Scope and Prospects of Biochemistry
In the present scenario study of Biochemistry is highly relevant, biochemistry students can aspire for bigger roles in industry as well as academia. Some of its scope in medical sciences and other fields is given as follows:
Medical Sciences
Thorough knowledge in biochemistry is essential in understanding different aspects of medical sciences like drug development, immunology, pathology, pharmacy, vaccine development, etc. After BSc. One can find jobs as marketing executives in different Pharmaceutical companies, as a lab assistant in different govt. and private organizations, clinical co-ordinators for big pathology chains and medical transcriptionists for different healthcare groups.
The most important use of medical biochemistry, however, is biochemical tests done in the clinical laboratory.
In a diagnostic center, one can get jobs as pathologists related to diagnostics, monitoring, and screening of patients.
Genetic Engineering or Recombinant DNA Technology is another advanced part of biochemistry which has immense scope in vaccine development. After post-graduation in Biochemistry, one can pursue a research career and work as a research scientist in R&D sections of big pharmaceutical companies.
Scopes contd.
โข Agriculture
โข Knowledge of biochemistry is very important for understanding the biochemistry of crops and medicinal plants. Plant biochemistry studies can help students to become agricultural scientists in the future.
Agricultural scientists work on developing high yielding crops, disease-resistant crops, isolating medicinal compounds from plants.
โข Gaining knowledge in plant tissue culture techniques students can set up their own farms and nurseries.
โข Food Industry
โข Biochemists can help nutritionists, as they can describe different aspects of health-related to food
consumption; the nutrients value of food material can also be determined by biochemical tests. Proper measurement of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats can be done by
โข Food Analyst jobs are now available in different private sectors. They can find out adulterants mixed in diverse types of food items.
โข A food security officer is a very important job prospect for present biochemistry students. The responsibility of a food security officer is to perform the processes towards the elimination of hunger and ensuring food security and nutrition for all human beings.
Scopes contd.
โข Academics
โข After graduation one can continue with science if you want. Do MSc (job profile: teacher), then Ph.D. (Job Profile: Researcher or Professor).
โข After MSc, one can get different govt. jobs like a Patent officer, Scientific Officer (BARC, ICDDRB, and BCSIR, Atomic Energy Commission),
Epidemiologist, Forest officer, Food security officer.
โข There is a great scope of going abroad and working in a research profession in
countries like the US, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Canada, Japan etc. after
completion of MSc. Degree in Biochemistry.
Historical
development
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All chemical changes within the organismโeither the degradation of substances, generally to gain necessary energy, or the buildup of complex molecules necessary for life processesโare collectively called metabolism. These chemical changes depend on the action of organic catalysts known as
enzymes, and enzymes, in turn, depend for their existence on the genetic apparatus of the cell. It is not surprising, therefore, that biochemistry enters into the investigation of chemical changes in
disease, drug action, and other aspects of medicine, as well as in nutrition, genetics, and agriculture.
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