians and the Australians will scramble to set up fake universities and staffed them with fake, mediocre academicians (local or foreigners) and then approach Malaysia Government to bid and clinch the education sponsorship contracts. Come and study at our country, they will say, it is cheaper and we will "train, teach, educate and guide" these bright and brilliant Malaysian minds and mold them into the so-called "very useful" graduate. Yes, some real, very useful Malays graduates that you, Mahathir, can handpicked them to spearhead your heavy industries (Perwaja, Hicom, Renong, MAS and many others). Little do you, Mahathir, realized that a sinister, unseen forces are already at work to have those young Malaysian sponsored students developed to be foreign asserts like spies, infiltrators, traitors to Malaysia's cause or CEOs of foreign multinational companies that protects foreign interests in Malaysia or incompetence graduates............


Monday June 14, 2004
Move to overcome shortage of doctors and varsity places
BY PAUL GABRIEL AND SUSAN TAM

KUALA LUMPUR: Russia has offered to help Malaysia overcome the shortage of doctors and places for medical courses.

For a start, the Russian Government is seeking recognition for medical degrees from 10 more of its universities.

The country, where about 1,000 Malaysian students are currently studying medicine, has also offered the services of its medical professors and lecturers to overcome the shortage of academic staff and doctors in the public sector.

Its Ambassador to Malaysia Vladimir Morozov said his government has submitted a request for Malaysia to recognise the degrees from 10 more of its universities.

?It is well known that Malaysia needs more doctors and is trying to expand the medical courses offered by local institutions to meet the increasing demand for places.

Russia has the expertise to help and we are ready to do so,? he told The Star.

Last week, officials from the Moscow University of Friendship were here to promote its medical programme.

The Public Service Department at present recognises five Russian medical institutions ? the Moscow Medical Academy, Russian State Medical University, Nizhny Novgorod State Medical University, Volgograd State Medical University and Kursk State Medical University.

Morozov said Russian medical institutions were noted for their high quality education, with the World Health Organisation and Unesco rating the Moscow Medical Academy and Russian State Medical University as among the best in the world.

There are now over 1,000 Malaysians studying medicine in Russia, from the initial batch of 100 in 2001. The cost of studying for a six-year Russian medical degree ranges between RM130,000 and RM180,000, compared to between RM500,000 and RM800,000 in other countries.

English is the medium of instruction for medical degree programmes in several Russian universities, but students need to be able to speak Russian by their fourth year.

Morozov said several Russian institutions were also interested in setting up medical faculties here, adding that the Nizhny Novgorod State Medical University was one of them.

?Our medical professors and lecturers are ready to offer their services here. We are prepared to discuss terms for Russian doctors to come and fill vacancies at hospitals here,'' he said. ...........

[pandaboy]

Woo hoo....my good old thread...hehe. I read this topic in LowYat.net forum with interest:


Biotechnology in Malaysia, the new wave??lots of jobs?? (http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=115321)

biotechnology equals sains makanan plus sains pertanian plus knowledge management plus ICT..typical little academic values stuff, foreigners want to sell to young malaysian students..especially the malays students.. biggrin.gif

17,000 jobs by year 2010..??those are probably for the bumi students to get this "government created jobs=useless researchers " like "ICT jobs" in MIMOS after they studied useless stuff under sponsored/scholarship/bonded lecturers with master/phd in biotech who came back from aussie unis. rolleyes.gif

any lowyat forumners who has "biotech" experience or "biotech grad" like to say something..? been to the education talk at the fair..?


After reading halfway through, I realised that beetle might be someone in ReCom (who are u...dont be afraid...why didnt u discuss this in ReCom?)

He/she quoted some posts from ReCom:

from succubus

What are the job opportunities for students with a bachelor's degree in biotechnology? What do the do? Are there opportunities for biotech grads in malaysia? Or is it necessary to pursue a postgraduate degree?


from dlearn

It depends on what your want to work in. If you are academically good, do go for PhD studies and there should be plenty of chances to get some form of assistanships or scholarships.

The Biotech industry in Malaysia is still very young and it is not like the ICT industry that is relatively "high-end labour intensive" as a lot of work in the biotech arena can be done via mechanisation. In fact biotech is such a wide field I personally do not think that any one with a bachelor level degree would have sufficient depth in all the areas. On the other hand, as the varous industries develope around the biotechnology theme, more jobs will be available.

Not everyone works in the field they were trained in though. I was for one am not working in the field in which I was trained: agriculture, biotechnology, plant tissue culture!
The industry is still at it infancy. There are not that many employers from the private sector apart from a few private colleges and private uni for teaching jobs (which require Master or PhD degrees). The rest of the jobs are in R & D mainly in the government sectors and in public universities.

I would say most biotech graduates (and there are still not many around at present) will end up doing technical sales jobs or join other fields of work.

Don't worry about the job prospect that much. I have a PhD in plant micropropagation and after working 5 years in research, I have been working in the private higher education industry for the last 8 years. Going from teaching to management position. My friend who has a PhD from UPM in biotechnology (food biochemistry) ended up teaching biological sciences in Taylor's College. I have never taught biotechnology or plant tissue culture! What is important is, you need to have the right attitude, good personality and great PR and communication skills....guys like me will tend to give you full attention when we are hiring.

As I said before, the biotech field is just too wide. So I don't think anyone with an undergrad degree will be able to say he/she is ready to work in the biotech industry...you are still 'half baked' and need a lot of time to be trained.

At what stage of studies are you at present, succubus?

from succubus
dlearn, thank you for your reply...
I am still doing foundation studies, and i am considering studying biotechnology in university.I find the subject interesting, and reading a book on mitochondrial dna(the 7daughters of eve - bryan sykes) piqued my interest. Isn't biotechnology the field to go into if i wish to do things like create new drugs, and obtain patents? Chem is not my best/most fav subject, so i ruled out pharmacy. Btw, based on your speculations, will there be any jobs in r & d in the private sector in the future, in say, 5 years? Other than teaching, and being in r & d, what are the other industries a biotech graduate to go into? So basically when you say a person with a bachelor's is only half-baked , a master's is an absolute must in order to 'survive' the real world?




the above conversation obtained from recom website, under bachelor in biotech thread:
http://www.recom.org/modules.php?name=Foru...iewtopic&t=1675
now "half-baked"?got cheated maybe?post-grad study???this means GRE,right???? how "half-baked" are you depends on how well prepared are you to sit for the GRE test subjects(bio and/or biochem)..
heck...even dlearn should go and measure himself if he has studied most of the stuffs asked in the GRE subjects.
a comparison between local phd grad and US uni phd grad in biology field,then he knows where he stands.
do recall comparison between STPM leavers and Matrikulasi leavers...?are they on same par..?go ponder over this..

ever notice that GRE never come out with biotech test subject??
so the guinea pigs for "biotech" experiment must be msian students...

remember the fact that biological science and applied science are two different fields.
In USA, the emphasis is on basic science.this is where their bulk of R&D funding goes to..not applied science....so be very clear and distinct on these two fields.

create new drugs/patents???haahaaha!! biggrin.gif
you mean foreigners are so helpful that they are so so willing and helpful to teach and train you in "biotech" knowledge so that you can find cure for AIDS,cancer,Alzheimer disease,etc.. and you msians can set-up companies and make huge profits from them?? biggrin.gif laugh.gif

i have nothing against biology and applied biology(sains makanan,sains pertanian,etc..) biggrin.gif
just to remind young msian students that education and politics are fused together in malaysia....this "biotech" is one "high probability" good example. tongue.gif


dlearn, this guy/girl doesnt know that you did your PhD in UK...

But anyway, he/she's trying to relate biotech with some government conspiracies/plans. What's your say?

[succubus]

pandaboy - i'm not beetle in case that's what you are thinking.

[pandaboy]

pandaboy - i'm not beetle in case that's what you are thinking.

I know you're not...if you are, you definitely wont be considering to study biotech.....right?

No opinion? Anyone?

[tikus_menari]

stadi biotek can make bio bomb or not ah?
i wan to bomb my uni

[succubus]

hmm... after reading this thread i don't feel like biotech is a good field to go into after all. pandaboy- what are you studying now? Pharmacy?

Btw, there aren't many biotech companies in m'sia, aren't there?

[dlearn]

Pandaboy,
Thanks for bringing my attention to this thread crossing over!

I was answering succubus's query on job prospect of biotechnology graduates in Malaysia from the point of view of a person who has 2 postgraduate degrees in biotechnological fields. The stage at home is not yet set for those graduating today. I do hold the view that as a biotech first degree holder, one's knowledge and skills can best be described as very broad in nature and hence I borrowed my ex-colleague, a Dr. Ch'ng (a research civil engineer working for Ikram Engineering) words: most undergrads, including civil engineers (I must say this applies whether you are a local or foreign grads) are half baked. Meaning that most will not have sufficient field knowledge to carry out tasks without supervision. I do want to add that, those with substance, will be 'fully baked' within 1 or 2 years of working.

I know what is GRE and it is used by US universities as a mean to measure prospective postgrad students' aptitude and knowledge to undertake graduate studies (the equivalent of GMAT). This is required because of the disparingly diverse standards and curriculum of US unversties. I have met a number of US professors who are not too keen on this. With a peer review system in the UK, British graduates like yours truly were not (and still are not) subjected to this US tradition. But I was asked to take the GRE by one of the professors at a good state reserach uni in the US and I did not take it because of the costs and irrelevance to my area of studies (in the mid 80's there were only biology or chemistry to take, there was not any general agriculture as a subject as I recall, but nevertheless, I did not take the GRE not because I had no confident of passing but the costs was high .... I also had to fly from Belfast to London to take it!).

Biotechnology is a very young field, even in Singapore (where I spent 5 years working after my PhD studies at Queen's University of Belfast), the job prospects for polytechnic and uni graduates are just about ok...and they have many great research institutions...competition for jobs at R & D sector is global and the Singapore government hires globally.....that was how I ended up as a post-doc at NUS.

In Malaysia, the standard of life science studies and research is gaing world recognition, but our guys are not that good at commercialising their work as present. I have met some of these experts (while being a young PhD student at an international conference in Amsterdam back in 1990) and I can say many were like me, learnt our trade overseas and these people are going to be the one who will help build the biotech industry in Malaysia, not in 5 years but more like in 10 - 15 years timeframe.

[succubus]

dlearn, would you encourage your children to study biotechnology then?

[dlearn]

My children are too young to know what is biotechnology! One is 9 years old while the younger one is just going to be 6 soon....birthday present time again...she wants a Babie Dollhouse!

I will support my kids to study whatever field at university when they are at that stage. My fear is, one or both of them will want to study medicine.....pokai-liau! (by then, I envisage, even local public uni will charge a bomb for medical studies!).

In your case, I think you should go where your interest is....if you don't like chemistry (there is a difference between not liking and being not good at the subject), then you should re-evaluate your options as biotech has a heavy reliance on chemistry, and biochemistry....yours truly is pretty hopeless when it comes to shapes and 3-D modelling of biochemicals and as such I would have made a lousy pharmacist or biochemist. I went into Agriculture as an undergrad not because I did not score well in my A levels, but it was because I thought that what I learnt would be useful at home, especially on the animal production side.... but I have never worked in a farm proper after graduation as I diverted my interest into plant tissue culture and I can say confidently that I found what I could do very well...cloning plants and made a living out of it for 5 years. And today, I am still very knowledgeable in this area but my expertise now lies more in the business development in higher education and training, writing and bidding for projects, liasing & negotiating with foreign university partners on our joint programmes etc...quite a change from the man in white coat!

In short, explore your inner self and discover your own strengths and weaknesses...(your 'likes' & 'dislikes' may not be the same as your strengths or weaknesses). If you are very weak in chemistry...then biotech, biochem and pharmacy may not be a good idea to take up. However, at SPM level (I presume) you still have a chance to pick up on your chemistry though if you are keen on biotech etc.

Do a private message to me if you need someone to 'talk' to but I am not a trained career counsellor! I wish I had someone to talk to when I was a youngster like you pondering what to read at university!

[Ixora]

hi, i'm quite new here, just registered this afternoon.

i'm quite interested in biotech, which i think is still very new in malaysia, so i'm not brave enough to say that "I WANT TO STUDY BIOTECH!!!!". from what i've read from the previous pages, i'm not so sure about something.

1. actually, what is the biggest differents between biotech, biochem and nanotech?

2. what are the jobs offered for biotech graduate, biochem graduate and nanotech graduate? will they be working in the lab?

3. my friend's sister was the scholar of jpa, currently studying biochem in japan. from what she told me, biochem involves study on medicine. is it true?

4. from a friend, i happened to know that we can apply jpa for biotech. what is the duration of the study and the bond?

5. what topics does biotech cover?

6. what topics does biochem cover?

7. what topics does nanotech cover?

8. is there any other website which has the information of biotech, biochem and nanotech?

anyone here in recom is studying biotech or biochem or nanotech? can you guys give opinions on these matters? i need this information badly because i have to make up my mind before filling any application forms, include jpa. thank you very much.

[el_empty]

ix, you probably want to decide if you like research first, since all three fields involve plenty of gruelling hours at the lab. i won't let you in on the definitions of biotech, biochem, and nanotech since these fields overlap. perhaps you can google up firms in these industries and find out what they do. ranges from medical prosthetics down to molecular machines or pharmaceutical applications.

if you enjoy manga, lookup "ghost in the shell."

as a general question to the others, what are the government's efforts in bringing biotech to malaysia? so far msc is hyped around the IT industries, but there's little on high-end manufacturing. everyday i hear of new companies and research breakthroughs in singapore, but nilch in malaysia.

[windrunner]

I do not think it is easy trying to choose if we do not have first hand experience, i am still having trouble about what i want to be in the future.

Does anybody know those who actually change their course in Universities halfway through because they found a new love? (not because of financial or study strain)

God , i love too many subjects.

[Caess]

http://www.utar.edu.my/pdf/Biotechnology2.pdf

I was thinking if this might enlighten some people out there who are interested in biotech.....

[chenchow]

I copy your question to this thread, as the issues of nanotech and nanobiotech is being discussed here.

Hi, I would be really grateful if anyone here can provide me with more information regarding this field of study (nanotech and nanobiotech). I am currently studying my Form 5 and keen to know more about this field. Please share your experience and provide me more infos, like the career opportunities, what it is likely to be, is it highly demanded over the next few decades? n etc...

Thankx!

[chenchow]

This post is copied from another thread which is redundant. Continue discussion here.

Need some help here...?! :roll:

Anyone have information about biomedical science and biotechnology courses? Their outline, course structure, career prospects, and wat you can major in the final year of the course? :D

Besides that, anyone knows if we can take a double degree in health sciences?

E.g. take pharmacy and biomedical science or bio tech?/ :roll:

If i'm interested in lab work and research....e.g. developing drugs....
what course is more suitable for me?? :roll:

Please reply ASAP....
Thank you.... :D

[chenchow]

nicodemus, try to read up on what has been posted here, as well as try to do research on the field.

On the course outline and course structure, as well as what to major in final year of course, it will vary with institution. Every institution would do it differently.

On career prospects, currently a lot of involvements in this field would be in R&D aspects.

On double degree, again it depends on particular university program.

On your interest in lab work and research, any of the mentioned above would be a good way to start!

I'll let other ReComers to reply.

[nxwen]

Hi, I'm interested in biotech and other course related to it too. However, I have only a rough picture of it since it's a wide field. Will try to read up more. :D

nicodemus, Monash University Malaysia does offer a double degree for medical bioscience (same as biomedical science, just different name) and biotechnology which you can complete in 4 years. You can look up the uni's website if you want to find out more.

[SHuLy]

i think that the poll should be more specific, i.e "Is there a good job prospect - IN MALAYSIA"..or perhaps some other country

[pandaboy]

This post is copied from another thread which is redundant. Continue discussion here.

Need some help here...?! :roll:

Anyone have information about biomedical science and biotechnology courses? Their outline, course structure, career prospects, and wat you can major in the final year of the course? :D

Besides that, anyone knows if we can take a double degree in health sciences?

E.g. take pharmacy and biomedical science or bio tech?/ :roll:

If i'm interested in lab work and research....e.g. developing drugs....
what course is more suitable for me?? :roll:

Please reply ASAP....
Thank you.... :D

I think, if you are interested in developing drugs, the course for you is Pharmacology.... :wink:

Shuly, are you trying to say that the prospect is not there for malaysia, but is there for other countries?

[Avrenim]

I know this thread is about biotech ... but I have some questions on biomedical science and since the later is somehow related to the former ....... well, actually I think I have questions for both. Ah ... whatever! Anyway, here goes ...
Although I have read up some uni(overseas) prospectus about both couses, I'm still a bit hazy about it. Can someone please clarify to me the differences??? :?
Another thing is, if I'm interested in the research(medical related) field, which one should I aim for? It seems to me that both offer jobs related to med/health. :?:
And is it true that bach. degree(undergraduate) is not enough? That you need a master or higher to like secure a job or something like that?
Lastly, can I apply JPA for biomedical science? It seems to me that lots apply it for biotech but not for biomed ...
That's it. Thanks a million anyone and/or everyone for anwsering my questions!!! :D

[chenchow]

For JPA, bio med, genetic etc all those field are all being categorized under biotech. Correct me if I am wrong. So, pretty much, JPA uses biotech as the overall name for all those courses in this related fields.

Most of those that go into this field do continue for Master and PhD.

This is the definition given by google.
The simplest definition of biotechnology is "applied biology." The application of biological knowledge and techniques to develop products. It may be further defined as the use of living organisms to make a product or run a process. By this definition, the classic techniques used for plant and animal breeding, fermentation and enzyme purification would be considered biotechnology. Some people use the term only to refer to newer tools of genetic science. In this context, biotechnology may be defined as the use of biotechnical methods to modify the genetic materials of living cells so they will produce new substances or perform new functions. Examples include recombinant DNA technology, in which a copy of a piece of DNA containing one or a few genes is transferred between organisms or "recombined" within an organism.

the definition of biomedical science is the application of the principles of the natural sciences to medicine

[Anduril]

I heard from a professor from INTI college that biotechnologist is more like a technician than a profession. Is this just an opinion?

[zAiTsEv]

For JPA, bio med, genetic etc all those field are all being categorized under biotech. Correct me if I am wrong. So, pretty much, JPA uses biotech as the overall name for all those courses in this related fields.

Most of those that go into this field do continue for Master and PhD.

This is the definition given by google.
The simplest definition of biotechnology is "applied biology." The application of biological knowledge and techniques to develop products. It may be further defined as the use of living organisms to make a product or run a process. By this definition, the classic techniques used for plant and animal breeding, fermentation and enzyme purification would be considered biotechnology. Some people use the term only to refer to newer tools of genetic science. In this context, biotechnology may be defined as the use of biotechnical methods to modify the genetic materials of living cells so they will produce new substances or perform new functions. Examples include recombinant DNA technology, in which a copy of a piece of DNA containing one or a few genes is transferred between organisms or "recombined" within an organism.

the definition of biomedical science is the application of the principles of the natural sciences to medicine

to jpa, biotech is biotech. biomed, genetics, etc. are considered as different majors, though they can be grouped under the same category.

[hkapple]

Erm..... i'm very hazy about this topic here... if i am to look up for all the prospects about bio tech, is there any websites to be exact? can anyone tell me? please? :lol:

[chenchow]

For JPA, bio med, genetic etc all those field are all being categorized under biotech. Correct me if I am wrong. So, pretty much, JPA uses biotech as the overall name for all those courses in this related fields.

Most of those that go into this field do continue for Master and PhD.

This is the definition given by google.
The simplest definition of biotechnology is "applied biology." The application of biological knowledge and techniques to develop products. It may be further defined as the use of living organisms to make a product or run a process. By this definition, the classic techniques used for plant and animal breeding, fermentation and enzyme purification would be considered biotechnology. Some people use the term only to refer to newer tools of genetic science. In this context, biotechnology may be defined as the use of biotechnical methods to modify the genetic materials of living cells so they will produce new substances or perform new functions. Examples include recombinant DNA technology, in which a copy of a piece of DNA containing one or a few genes is transferred between organisms or "recombined" within an organism.

the definition of biomedical science is the application of the principles of the natural sciences to medicine

to jpa, biotech is biotech. biomed, genetics, etc. are considered as different majors, though they can be grouped under the same category.

I make the mistake earlier. JPA group biotech on its own and the rest under Science & Tech. Check the ad by JPA on its scholarships.

[Anduril]

Most of those that go into this field do continue for Master and PhD.

chenchow, if I were to be sponsored by JPA to study in this field, will I be able to extend my study until I finish my Master and PhD? If so, will the bond be extended too?

Truthfully, after reading all the posts here, I feel a little discouraged as I am quite interested in Biotechology too. :?

[PINKPIGGY]

i think biotech need a lot of researc, where malaysia cannot give us this opportunity.
My counsellor says if u really want to do this, go overseas 2 hv a brighter future. 8)

[pandaboy]

Most of those that go into this field do continue for Master and PhD.

chenchow, if I were to be sponsored by JPA to study in this field, will I be able to extend my study until I finish my Master and PhD? If so, will the bond be extended too?

Truthfully, after reading all the posts here, I feel a little discouraged as I am quite interested in Biotechology too. :?

Why discouraged after reading the posts here? If you're interested in it, why not give it a go? I believe JPA can extend your scholarship to postgrad if you're good.

i think biotech need a lot of researc, where malaysia cannot give us this opportunity.
My counsellor says if u really want to do this, go overseas 2 hv a brighter future. 8)

Wrong....not just go overseas. Have to stay overseas too I guess.... :(

[chenchow]

chenchow, if I were to be sponsored by JPA to study in this field, will I be able to extend my study until I finish my Master and PhD? If so, will the bond be extended too?

Truthfully, after reading all the posts here, I feel a little discouraged as I am quite interested in Biotechology too. :?

JPA do sponsor students who were sponsored under their undergraduate overseas scholarship program to continue for master and PhD, if their undergraduate CGPA is above 3.75 or granted first class degree. I am not too sure about the bond.

[Agnes]

I have found out that most colleges offer biotechnology under ADTP (American Degree Transfer Programme) because America has the best technology.... :wink:

Well, our MIC president has opened a new college which is AIMST (Asian Institute Medical Saince and Technology) in Sungai Petani.
It offers Medic, pharmacy, biotechnology and engineering courses..... and we just need one year foundation and by then, we can choose any courses that we want........

I would like to have some of your opinion here... :D

Thanks...

[pandaboy]

Of course Biotechnology in America is the best, as they have the most number of Biotech companies in the world. Much more than UK, the country with the 2nd most number of Biotech companies in the world. It's very expensive to study in America though, but if you're sponsored or if u're rich, why not go for it? :wink:

[zAiTsEv]

Of course Biotechnology in America is the best, as they have the most number of Biotech companies in the world. Much more than UK, the country with the 2nd most number of Biotech companies in the world. It's very expensive to study in America though, but if you're sponsored or if u're rich, why not go for it? :wink:

As if UK is cheap...

[pandaboy]

Of course Biotechnology in America is the best, as they have the most number of Biotech companies in the world. Much more than UK, the country with the 2nd most number of Biotech companies in the world. It's very expensive to study in America though, but if you're sponsored or if u're rich, why not go for it? :wink:

As if UK is cheap...

Not cheap, but cheaper than US.

[zAiTsEv]

Of course Biotechnology in America is the best, as they have the most number of Biotech companies in the world. Much more than UK, the country with the 2nd most number of Biotech companies in the world. It's very expensive to study in America though, but if you're sponsored or if u're rich, why not go for it? :wink:

As if UK is cheap...

Not cheap, but cheaper than US.

where's the proof?

[pandaboy]

Of course Biotechnology in America is the best, as they have the most number of Biotech companies in the world. Much more than UK, the country with the 2nd most number of Biotech companies in the world. It's very expensive to study in America though, but if you're sponsored or if u're rich, why not go for it? :wink:

As if UK is cheap...

Not cheap, but cheaper than US.

where's the proof?

Ask the unis. :P

[zAiTsEv]

You're the one who gave the statement and you're supposed to prove it.

[pandaboy]

You're the one who gave the statement and you're supposed to prove it.

Sometimes, u need to do your own research as well. Do we have to prove every single statement we said?

Anyway, that is what I know from a friend who is currently studying in US and another friend who is doing ADP.

Are you doing Biotechnology? How much you're paying then?

[zAiTsEv]

You're the one who gave the statement and you're supposed to prove it.

Sometimes, u need to do your own research as well. Do we have to prove every single statement we said?

Anyway, that is what I know from a friend who is currently studying in US and another friend who is doing ADP.

Are you doing Biotechnology? How much you're paying then?

Of course you have to prove what you say. If not, your arguments would be baseless. For instance, when you write an argumentative essay, do you provide references that bolster your stands or do you expect the reader to believe blindly whatever you've written. I'm doing Biology at UW-Madison. Tuition and fees cost about $19,860 per academic year.

[pandaboy]

Of course you have to prove what you say. If not, your arguments would be baseless. For instance, when you write an argumentative essay, do you provide references that bolster your stands or do you expect the reader to believe blindly whatever you've written. I'm doing Biology at UW-Madison. Tuition and fees cost about $19,860 per academic year.

I agree, that's why I've told you where I get that information from. I just wanted to make others find out more about that instead of relying only on me for the information.

UW-Madison? I thought it'll be cheaper there, but seems like your fees is about the same as what I've heard from my friends. By the way, how long is the course of undergraduate studies there? 4 years?

[zAiTsEv]

Of course you have to prove what you say. If not, your arguments would be baseless. For instance, when you write an argumentative essay, do you provide references that bolster your stands or do you expect the reader to believe blindly whatever you've written. I'm doing Biology at UW-Madison. Tuition and fees cost about $19,860 per academic year.

I agree, that's why I've told you where I get that information from. I just wanted to make others find out more about that instead of relying only on me for the information.

UW-Madison? I thought it'll be cheaper there, but seems like your fees is about the same as what I've heard from my friends. By the way, how long is the course of undergraduate studies there? 4 years?

You said that you got your information from your friend in U.S. But that is insufficient to prove that the fees in U.S. unis is higher than that in UK unis. Since you're the one who gave out that statement, why don't you elaborate a bit more i.e. tell us the estimated costs of doing biotech in UK.

4 years. BTW, where's your friend studying in?

[pandaboy]

You said that you got your information from your friend in U.S. But that is insufficient to prove that the fees in U.S. unis is higher than that in UK unis. Since you're the one who gave out that statement, why don't you elaborate a bit more i.e. tell us the estimated costs of doing biotech in UK.

4 years. BTW, where's your friend studying in?

Sorry! This is what happens when you sleep at 630am...lol.
My tuition fees per year is 11000pounds, subject to increase every year according to inflation, 3 years for an honours degree. Btw, I'm doing Biochemistry.

I cant remember where my friend is studying in US. Sorry about that. Actually ElansarGelmir (a recommer) also told me that his total fees amounted to around RM640 K ( I think that includes cost of living, and that's almost double the amount I estimated to pay by studying here in UK). By the way, he's doing Biochemistry too.

I think from the amount you gave above, the total amount for your studies is $20000 x 4years x RM3.80, therefore > 11000pounds x 3 years x RM7.40, the amount I have to pay, assuming no increase due to inflation. So that justified my statement.

[Anduril]

Much more than UK, the country with the 2nd most number of Biotech companies in the world.

Biotech in UK? I thought UK only offers Biochemistry, which according to the JPA's form this year, is no longer under Biotech. It has now been categorized under Science & Technology.

Any chance for those who apply for Biotech to be sent to UK (since it is much cheaper)?

[zAiTsEv]

Much more than UK, the country with the 2nd most number of Biotech companies in the world.

Biotech in UK? I thought UK only offers Biochemistry, which according to the JPA's form this year, is no longer under Biotech. It has now been categorized under Science & Technology.

Any chance for those who apply for Biotech to be sent to UK (since it is much cheaper)?

a friend of mine was offered to study biotech in uk. i think she's the only one in my batch who got it. others went to u.s.

biotech, biochem, bioXXX... they're just names. to me, they're in the same group.

[PINKPIGGY]

This is some info i get fr studymalaysia.com:

biotech course structure (MONASH U):
YEAR 1
bio
chemis A
chemis B
fundamentals of biotech
design of science

YEAR 2
biochem
cellular metabolism
agriculture N biotech
instrumental analysis
foudation of genetics
microbiology

YEAR 3
food N industrial microbio OR environmental microbio (choose either 1)
molecular bio N biotech
bioactive chemistry
genetics development
genomics & molecular genetics
how science works

[pandaboy]

Much more than UK, the country with the 2nd most number of Biotech companies in the world.

Biotech in UK? I thought UK only offers Biochemistry, which according to the JPA's form this year, is no longer under Biotech. It has now been categorized under Science & Technology.

Any chance for those who apply for Biotech to be sent to UK (since it is much cheaper)?

a friend of mine was offered to study biotech in uk. i think she's the only one in my batch who got it. others went to u.s.

biotech, biochem, bioXXX... they're just names. to me, they're in the same group.

Yup, you're right. In fact, most of the students who wants to study Biotech in UK will be doing a Biochem degree, such as Biochem with Molecular Biotechnology, etc.... However, there are still a few universities offering BSc of Biotechnology I think....

[PINKPIGGY]

check it out fr :oops:

http://www.jamnagarlinks.com/biotech.htm

[Agnes]

Well, i think there's no cheaper or more expensive term if you want to study in UK or US..
It is almost the same ...because of the different exchange rate and living cost.

It's business for them.

[taufiq]

Most JPA scolars doing Biotech are in UCL St Davis if i'm not mistaken

[Anduril]

One of my seniors said that Biotech is not extensively provided in most universities, even in US.

[zAiTsEv]

Most JPA scolars doing Biotech are in UCL St Davis if i'm not mistaken

UC Davis.

One of my seniors said that Biotech is not extensively provided in most universities, even in US

Most unis offer biotech as a major only in graduate studies.

[Agnes]

Any comments on studying biotechnology in Australia or New Zealand? well, my senior has been offered by JPA scholarship to study biotechnology in New Zealand.... and Monash university do have biotechnology course. :) I don't know but i see that many university is coming out with biotechnology courses.

[overmars]

hi guys,i'm quite interested in biotechnology too although i have a few doubts that need to be clarified before taking it ...about the cost,i actually have asked a few colleges for the field of biotechnology...I'm from penang,thus i have asked those colleges that r located in penang first..penang's INTI international college has this program called "American Degree Transfer Programme" or in short ADTP that actually caught my attention..it's a 2+2 program ( there's also a 1+3 program based on your liking) which means i will do my first 2 years in INTI penang and go US or Canada and a few other countries for my final 2 years...the cost for going US will be around rm180k-rm200k ( including the cost of living for ur final 2 years overseas and the tuition fees for the first 2 years in malaysia,in short the fees for the whole program ) while for canada will be around rm90k-rm100k....now i'm still gathering more information about this ADTP and biotechnology before makign my decision...*sigh* there's a lot of life changing decision to be made at this stage of life :(

[fish]

That really depends on what field of biotechnology you would like to be in. As for me, I am in Japan now doing Biochemistry (Masters) and my work is purely on molecular studies (DNA (lots of PCR and blots argh), RNA, cell culture,protein, immunochem).

It does not really matter in the first place, as long as you have interest in the theme of your research. Oh and BTW, my degree was Microbiology and my thesis involved some molecular biology works. Biochemistry is a very wide field and my current research involves molecular cross talk or intercellular signalling (abnormal signalling causes diseases) with ligands and their receptors.

Just be sure of the course contents; what you are really interested in. It does not really matter which field you are going into now; wheter medical, agricultural, biochemical, food sciences, most of them will lead to molecular biology. If you are interested in a certain field, look at ncbi www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi or highwire www.highwire.stanford.edu. Type in your field of interest, eg clostridium perfringens and the place you want to research at, eg monash, and you could probably get lots information on it.

[fish]

This post is copied from another thread which is redundant. Continue discussion here.

Need some help here...?! :roll:

Anyone have information about biomedical science and biotechnology courses? Their outline, course structure, career prospects, and wat you can major in the final year of the course? :D

Besides that, anyone knows if we can take a double degree in health sciences?

E.g. take pharmacy and biomedical science or bio tech?/ :roll:

If i'm interested in lab work and research....e.g. developing drugs....
what course is more suitable for me?? :roll:

Please reply ASAP....
Thank you.... :D

I think, if you are interested in developing drugs, the course for you is Pharmacology.... :wink:

Shuly, are you trying to say that the prospect is not there for malaysia, but is there for other countries?

Um, just looking at the old posts and no, you do not have to go to Pharmacology to develop drugs. You can be in the field of Medical Sciences, Biochem, Microbio and even Food Science to help develop drugs. As I mentioned in my last post, the field is very wide and it really depends on what drugs would you like to study on (though I hate studying pharmacology)
eg:

1. Discovery on molecular cross talk, eg the increase of VEGF ligand (Vascular Endotheliar Growth Factor) is known to cause the growth of blood vessels to support maglinant tumours. If you are looking for a cure for cancer, you can produce anti-VEGF factors (either chemical or antibogy) to block its production or by introducing chemicals to block the VEGF receptor (blocking of VEGFR1)

2. If you are into medicinal properties, you can try to find ways to produce more of the properties (mass production) to offer it at the cheaper rate and more concentrated form for everyone. For example, we know that tongkat ali has some interesting properties but we do not know the exact function of it yet.

3. Virus vectors...though it is suicidal to try on humans now, lots of progress had been made on mice model studies.

4. Molecular microbiology. The studies on botulinum toxin (clostridium botulinum) has provided BOTOX.

And plenty more. In Malaysia, FRIM and USM are one of the forerunners in molecular biology. Think twice where you would like to head to, after all, you do not know what kind of impact your research would have on the community as a whole. :D

[overmars]

thank you fish for ur two cents :D ...anyone does anyone know how's the field of biotechnology in canada?? i mean i do know that US is famous for fields like biotechnology ,biochemistry and so on...but how about Canada?? ...since Canada is so near to US they won't lose out in fields like biotechnology too,will they??

[fish]

I heard that life in Canada is nonbiri (slow paced in Japanese)...hehe, my senior is in Canada now but she told me that if it is between US and Canada, she would choose the US.

What I would like to say is that if you are going to work in Malaysia after graduation, it doesnt matter really matter (esp the small companies) where you graduated from. If you are planning to work in the US after graduation, it would be best for you to get a degree from a US uni.

What is your plan after graduation?

[overmars]

right now, i have just received my spm result...actually i'm still undecided of my pathway..I'm quite satisfied with my spm result (8A1's and 2 A2's) but i doubt it's good enough to get a jpa scholarship..nonetheless,i still applied for it :D ....i'm not really from a well to do family just an average one...but my dad said if the cost of my undergrad is around rm100k+ he still can afford it..so basically rightnow,i only have 2 choices...take up ADTP to Canada and study biotechnology...or enter form 6 and fight for a place in a local university for pharmacy or medicine,that if my stpm result is good :) ) ....but the thing right now,i'mnot really sure about the job prosp[ect for biotechnology in malaysia....if i go for ADTP,i hope to be able to work at overseas (since their biotech fields rmore developed ) for a few years before coming back if that's possible...but this field biotech seems very risky as it's not that developed in malaysia yet,and i can't work at overseas forever...that's why i'm in a dillema now...i'm quite interested in biotech actually....but if there's no job prospect in malaysia for that field , i would be like dumping my parents money.....and pharmacy seems not to be taht risky although it's really tough to secure a place in a local universities for taht field :( ...fish may i ask ur opinion?? :D

[fish]

Been there, done that. :D

My parents were not even sure wheter they can pay me through the local uni. I went to a local uni (with the help of PTPTN which I converted to a scholarship later) after STPM and got a scholarship to Japan after that. Anyway, if your dad can pay you for Canada now why not go for it? (if it doesnt give him too much burden)

As for job prospect, biotech is a field which requires you to do research and if research is what you want to do, I would advice you to go for at least till Masters. Basically this is what you can get if you

1. Grad with a degree in Biotech, Food Science, Science n Tech (most of them are grouped into one)
a) Companies will train you to be one of their technical staff (like PathLab, Nestle) to do blood tests and other lab work. Long hours and basically monotonous work in the lab.
b) Companies like GlaxoSmithKlineBecam (what, GSK, dont really remember the correct spelling) may want you as a sales staff
c) Companies (like my old one) may want you as a technical/application specialist to assist the sales team in applying and selling their stuff.
d) The government (SPA) may want you to be attached as a Pegawai Sains (I got through as a Pegawai Sains (HIV Dept) in the interview for Pusat Darah Negara but I refused--dun know wheter I did it right or not and came to Japan for my Masters)

Anyhow, if you do not really mind, you can get jobs really quick. I got mine in 2 weeks time and changed my job after 2 months..ohoho, not that difficult if you are not choosy.

With Masters, it gets more technical. You can choose from:
1. Technical sales (where you can bluff your customers with technical terms that they dun understand) :twisted:
2. Lab work (research) with companies like Amersham, BioRad, etc
3. Gack, teach in private colleges
4. Continue to PhD while teaching in local uni

With PhD
1. Sales and technical application
2. Scientist (create applications, protocols, give lectures to public)
3. Get attached to a uni for post doc

There are many graduates in the field of Science (esp after your degree) and the competition is tough. What makes a difference is your English and self presentation.

[overmars]

fish,thanks for ur advise...i have many other questions to ask if u don't mind :oops: ...but now i have to go for my tuition..hehehe already started going for f6 tuition even though i haven't decided my option yet...well,just a back up plan :D ..i hope i can ask u more questions later tonight :) thanks

[pandaboy]

From a locked thread:

:roll: :?:

hi i 'm new here .so i really hope that someone could help me with this.i have questions regarding biotechnology.i'm currently studiying in form 5 and i would like to persue this course after spm.unfortunately i 'm lack of informations about it.if there is anyone who are currently taking this particular course or anyone who know something about it ,please reply back.i know that jpa offer a schorlarship for this field and i would like to know what are the qualifications to be selected other than getting straight a's for spm..besides that which universities in which countries do the jpa usually send the students who are taking this course...please help me..........thanks

[PJKru]

I think biotech is an emerging field. But r and d you must have a passion for it. its where the action is at. good luck. i would like to do it myself if it wasnt for certain factors.

[chenchow]

For ReComers interested in Biotech, especially those in Klang Valley, please do not miss out the golden opportunities to attend:-
BioMalaysia 2005. It would be on 28th to 30th April 2005 at Putrajaya Interntional Convention Center.

Prime Minister is going to launch our Biotech initiatives, as well as a lot of international agreements on Biotech is going to be signed over those 3 days.

There would be 48 international and national companies / organizations involved in biotech initiatives would be presenting their outcome at the showcase.

There would be 47 established speakers, including locally, which include, National Science Advisor, MIMOS, BioVen Malaysia, UKM, InfoValley Life Sciences, Synamatix Inc, Inno Biologics, Hovid, Stevian Biotech Corporation, Spring Hill Bioventures, Bursa Malaysia, MTDC, UiTM, MARDI, Nestle, RHB Bank, Pharmaceutical Assoc of Malaysia and internationally, which include: MIT, Bio.org, Burrill &Co, Harvard Medical School, HP, Stanford Human Genome Center, Stanford School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts, GE Healthcare, University of California, TephA Inc, IBM Life Sciences Asia Pacific, Innovation Law Pte Ltd, Polartechnics Australia, University of Queensland, Agricultural & Agri Food Canada, CIGB Cuba, Genome Institute of Singapore, Alpha Biologics UK, JP Morgan Asia Pacific, Union Bank of Switzerland, University of Tokyo, Ernst & Young India, National Science & Technology Development Agency Thailand, Oracle Corporation Asia Pacific, A T Kearney.

It would be a good way to learn about Malaysia's Biotech initiatives.

For registration, contact:-
BIOMALAYSIA 2005 SECRETARIAT
Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT)
Office of the Science Advisor, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
Level 2 (West Wing), Perdana Putra Building
62502 Putrajaya, MALAYSIA

Tel : +603-8888 1888 (General) / 1851 / 1820 / 1806 (Conference) / 1828 (Showcase)/
1846 (Media) / 1459 (Business Networking)
Fax : +603-8888 3822 / 3811
Email : biomalaysia2005@<hidden>

Website : http://portal.might.org.my/bio2005

[chenchow]

Anyone attends the BioMalaysia 2005? Hopefully that some ReComers attended it.

What do you guys think about the following initiatives from National Biotech Initiatives.

First, on the background, we have a lot to catch up. We are lagging far behind other competitors in this field, and we have no time to lag behind. The United States has 1,473 biotechnology companies while another 1,861 companies are in Europe. In the Asia-Pacific, Australia has 226 companies, India 250, South Korea 41, Singapore 25 and Malaysia five. The US biotech sector recorded a revenue of US$35.9 billion and Europe US$7.5 billion (which is the second to the US). The average revenue for Australia is US$0.9 billion, India US$0.7 billion, South Korea US$0.8 billion, Singapore US$6.6 billion and Malaysia US$0.04 billion. In terms of investment in research and development (R&D), the US and Europe invested US$13.6 billion and US$4.2 billion respectively. For Australia, the investment is US$0.1 billion, India US$0.1 billion, South Korea US$0.4 billion and Singapore US$0.2 billion.

Malaysian Biotech Corporation (MBC) has been created, with Sri Dr Ahmad Zaharuddin Idrus as the Chairman and Iskandar Mizal Mahmood as the CEO. MBC is looking for an expert with at least 15-20 years experience in global biotech industry with having worked in a MNC involving in high-tech biotech.

RM12 billion is allocated for this project, with RM4 billion is to be spent over the next 5 years. It is expected that biotech would provide 2.5% of GDP by 2010, which would be around $7.5 billion (RM29 billion) (Since we should have about $300 billion for our GDP then). The target is to reach 4% of GDP by 2015 and 5% of GDP by 2020.

Emphasis would be on R&D funding for scientists and lecturers and they would be encouraged to get patents and they would be allowed to keep the monetary rewards of the patents. Research using national funds are allowed to be done at foreign universities and research centers We have very low number of patents, only average of 26 patents per year. A Biotech business park would be set up close to UKM, and a pharmaceutical and neutraceutical excellence centre would be also set up at the BioValley site in Dengkil. Government would provide matching grant for biotech research and development and commercialisation, including financial support in patent application.

There is also setting up of Malaysian Genome Institute in Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) for genomic and biology molecular study and MARDI and UPM would become center for excellence in agricultural biotech. Basically, there would be focus of resources and emphasis on each field.

Tax benefits for companies with at least 70% equity in an approved biotech companies, where the earnings could be offset against losses faced by its biotech subsidiary. MESDAQ would have a separate listing of segment for biotech, and hence encourage initial public offer for companies involved in biotech.

There would also be strengthening of venture capital participation, and also there is a need for special characteristic of biotech companies, as its gestation period would be much longer and risk profiles much higher.

And as a start, 9 MOUs were signed at BioMalaysia 2005, including one involving MIT Malaysia Biopolymers with SIRIM and one by Stanford University and Interim Laboratory Malaysia Genome Institute.

--

Fellow ReComers, lets discuss in depth on this issue. And the government is asking for inputs on how to develop this biotech sectors. We, especially many ReComers are studying in this field, could ponder about this topic. We could research on this topic, especially many ReComers who aspire to study in biotech and are now very free at home. I really hope that we can brainstorm about how we could get a niche in sustainable competitive advantage in this field.

It is going to be a huge investment, and we can play a part in helping making this a greater success. As of now, we have gradually seen a growing interest in students interested in studying biotech related field, and I hope that this upward trend would translate in a much bigger number of human capital. Government has been giving JPA scholarships on biotech for the past 4 years, so the first batch of students studying biotech would be graduating in May 06.

[reign226]

Biotech companies WILL operate on deficit for the first few years, if not decades, because that's the nature of biotech. The actual research will take up a huge chunk of time, and then there's the validation processes that has to be gone through. I don't know about Malaysia, but in the U.S it can sometimes take years for a bio-tech product to be approved, because nobody really knows what damage it will cause.

Does Malaysia have the same quality control?

If Malaysia is going to treat the MBC with the same attention and work they poured into MDC, then it's going to be another white elephant (Biovalley is situated on the site of the failed Entertainment Village. Irony?) because unlike MDC, you can't really expect to reap benefits quickly. This, and the fact that Malaysian companies spend very little money on R&D illustrates the fact that most of us are not ready to pump money into what is essentially a purely research-based undertaking.

Biotech is a cross-country run, not a sprint. Nevermind that we have only 5 companies, but if we are willing to help out these five companies in a more qualitative way than we are able to afford if more companies came into the fold, then all the better. I think in the case of Biotech at least, Malaysia is going to HAVE to rely on more direct foreign investments.

And let's not forget Singapore's Biopolis. Fortunately, our competitor seems to be focusing more on holistic medical-related bioengineering. If anything, Malaysia's past history of agricultural research can allow us to develop this into a niche field.

[chenchow]

Quotes from redundant thread. Please continue discussion here.

actually I just want to know what is biotech about???
how to apply it to overc with scholarship other than JPA and MARA?

Please search the forum using the keyword; biotechnology. I am currently in Molecular Biology (Medical Sciences)

what is molecular biology,what is it working field is it related to?research?oh ya fish i wish to ask u( u are bio student right) is bio hard to score?

[tina070786]

is bioengineering the same as biotech?

[Anduril]

Some news about Biotechnology:

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/5/22/nation/11021365&sec=nation

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/5/22/education/10981321&sec=education

[deming]

Hi Overmars,

I guess i can answer your question because i faced the same situation as you do 4 years ago and here is my story.

After completing SPM, i knew i wanted to study life sciences ie:food science, immunolgy, biochemistry, genetics, etc....With that in mind, I knew that USA is the best place for life science education because of its vast education and research opportunity and therefore, I enrolled in INTI Subang's American Univeristy Program (equivalent to ADTP of INTI Penang).

Between December 1999 and August 2001, I took all the science subjects at INTI including Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, intro to biology, as well as pyschology, sociology, america history. These classes are transferable and trust me, you will be VERY grateful that you took those classes in Malaysia!!!

I came to University of Wisconsin, Madison on in September 2001 and graduate with a degree in Biochemistry in May 2004. In my opinion, there is no better place to study life sciences but in USA. It is of GREAT advantage if you are planning to pursue an advance degree in Master or PhD. The reason is this:

1) USA offers a wide range of schools where you can do sciences. No matter an expensive school, moderately expensive or moderate school, you can still learn and do great science.

2) It is not so much of "which university you attend" (but of course aim for better school), but what you do during your 2-3 years of education in a foreign universities.

3) Be more open-minded about which major you decide to pursue. I fix my mind on Biochemistry because as someone mentioned earlier, Biochemistry is like a 'blanket' major that teaches you a bit about every aspect of life sciences while allowing you to choose various elective classes depending on your interest.

I think that's all I will say for now, do let me know if you have anymore question.

deming

[juventus]

sorry pandaboy for the redundant thread i created, my fault for being lazy. can't help it la, few months glued to the tv and monitor..haha

anyway, let's revive this topic. i duno how but post ur comments here. SPM 05 students, let's gear up in preparations for our future!

ok, since i read all 8 pages of this topic, i'll give a summary.

-biotech, nanotech, biochem are all inter-related, but not entirely similar
-being good in chemistry is an advantage
-biotech is multi disclipinary
-US has the most biotech companies
-biotech is not all bout research
-definition of biotech ( The application of the principles of engineering and technology to the life sciences; bioengineering.~answers.com)
-JPA has been offering biotech for around 4/5 years now


roughly, this is it. some of my personal opinions are in there.

do a research if you are really interested, it would help a lot! the internet has so much to offer, use it well.

[kevinkent]

Anyone who is doing Biotech under JPA?? :roll:

[minemshady]

Anyone who is doing Biotech under JPA?? :roll:hye there..im jpa scholar doing biotech..but currently im doing foundation...next year ill start undergraduate

[kevinkent]

For ReComers interested in Biotech, especially those in Klang Valley, please do not miss out the golden opportunities to attend:-
BioMalaysia 2005. It would be on 28th to 30th April 2005 at Putrajaya Interntional Convention Center.

Prime Minister is going to launch our Biotech initiatives, as well as a lot of international agreements on Biotech is going to be signed over those 3 days.

There would be 48 international and national companies / organizations involved in biotech initiatives would be presenting their outcome at the showcase.

There would be 47 established speakers, including locally, which include, National Science Advisor, MIMOS, BioVen Malaysia, UKM, InfoValley Life Sciences, Synamatix Inc, Inno Biologics, Hovid, Stevian Biotech Corporation, Spring Hill Bioventures, Bursa Malaysia, MTDC, UiTM, MARDI, Nestle, RHB Bank, Pharmaceutical Assoc of Malaysia and internationally, which include: MIT, Bio.org, Burrill &Co, Harvard Medical School, HP, Stanford Human Genome Center, Stanford School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts, GE Healthcare, University of California, TephA Inc, IBM Life Sciences Asia Pacific, Innovation Law Pte Ltd, Polartechnics Australia, University of Queensland, Agricultural & Agri Food Canada, CIGB Cuba, Genome Institute of Singapore, Alpha Biologics UK, JP Morgan Asia Pacific, Union Bank of Switzerland, University of Tokyo, Ernst & Young India, National Science & Technology Development Agency Thailand, Oracle Corporation Asia Pacific, A T Kearney.

It would be a good way to learn about Malaysia's Biotech initiatives.

For registration, contact:-
BIOMALAYSIA 2005 SECRETARIAT
Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT)
Office of the Science Advisor, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
Level 2 (West Wing), Perdana Putra Building
62502 Putrajaya, MALAYSIA

Tel : +603-8888 1888 (General) / 1851 / 1820 / 1806 (Conference) / 1828 (Showcase)/
1846 (Media) / 1459 (Business Networking)
Fax : +603-8888 3822 / 3811
Email : biomalaysia2005@<hidden>

Website : http://portal.might.org.my/bio2005

Chenchow, do they still have this kind of occasion this year in Malaysia??...
I click onthe link above but still find nothing... out-dated adi maybe?? :roll:

[deming]

minemshady, where are you doing your foundation, if i may ask?

[minemshady]

yes deming... in kdu pj...i'll fnish it by the end of diz may...cant wait to fnish it...yeah~ 8)

[juventus]

What universities in Aus, UK, US offer biotech? I heard that not many prestigious, well-knowned unis offer biotech. Please correct me.

Thanks for the info!

[deming]

Can someone who is pursuing a 'degree in biotechnology' in malaysia share with us what you plan to do in the next 5 years after getting the degree? thanks for your input.

[may]

hi dere....wonder if any1 can recommmend sum goood unis in US 2 apply 4 biotech?or biology?wat inst. r famous in these fields?hehe wud b reallllly glad if sum1 could enlighten me bout dis ...hehe thx ya :D

[ax_basis]

hye.. yup.. actually, there r just a few top univs that offer biotech in US. last year, there were just 5 univs that listed by MARA which r

Rochester Institute of TEchnology, NY
Pennsylvania State Univ, Penn
Rutgers, New Jersey
UC Davis, California <--- JPA don't allow their student to choose this u
SUNY Buffalo, NY

ahha.. actually i studied in INTEC and the univs list had been given when i was there. i don't know about other preparatory institute. and that was last year. i wonder if they will find other top univ that offer this major. i heard univ of maryland is a good one but there's no one who bring this up to those sponsors so they may not know. hey.. try to make some research about it and ask your sponsors if they could allow u to go there.

and there are manyunivs in US that offer biology major.

[megabigBLUR]

I think people have the mistaken impression that "biotechnology" is a discipline because our government has been hyping it so much. FYI: There is no such science as biotechnology. It's a label for a type of industry. Local unis that offer majors in "biotechnology" should be regarded with great suspicion.

If you want to work in the biotech industry, you could study:

If you like the idea of playing around with DNA: molecular biology
If you like the idea of playing around with proteins: biochemistry
If you like germs: microbiology
If you like the idea of torturing people by sticking cyborg devices into them: biomedical engineering


Et cetera. What the press likes to call "genetic engineering" or "GM" usually refers to molecular biology.[/img][/i]

[Hoong]

I concur. In general, biotech is just like any other industries. The industry needs engineers, administration, business & marketing specialists. If you want to become a researcher in the industry, you can major in anything within the life science disciplines. megabigBLUR pointed out a few in her post. I just want to add a few general descriptions which would hopefully help some of you decide among the closely related majors.

In general, in college, regardless of your major (molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, biophysics, or biomedical science/engineering), you will need to deal with at least introductory classes in most if not all of the courses. And, you will focus more in the discipline that you like. For instance, a biochemistry major would continue to study advanced biochemistry classes after finishing the introductory courses.

So, how should you chose? Interest is one. Also, there's some guideline that can help you.

Molecular biology - Yes, you will mess around with the DNA. You play with the genetics and look for new phenotypes which would tell you about the function of proteins/RNA/DNA region in cells (in vivo).

Biochemistry/Biophysics - In general, more quantitative. In general, you isolate/purify your favorite protein/DNA/RNA from the cell, and investigate their functions in a test tube (in vitro). You look at how the molecules move, how they do the chemistry, how they interact with other molecules.

Microbiology is generally the science of germs. You study the behaviors of germs. Usually, you would use methods in molecular biology and biochemistry. Virology, the science of virus.

Bio engineering is a wide field too... megabigBLUR described part of it. One other specializations involved making machines/body parts for biomedical purposes, either for research or for treatment (i.e. synthetic arms and so forth, new methods for scanning brains, or a faster way of sewing wound together).

So, just a piece of advice. If you like biology and hate math in high school. Molecular biology/ cell biology might be want you want. If you like chemistry/biology/quantitative analysis, you can look into biochemistry, chemical biology kind of thing. If you are a hardcore chemist, just do chemistry. Chemists play an IMPORTANT role in the biotech industry too (they make all our drugs). People who likes physics a lot, think about the biological system, the physics that nature uses to create life is incredible and fascinating.

And it doesn't matter very much what you study as an undergraduate. It just gives you a taste of each specific fields. It's not too late to switch field in graduate school. If you look at the famous biologists nowadays, there are very very few examples where what they are doing now is what they do in undergraduate. In fact, many of them study math, chemistry or physicsts as an undergraduate. Furthermore, the field today has become extremely interdisciplinary, you need to be good at almost anything, and be willing to move away from your niche to apply the most suitable technique to the problem you want to solve.

In addition, as the field of system biology/ quantitative biology continues to grow, the biological field will welcome more and more mathematicians and computer scientists. So, if you are trying to be a biologist today, make sure that you at least know some math and programming, otherwise, you aren't going to catch up with the influx of results from system biology in the close future.

[hunliang]

Just to add to that, (a bit of pharmacy advertisment) If u love a bit of everything Hoong said (biology, chemistry, physics, maths), there is still pharmacy! Pharmacy plays a part in biotechnology too.

You can have the perfect drug but there is no way you can administer it, and that is where one of the case pharmacist come into play in biotechnology - drug formulation and drug delivery!!!

Another example where pharmacist play a role in biotechnology development is in clinical trials. Pharmacists are usually the one behind the curtains in running clinical trials for new drugs to make sure it is safe and to confirm it's effect before the drug is sold in the market.

[Appolo]

hye.. yup.. actually, there r just a few top univs that offer biotech in US. last year, there were just 5 univs that listed by MARA which r

Rochester Institute of TEchnology, NY
Pennsylvania State Univ, Penn
Rutgers, New Jersey
UC Davis, California <--- JPA don't allow their student to choose this u
SUNY Buffalo, NY

ahha.. actually i studied in INTEC and the univs list had been given when i was there. i don't know about other preparatory institute. and that was last year. i wonder if they will find other top univ that offer this major. i heard univ of maryland is a good one but there's no one who bring this up to those sponsors so they may not know. hey.. try to make some research about it and ask your sponsors if they could allow u to go there.

and there are manyunivs in US that offer biology major.

That's the same list that JPa give us(minus UC davis)
You can go for Tufts(one of the top medical school in US apart from John Hopkins) or even UC san diego....

[deming]

just want to reiterate what Hoong has said. Intead of limiting yourself to schools that offer "biotech degree", consider microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, cancer biology, genetics, etc etc. The choice is limitless. For malaysians who are considering pursuing a career in biotechnology or life science, please do not 'trap' yourself into thinking just about a 'biotech degree'

[KA]

The new and different field : BIOINFORMATICS.
JPA is still in process for making up their minds whether to let the first scholar with the particular major to pursue the degree in US

[Appolo]

There are some universities are offering biotechnology courses with specialization in bioinformatics.I'll try and search through m,y sources for it.

If there's any biotech seniors around who are willing to share their experience studying or doing research in biotechnology, I implore you to share those valuble experiences of yours for the benefit of the juniors.

[walou]

yea im also want enter the biotechnology field ... is there any senior willing tot get our newbie mind clear ?

wahhh so long this thread ... i read up till page 12 ... and i get something from the people that
post the experience

[WinnieH]

yeah me too. i'm still kinda blur bout biotech thing. haiz. i need someone to clarify things for me...

[anderscheng]

i met up with a biotech professor from Australia. The common misconception is that biotech is dealing with genes or genetic engineering. Biotech simply means using raw materials from plant or animals(usually microbes) by means of scientific processes and engineering(physics) to develop a product

For example:

You use yeast(microbe) into a batter to form bread (product). That itself is biotechnology.
Or the usage of xanthan gum in paint or some food like mayonaise comes from the microbes that lives on cabbages.

BUT from the concept from biotechnology, the genetic engineers can contribute to society.
Example:
A) biotechnologist found and collect some substance from some microbes to kill worms(pest) living on plants
B) Based on the biotech concept, genetic engineers use the DNA from the microbes and incorporate it into the plant. Thus, the plants can produce its on substance(poison) to kill the worms.

Its quite near but biotechnology is NOT genetic engineering.

About the job prospects, there is a lot in Malaysia or is developing. To me, biotechnology is like a skill. You WOULD NOT find people from companies requesting for a biotechnologist to work for them. When u graduate, people won't know you as a biotechnologist instead you'll be taking up jobs such a quantitive analysis, biology statistics, lab research, etc.... All the weird job names. As long u have the knowledge on how to handle the microbes, plants, etc.. the factory , company or whatever will take you in. So what if i become a "biotechnologist" growing yeast only. People need them for making all kinds of food. Haha. If u wanna have the name as a "biotechnologist", i think u can only become a lecturer or researcher.

disclaimer: i am a normal student wanting to pursue biotechnology. any facts that are wrong isn't my problem. haha

[kokonatsu_yokose]

Hi all. My undergraduate qualification is in Computer Science but I did my MPhil in Computational Biology at Cambridge. Basically, computational biology is a superset of bioinformatics. It's quite an interesting field for a computer scientist to be in, especially if you're interested in applying the knowledge that you picked up in CS on interesting biological problems. There's quite a few companies in Malaysia specializing in bioinformatics (i.e. MGRC Sdn. Bhd, Synamatix, InfoValley, etc.) although I don't know much about their capabilities and prospects. On the global front, computational biologists can find employment in biotechnology companies, big pharma (I worked in GSK's Molecular Discovery Research group) and academic research labs. Feel free to drop me a PM if you want to know more about the field or what it's like to study CompBio at Cambridge.

[loy]

wat simply eloun u wiil get if u graduated in biotech n work?

[a_ping7]

just want to reiterate what Hoong has said. Intead of limiting yourself to schools that offer "biotech degree", consider microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, cancer biology, genetics, etc etc. The choice is limitless. For malaysians who are considering pursuing a career in biotechnology or life science, please do not 'trap' yourself into thinking just about a 'biotech degree'

I studied Microbiology in the U.S & i am currently working in a U.S. Biotech company.

As deming mentioned above & many had mention:
i) Biotechnology is an industry like you call "IT industry" in Malaysia. it is a general term. There is no straight majors for biotech (all bio related majors such as deming mentioned are biotech- microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, cancer biology, genetics). So, you don;t have to specifically find a university that states "Biotech" as a major.

ii) Even though you major in one of the majors listed above, all core classes are pretty much similar & core skills are transferable- biochemistry , chemistry, general biology are usually required classes for any bio-majors.

iii) Though it may sound grand in Malaysia because Malaysia is promoting biotech, it may take long time to establish this industry. Even in the U.S, a startup biotech company takes a least 10 years to produce a product/drug. Thus, throughout the 10 years, the company is losing money, but it gets funding from venture capitals or from the government.

iv) I guess previous posts had mentions about the different posts/jobs after getting a biotech degree. Yes, that is true & you don't have to stick in R &D (research & development), but I guess the more important thing in your undergraduate education is to get many different internships in biotech industry-be it academic or company to gain the hands on skills or the related skills that you would need for your prefered post/job.

v) No, you don't earn US200K for a biotech job (undergraduate). Even scientist (PhD) earns average US $75,000. Only CEO or the high officials close to CEO earn that much.

vi) Biotech development in Malaysia- I have been to some events sponsored by Malaysian biotech delegates to San Francisco to gather Malaysian in the bay area. They highly encourage one to get a PhD before going back to serve in the biotech industry. Even though biotech may be hot as even the ex-trade minister, Dr. Rafidah Aziz, try to promote at San Jose to get funding, i think it will take more than 10 years (minimum) to build this industry in Malaysia.

vii) In the U.S, an undergraduate major related to science is required to go to medical school/ pharmacy school. So, incase you study in the US & took bio related majors & you don't like it, maybe you can jump to medical school/ pharmacy school.

Hope that helps....

[rainyshark]

Which one of these universities is good to study Biotech?
1. Rochester Institute of Technology
2. University of Indiana, Bloomington
3. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey- New Brunswick
4. University of Georgia
5. Penn State University Park
6. Kent State University
7.UC Davis
8. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

* I typed out a long post before I got the message that I need to refresh the page...
It was gone before i realized it and I don't have the extra energy to type it out all over again...

[Athersin]

About the job prospects, there is a lot in Malaysia or is developing. To me, biotechnology is like a skill. You WOULD NOT find people from companies requesting for a biotechnologist to work for them. When u graduate, people won't know you as a biotechnologist instead you'll be taking up jobs such a quantitive analysis, biology statistics, lab research, etc.... All the weird job names. As long u have the knowledge on how to handle the microbes, plants, etc.. the factory , company or whatever will take you in. So what if i become a "biotechnologist" growing yeast only. People need them for making all kinds of food. Haha. If u wanna have the name as a "biotechnologist", i think u can only become a lecturer or researcher.


How to confer a name of Biotechnologist?Just curious:oh

As far as i know, a degree in biology could also take you into the field of research and skills needed for what andercheng has mentioned in the field of food production.Even a food technologist can venture into the works of a biotech would do.It is not really a NAme of degree that matter, but the overall skills that are learned are more or less the same.


vii) In the U.S, an undergraduate major related to science is required to go to medical school/ pharmacy school. So, incase you study in the US & took bio related majors & you don't like it, maybe you can jump to medical school/ pharmacy school.



How about for MAlaysian public university?is it possible?

What do you mean by jump? what if i am biology major graduater wish to study medicine after my degree. did i need to study medicine for another 5 year?

[Athersin]

Actually, what does a biotechnologist do? Let's say u have a Bachelor of Biotechnology degree, what kind of job you can get? From what I had observed during my hospital attachment in a private medical centre, those ppl with biotech degree actually work in the lab, conducting tests on blood sample and all other sorts of samples from human body. Are they biotechnologist as well? I am interested in studying biotechnology, but I'm really afraid that I wont be able to look for job after graduating. Will biotechnology become like what happened to the computer technology? I realised that ppl with computer degrees kinda hard to look for jobs nowadays, cos the demand is less than the "supply". And there is one case I heard from my friend, who claimed that a biotechnologist in US earns around US$200K per annum. Is that true? That is really a large sum of salary, dont you think? Hope fellow Recom members can voice out opinions about biotechnology. Take care!

Biotech only work in the lab,doing research? Sb can enlighten?

[lowray]

Biotech only work in the lab,doing research? Sb can enlighten?
Most probably biotech would end up being in a lab, but there is marketing , doing sales, quality control etc still possble!

[lawteoh]

I got one question here.. Hmm.. do biotech have any relation at all to bioengineers? I can't find any info on that so far..

[Young]

Regarding Biotech and other related degrees and their respective job prospects, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Afterall, it IS an up and coming field. Estimates show that gene and stem cell therapy will experience tremendous growth within the next couple of years. At this rate development, it's only a matter of time before the biotech boom arrives.

However, like somebody mentioned in the post, biotech hopefus should be weary of the possibility of over-exaggerated prospects, not unlike the IT craze a few years back. Also be aware that any Tom, Dick and Harry can get a biotech degree from local private colleges. Expect an oversaturation of biotech grads within the near future as it's a hot course and because degree mills are churning out certs faster than a printer.

Hence, my final word of advice would be to go for biotech; it's a good course. Just make sure go to a recognised and reputable university so that you have that competitive edge.

[lowray]

Dear young,
do u think biotech at local uni is better or private one?Why do u think that biotech is a field that can boom rapidly in the future?
Becos, what I can see nowadays is majority local universities do offer biotech course, and the graduates of this hot-to-be course are oversaturated! The outcome is harder to get a decent job, eventually end up being jobless.

[Young]

Dear young,
do u think biotech at local uni is better or private one?Why do u think that biotech is a field that can boom rapidly in the future?
Becos, what I can see nowadays is majority local universities do offer biotech course, and the graduates of this hot-to-be course are oversaturated! The outcome is harder to get a decent job, eventually end up being jobless.

It depends, really. I don't think there's a clear distinction between public and private Us when it comes to being 'better.' Just make sure you don't go to some dodgy kampung university. XD
About the biotech boom, it has something to do with the complete sequencing of the human genome. Instead of treating the condition or illness, we are gradually focussing on the cause of the disease. Much research is going on with the aforementioned issues and I shall quote my professor and say "50 years from now, you will not believe your eyes when you see how much healthcare would've changed."

[lowray]

Actually , Biotech is more on pratical skills and what we learnt is very surfaced compared to biochem.

Biochemists develop and execute tests to detect disease, genetic disorders, or other abnormalities and develop methods to process, store, and use food, drugs, and chemical compounds. They also develop and test new drugs and medications used for commercial distribution, and prepare reports and recommendations based upon research outcomes. Biochemists clean, purify, refine, and otherwise prepare pharmaceutical compounds for commercial distribution, and analyze foods to determine nutritional value and effects of cooking, canning, and processing on this value.

Biochem definitely touch on a lots of every little stuff about life sciences as u can see the explanation above!Thus i guess the prospects are wide!

[michelle_k]

hey, i hv a question here...
is bio tech the same as bio informatics or are they related?

For more info on biotech, u can check out this website
http://www.symbiosisonline.com/topic_biotech.htm

I'm into biochem, not bio techonology... But i think i can give you a rough idea of what's it about. A biotechnologist doesn't mean that you have to work in hopitals... I think the blood testing thing is being done by some lab assistant ... A bio technologist deals more to genetic stuffs. It's a small branch of biochemistry that focuses on gene techniques like PCR, Gene Therapy, DNA fingerprinting and stuffs (hey, correct me if i'm wrong). Usually biotechnologists work in agriculture labs ... i think ...

What about bioinformatics?
Is it the same as biotech and biochem too?:huh

[michelle_k]

Dear young,
Do you know anything about bio informatics?

Is it related to biotech as well?

[Appolo]

Most probably biotech would end up being in a lab, but there is marketing , doing sales, quality control etc still possble!

i can't agree more.

Apart from 24/7 being in the lab, biotechnology can also be about doing field research as in understanding how certain biological knowledge can be about mixing and matching with the correct variable with desirable yield.

[sugarspice]

Dear all, I need some advice.

Which of the following has the most job prospects?

pharmacology
pharmacy
biomedical science
biotechnology

Thanks.

[Athersin]

Dear all, I need some advice.

Which of the following has the most job prospects?

pharmacology
pharmacy
biomedical science
biotechnology

Thanks.
i beg pharmacy would be the mostly sought after profession among the four....:P

[rightthru]

i beg pharmacy would be the mostly sought after profession among the four....:P

i agree

pharmacology
pharmacy
biomedical science
biotechnology
biochem

all of them r very good jobs but the most sought after course and arguably the hardest among them all is pharmacy but they r all laboratory-based jobs, suitable for ppl who hate to write a lot and are scared of sun, :lmao:lol::lol:pmg:jk

[Young]

i agree

pharmacology
pharmacy
biomedical science
biotechnology
biochem

all of them r very good jobs but the most sought after course and arguably the hardest among them all is pharmacy but they r all laboratory-based jobs, suitable for ppl who hate to write a lot and are scared of sun, :lmao:lol:pmg:jk

That's quite a generalization. :huh

[sugarspice]

Sorry to digress a bit, what about dentistry? Does it hav a better job prospect compared to pharmacy?

[starlemon]

Sorry to digress a bit, what about dentistry? Does it hav a better job prospect compared to pharmacy?

hi, what course are u taking actually?

it depends on how you view it as good prospects.

Like one of my frens, he take dentistry, but eventually he quit. Cos he cannot endure to look at patient's teeth every single days.

I can see you will be somewhat venture into life sciences. Dont think it only contricts to doctor, dentist and pharmacy..
there r lots more you can do with a science degree.

For at least what i think is : Pure or applied Science degree can bring you into other fields but professional degree can't . I don't see any doctors venture into insurance or marketing company though.


do what u like in your life.Do not regret about what u have chosen.

sometime , in life you may think that studying this degree is not worth the other(esp the profesional degree), but it may prove you wrong somehow.

[zuth]

The job prospect for biomedical studies sounds rather encouraging, but I'm not too certain about biotech. From what my mum's friends tell me, most of the biotech students who've graduated either dabble in sales or become teachers, because:

1) they never were interested in the subject in the first place (for those studying in local Uni, I mean. They just accepted whatever course they got), and
2)it's all doom and gloom and more procrastination when it comes to biovalley...

[rightthru]

Young, u want to know a better generalization?

Here's one for you...
http://www.recom.org/forum/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://www.recom.org/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif:))
T

it's all doom and gloom and more procrastination when it comes to biovalley...

[sugarspice]

Perhaps it's more tricky in finding jobs in research fields? Actually I had come across biotech graduates working in pharmaceutical department in hospitals...

[Aiyuko]

Anywhere..i heard that biotech only work in the lab the whole time, is it true?

[davinci518]

so during the 6 year bond with the government, where do biotech grads begin their jobs? do they work in a lab all the time?

[starlemon]

all of them r very good jobs but the most sought after course and arguably the hardest among them all is pharmacy but they r all laboratory-based jobs, suitable for ppl who hate to write a lot and are scared of sun, :lmao:lol::lol:pmg:jk

I beg to differ, lab works are undeniably a must for biotechnologist, most of them do write more , they have to submit a report about their own findings if they were involved in research fields. So wrtting is a must for them, and knowingly, they need to have a flair in applying scientific terms to make their reports sound sensible.

besides that, while embarking themselves into research works, they have to constantly on their task say finding a mor suitable uses of medicinal herbs to treat cancer, thus what they ought to do is to venture out to find some plants of medicinal uses. In certain extent, they even go far into a forest for their findings. So what you post here is very generalised, indeed they gotta a lots more to do.

so during the 6 year bond with the government
Biotech graduates under JPA are only bonded for 3-4 years.

Only engineering graduates under JPA bonded for 6 years.

[starlemon]

A good news to biotech graduates:


According to a report yesterday in the Businss Times newspaper, our Prime Minister indicated that the number of BioNexus-status companies will increase by 50 to a total of 185 in the next 2 years. What this means for those planning to study Biotechnology is that there will be more jobs available for them upon graduation.
BioNexus-status is the Biotech equivalent of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status that the government plans to emphasise and invest in. BioNexus status is awarded to eligible biotechnology companies which qualifies them for government incentives such as tax breaks and research grants aimed at bolstering the industry further. It’s old name was BioValley.

Najib: BioNexus-Status Companies to increase by 50 in the next 2 years
KUALA LUMPUR BioNexus-status companies are expected to increase by 50 companies to 185 in the next two years from the current 135, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He said these companies are expected to contribute 2.5 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2011 from 2.2 per cent at present.
“The 135 biotechnology companies have had a total approved investment of more than RM1.51 billion since the inception of the National Biotechnology Policy in 2005, with a revenue of more than RM700 million, and involving 2,260 knowledge workers,” he told reporters after chairing the Biotechnology International Advisory Panel meeting held in conjunction with Bio Malaysia 2009 here on Monday.
Najib said the meeting mapped out implementation of identified key initiatives arising from the current industry trend and opportunities with a strategic fit for the country.
Among specific proposals made at the meeting are the need to set up power house research centres that can attract those interested in biotechnology industry, including students, local and foreign graduates, to work in the research and development field.
“Biotechnology is the thrust to development in which Malaysia has an advantage compared to other countries. In fact, Malaysia can become the pulse or a biotechnology hub in this region,” he said.
He said the existence of bio centres in this region was in line with Malaysia’s involvement in the oil palm industry and can increase the yield and provide higher income to oil palm harvesters.
Najib said Malaysia should give priority to “value add clinical trials” and “diagnostic trials” in the medicine field as the country has a plural society suitable to test the global market.
“We’ve Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sabahans and Sarawakians who represent the major global market. Malaysia is most suitable to conduct the study,” he said.
Najib also said a comprehensive eco-system has to be established to accommodate Malaysians intending to return to Malaysia apart from looking into capital requirement for them to be involved in this field.
There were also proposal urging the government to look into the gap between training or teaching in universities to meet the industry needs, he said.
Najib said suggestions and recommendations made in today’s IAP meeting will move into the action mode and they will be involved in ensuring that “we will deliver the suggestions made and accepted by the government as soon as possible so that by the time the next IAP meeting, we will see results.”
Present were Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili and Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood


source:http://eduspiral.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/more-jobs-for-biotechnology-grads/#more-439

We can see a remarkable improvement and a tendency to gear towards the biotech based industry in malaysia.For Perhaps in future, we would be able to see more advancements happening in malaysia biotechnology fields .=)