Four (4) faculty members from Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) recently participated in the ASMAR8 “Amplicon Sequencing Made Available for Region 8” training at PGC Visayas from July 8–12, 2024.
The ASMAR8 “Amplicon Sequencing Made Available for Region 8” is a capacity-building program of PGC and is implemented to reinforce the PGC Visayas Consortium in Region 8 and provide an opportunity to practice molecular biology techniques leading to amplicon sequencing.
The training began with a pre-training lecture on the basics of molecular biology methods and bioinformatics given on July 5 as part of the program. The hands-on training in both the omics and bioinformatics laboratories proceeded the following week.
The omics aspect of the activity comprised the processes of next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflows, specifically using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and library preparation techniques, and loading of samples onto a sequencing instrument. The general bioinformatics workflow encompasses processing genomic data, from initial setup and quality control to assembly and downstream analysis.
One of the participants, Ms. Alieza Del Socorro of SLSU-Bontoc, expressed her appreciation for setting up and organizing such activities to accommodate their research needs. “From this, we will be able to explore and expand our activities at SLSU and also start more collaboration with PGC,” she added. Mr. Nico Adam Antipala of SLSU-Hinunangan also expressed his enthusiasm about imparting the knowledge he obtained from this activity to their university. Also in the training were Mr. Jimmy E. Salamida and Ms. Janine C. Dimzon. All participants were faculty members with molecular biology backgrounds.
Amplicon sequencing is important for generating high-quality data in next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications, enabling analysis of genetic diversity within species, variant identification, and sample characterization.
ASMAR8 aims to enhance research capabilities and encourage collaboration with PGC Visayas for future endeavors in molecular biology. The next training sessions are scheduled for August and September 2024.
