The 3rd MCC 2016 Workshop : Primer Design and Advanced Molecular Technology Real-Time PCR up to Sequencing

3^rd MCC 2016 was molecular workshop that held by Study Group of Hepatitis, Dengue and HIV in Tropical Disease Institute (Lembaga Penyakit Tropis – LPT) Airlangga University.

The goal of the workshop is to give direct training for the participants about the latest technology of molecular biology and also give the update about virology, especially Hepatitis B virus. These 3^rd workshop allow participants to study about primer design, DNA extraction, conventional PCR, real-time PCR and also sequencing. The participants was from different background, such as researcher, laboratory analyst, clinical staff from the hospital, and magister student from Surabaya, Bali, Kediri, Kendari, Makassar, Kupang and Jakarta.

This workshop held from May 23-25, 2016. On the first day, the participants got to hear presentation from Prof. Soetjipto dr., M.S., PhD. They got the latest information about hepatitis B virus, DNA extraction, primer design and conventional PCR. The next session was the laboratory activity about DNA extraction, from manual and automated method. PT Indolab Utama got the chance to demonstrate automated method from Maxwell RSC Instrument to extract DNA from the blood and PBMC samples.

The Maxwell® Rapid Sample Concentrator (RSC) Instrument is a platform for automated purification of nucleic acid from a range of sample types. The purification methods use sample lysis and binding to paramagnetic particles as the primary separation principle. Up to 16 samples can be prepared simultaneously in 25–60 minutes, depending on sample type. Used in combination with prefilled reagent cartridges, the Maxwell® RSC can purify DNA or RNA from a wide range of sample types. The intuitive graphical user interface makes the instrument easy to use, and the integrated Quantus™ Fluorometer lets you collect purification and quantification data in one report.

The theme of the second day was about sequencing and real-time PCR. Prof. Retno Handayani dr., M.S., PhD gave the lecture and the latest information about it. Participants was really excited to hear the presentation and also could not wait to do the hands-on session. They did the sequencing on the Capillary Electrophoresis system with one capillary. After about one hour running on sequencing per sample, they did the discussion about the sequencing result. The second day was closed with discussion about primer design with NCBI Blast. PT Indolab Utama also offers sequencing service and primer ordering from Macrogen, Korea.

The real-time PCR hands-on session was held on the third day of workshop. This session was supported by Promega’s GoTaq Real Time qPCR Systems for Probe-based detection. The master mix is optimized for fast and reproducible quantitative PCR assays in the hydrolysis probe detection format. It is a versatile product that can compatible with both fast and standard cycling methods on most real-time PCR instruments using TaqMan® and other probe assays such as molecular beacons. It has enhanced stability and exceptional room-temperature setup is easy for automated and high-throughput detection.

The last day of workshop, Indolab Utama got the chance to introduce and demonstrate the MyGo Mini real-time PCR instrument. The MyGo Mini is the world’s most compact real-time PCR instrument, with no moving parts for silent operation and maximum reliability. It provide users with great results over a broad range of applications. This instrument was really interesting and got much attention from the participant, they were overwhelm by its size and its functionality as real-time PCR instrument.

 

 

And finally, the workshop was ended by discussion about the result of real-time PCR and also the troubleshooting tips for the real-time PCR. The participant was really interest to discuss about it and really gave a good and positive respond. The workshop was closed by Prof. Retno Handayani as the head of this 3^rd MCC workshop event. See you again in next year!