The Department of Biotechnology was established in the year 1991 with financial support from University and DBT, Govt. of India. Ever since the Department has made rapid strides in both teaching and research, and has made its presence felt at the national and international levels. This Department is a constituent of National Network of about thirty plus centres imparting job-oriented training to the students in Biotechnology. The Department of Biotechnology admits students to the Postgraduate Biotechnology Programme through an All India Combined Entrance Test (AICET) conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi for DBT sponsored seats and by the entrance examination conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. The Department is imparting training to the students of M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Animal, Plant and Microbial Biotechnology. The Department has well equipped teaching and research laboratories for imparting training to the students.

Neuroscience research grants in the Department (last five years):

• ICMR-BMBF, Germany Collaborative Grant-- Investigations on the therapeutic potential applications of PSA mimetics in cell culture and mouse models of brain injury and disease (2011 to 2013)
• DBT-AIST, Japan Collaborative Grant -- Use of Ashwagandha derived phytochemicals for development of differentiation-based therapy of brain cancers (2010 to 2013)
• DBT Grant under Neuroscience initiative --  Cellular and molecular mechanisms of adverse effects of antiepileptic and mood stabilizing drugs (2010 to 2013)
• Indo-French Centre for promotion of advanced research (IFCPAR) Collaborative Grant -- Juxtacrine and/or paracrine control of Brain plasticity (2007 to 2011)
• ICMR-NTF Grant --  Reversing Age Related Brain Functions Impairments by Late Onset Dietary Restriction (2007 to 2011)
  
• DBT Grant--Brain Plasticity associated with Cerebral Malaria(2010-2012)

Selected Publications :

• Hardeep Kataria, Sunil C. Kaul, Renu Wadhwa and Gurcharan Kaur (2012). Water Extract from the Leaves of Withania somnifera Protect RA Differentiated C6 and IMR-32 Cells Against Glutamate-Induced Excitotoxicity. PLoS ONE, 7(5): doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037080
• Rumani Singh, Dinesh Lakhanpal, Sushil Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Hardeep Kataria, Manpreet Kaur, Gurcharan Kaur (2011) Late onset intermittent fasting dietary restriction as a potential intervention to retard age associated brain function impairments in male rats. AGE  [Epub ahead of print]
• Sushil Kumar, Jyoti Parkash, Hardeep Kataria, Gurcharan Kaur (2012) Enzymatic Removal of Polysialic Acid from Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule Interrupts Gonadotropin- Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Neuron-Glial Remodeling. Mol Cell Endocrinol., 348 (1): 95-103.
• Kawaljit Kaur Khokhar, Sharda Sidhu and Gurcharan Kaur (2010) Correlation between Leptin level and Hypertension in Normal and Obese Pre- and Postmenopausal Women. Eur J Endocrinol(6): 163: 873-8.
• Sandeep Sharma, Rumani Singh, Manpreet Kaur and Gurcharan Kaur (2010). Late-Onset Dietary Restriction Compensates for Age-related increase in Oxidative Stress and alterations of HSP 70 and Synapsin1 Protein Levels in Male Wistar Rats. Biogerontology  [EPub Ahead of Print] PMID 19609710
• Sushil Kumar, Jyoti Parkash, Hardeep Kataria and Gurcharan Kaur (2010) Interactive effect of   excitotoxic injury and dietary restriction on neurogenesis and neurotrophic factors in adult male rat brain. Neurosci. Res. 65: 367–374.
• Hardeep Kataria, Navjot Shah, Sunil C. Kaul, Renu Wadhwa and Gurcharan Kaur (2010). Water extract of Ashwagandha leaves reduces proliferation and migration, and induces differentiation in glioma cells. eCAM (Epub ahead of print) PMID : 20007262
• Navjot Shah, Hardeep Kataria, Sunil C. Kaul, Gurcharan Kaur and Renu Wadhwa (2009). Effect of the alcoholic extract of Ashwagandha leaves and its components on proliferation, migration and differentiation of glioblastoma cells: a combinational approach for enhanced differentiation Cancer Sci. 100(9): 1740-47.
• Singh J, and Gurcharan Kaur (2009) Transcriptional regulation of PSA-NCAM expression by NMDA receptor activation in RA-differentiated C6 glioma cultures. Brain Res Bull, 79(3-4):157-68.
• Manpreet Kaur, Sandeep Sharma and Gurcharan Kaur(2008). Age-related impairments in neuronal plasticity markers and astrocytic GFAP and their reversal by late-onset short term dietary restriction. Biogerontology.  9: 441-454