Clearing Misconceptions about Biotechs in Malaysia, Focus Reports
Release Date: 2010-11-05
The Malaysian Bio Industry Organisation (MBIO) and the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC) have provided Focus Reports with an insight into the notion of biotechnology, subject to various definitions, and ways to understand it.“The word biotechnology itself currently engenders a degree of fear among the public, who think of cloning, genetic modification and other controversial issues”, said Mahaletchumy Arujanan, president of MABIC. The information centre operates in Malaysia as a platform for the exchange of technical knowledge between the public and private sectors and aims to increase awareness of biotechnology among the local population. In order to achieve its objectives, MABIC works closely with government ministries including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. “The public understanding of science and biotechnology is limited in Malaysia”, said Arujanan.
Biotechnology is defined by The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity as "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use." However, the fact that biotech is a multidisciplinary and evolving area can be misleading. According to Prof. Faridah Habib Shah, chairman of MBIO, there is a misunderstanding of biotech’s application in the agriculture and pharmaceutical industries. “There is today no clear distinction between healthcare and bio-agriculture, as many originally bio-agriculture businesses in the world go now into personalized healthcare, personalized medicine or nutraceuticals” (combination of nutrition and pharmaceuticals).
Before promoting the sector, Faridah says Malaysians need to understand biotechnology in the same way. “People have different definitions of biotechnology. For me, it is about developing a technology and making a business out of it. For a lot of people, however, it is about acquiring a technology, setting up a factory and producing it. What we consider as pharmaceutical in Malaysia is often contract manufacturing, which for me is not real biotech.”
The complexity of its nature coupled with fear amongst the public and its constantly evolving dynamic make biotech a difficult sector to both understand and brand. Although biotech has existed in Malaysia for twenty years, it is still searching for a clear identity.
| Type: | NORMAL |
| Company: | Focus Reports |
| Country: | Switzerland |