Experts present the latest biotechnology research in Debrecen – Debrecen news, Debrecen news | News of Debrecen and Hajdú-Bihar counties
The latest biotechnology research was presented by experts in Debrecen
Debrecen – Seventeen lectures were given in three sections at the conference of the University of Debrecen.
The Center for Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology of the Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management and the Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology of the Institute of Biotechnology of the Faculty of Science and Technology jointly organized this year’s scientific symposium.
Photos: unideb.hu
– The agricultural and food biotechnology is a priority area of biotechnology, therefore the organizing committee considered it important that this complex symposium should be the central topic of this year’s symposium – emphasized István Pócsi, head of the Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology of the Faculty of Science and Technology.
The head of the department reminded that the master’s level training in biotechnology started in 2010, and from 2022 students will be able to apply for the undergraduate course in biotechnology at the University of Debrecen.
– Green biotechnology, including agricultural and food biotechnology, is a multidisciplinary field. Using molecular biology, bioinformatics and other omics, among other things, it can provide answers to global problems such as adapting to climate change, addressing the food challenges of population growth, or remediating soil and water pollution caused by industrial activity and mining, he explained. Judit Dobránszki, Head of the Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology Center (AGBK), Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management.
Judit Dobránszki added that extensive research in the field of agricultural and food biotechnology is being carried out at the University of Debrecen, and in 2021 an international-level agricultural genomics and biotechnology research base, the Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology Center, was established to support the field.
In his opening speech, Rector András Jávor spoke about the fact that green biotechnology is a key research area of the University of Debrecen.
– The aim of our research is to transfer results to practice that can be used directly. In traditional animal husbandry, selection cannot work without the basics of biotechnology and genomics. DE also helps modern agriculture with significant biotechnology research. Through its biotechnology training, which began 35 years ago, the institution has awarded nearly a hundred PhD degrees in green biotechnology in a number of publications each year, said András Jávor, a professor at the Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology Center.
Seventeen lectures were given at the meeting in three sections. In the field of animal biotechnology, the genetic characterization of Hungarian pigeon breeding, the genetic characterization of Hungarian point herds, the impact of different ecological regions on the genetic diversity of African sheep breeds, the diverse use of results from genomic research and the role of genomic engineering
In the plant biotechnology section, the researchers discussed the possibilities and limitations of Biodrome Debrecen as a biomaker space, as well as the role of protein phosphatases in plant epigenetic regulation and cell organization. They presented their transcriptomic (gene expression) results related to plant development and growth, as well as plant metabolomics research. The topic of food biotechnology was the evolutionary genomics and strain development history of food and probiotic yeasts, as well as the genomic study of the effects of high carbohydrate intake in Drosophila melanogaster.
As the last presentation of the conference, iBioScience Kft. Presented its complex genomics and bioinformatics solutions in agricultural and food biotechnology.
In his closing speech to the symposium, professor Szilvia Kusza talks about the recent transformation in agriculture and the food industry.
– Recently, genomics and biotechnology research have played a key role in the development of agriculture. This role will only intensify in the coming years. The next generations of professionals and researchers need to gain as much knowledge as possible in this field in order for Hungary to be able to keep pace with international processes in this respect as well. The lectures showed how much genomic and biotechnological research can be carried out in agriculture and the food industry, and the results show how important research is being done at the University of Debrecen and our scientific community continues to move in line with international scientific trends. Szilvia, professor at the Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology Center.