Estb. 1882

University of the Punjab

News Archives

Workshops

CEMB organizes training workshop
CEMB organizes training workshop


LAHORE: (Sunday, May 31, 2015): Punjab University Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) has organized an international four-day workshop entitled “A Training Workshop on New Trends in Molecular Diagnosis of Genetic Diseases”. The inaugural session was chaired by Prof. Dr Fazle Majid while PU Dean Faculty of Life sciences Prof. Dr. Muhammad Naeem Khan chaired the concluding session. MPhil and PhD scholars of different scientific and medical background from Punjab, Sindh and KPK have actively participated in this event. The main aim of the workshop was to provide hands-on experience of techniques available to identify genetic mutations underlying genetic disorders of hearing impairment, vision impairment and intellectual disability. The basic molecular techniques for DNA, RNA extraction, primer designing, pedigree analysis, Homozygosity Mapping, LOD Score calculation, Sanger sequencing, as well as Next Generation sequencing and Microarry were covered in workshop. All these are techniques are used to identify the cuses of genetic disorders. Addressing the ceremony, Dr Naeem Khan appreciated the CEMB administration for organizing this workshop. He distributed the certificate among the participant and coordinator of the event. A vote of thanks was given by Prof. Dr. Tayyab Husnain. He emphasized on the events organized for the awareness of genetic diseases. In Pakistan, there is a high rate of consanguinity which leads to have significant implication for increasing the prevalence rate of recessive genetic disorders. The workshops and seminars like this event will increase the knowledge of students about the different molecular techniques with its application the prevalence of genetic disorders The only approach at present, to reduce the prevalence of genetic disorders is prevention. It can be achieved through mandatory carrier screening and genetic counselling in high risk families and continuous educational campaigns for general population aware-ness of genetic disorders. Newborn screening can also help to identify genetic disorders early in life so that the treatment can be started as early as possible.