Science Students In Ghana Expose To Molecular Biology

Over 600 science students from the public universities are being exposed to modern molecular biology or gene technology as part of a collaborative research aimed at producing legume varieties that are high yielding and disease resistant. 
   
The renowned Oxford University Biochemist, Professor Emeritus Sir Edwin Southern, spearheads the project through his Kirkhouse Trust, a mobile laboratory.  It is aimed at strengthening and equipping the students with knowledge that would enable them to become part of the cutting-edge gene or DNA revolution. 
 
The aim of the mobile laboratory project is to diffuse recent knowledge in DNA to Ghanaian university students so that they could employ the applications of gene technology for crop improvement to assist the selection of legumes.
 
The project follows discussion among the renowned gene expert, public universities and research institutions as to how the gene technology could be diffused to Ghana to improve agriculture.
 
All the public universities each proposed the building of a molecular biology laboratory but because of the high cost such a project entails, Professor Southern rather proposed the setting up of a mobile laboratory housed at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) that goes round each semester to the participating universities to enable students have a hand-on feel of DNA testing.
 
Four hundred final year science students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, 80 from the University of Education, Winneba and 170 second year science students of the University of the Development Studies have so far benefited from the programme this year.
 
Although molecular biology is regarded as the most exact of modern sciences such as biology and chemistry, the country's universities do not have the financial wherewithal to provide their students with the requisite laboratories because of the cost.
 
Dr Jemmy Takrama, a Senior Research Officer with CRIG and coordinator of the project, told the GNA at Winneba that it takes about 100,000 pounds excluding the physical structure to build a molecular laboratory and for the public universities that have several students that could run into several millions of pounds.  He said as a result, the subject was being presented to students in the past at the theoretical level but with the introduction of the mobile van, many students are now presented with a rare foray into the realm of gene technology.
    
Dr Takrama said the services would be available to private tertiary institutions and all other research institutions so as to make the services of the lab available to the widest populace for its benefits to be felt.

Mr Haruna Williams, Lecturer in molecular biology at UEW Winneba campus, told the GNA that although biology was moving towards molecular technology, the universities lack the facilities to properly expose their students to that field.
   
Therefore, the arrival of the mobile van has brought some excitement and impetus into the teaching of the subject. Mr Williams said although the students of the UEW had
had to start classes at 0800 hours to 1700 hours because of the crash programme involving the use of the lab, they all waited patiently and none complained since they are personally involved in undertaking specimens.

Miss Augustina Acheampong, a second year student who participated in the programme, described it as relevant since they have been learning molecular biology for nearly two years without any effective laboratory services. 

Miss Acheampong was part of the class that was being exposed to how to conduct visual DNA extracts from plant and animal tissues.  Molecular biology underpins recent forays into gene technology by a number of European scientists including Prof Southern that forms the basis of a fingerprinting technique responsible for isolating the genes for some inherited diseases to create genetic maps of the human genome.

The discovery of the genome has helped in tackling many health problems and gave an immeasurable boost to agriculture.