Workshop on ‘Mammalian Cell Culture, Cytogenetics and Techniques in Molecular Biology’

Workshop on “Mammalian Cell Culture, Cytogenetic and Techniques in Molecular Biology” organized by the Department of Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry was successfully held from 21st to 25th August 2017 at the Department premises. This workshop was organized to mark the ceremonial opening of the new advanced laboratory complex at the Department, fulfilling faculty’s long standing need for in-vitro cell based assays.

Prof. D. M. Semasinghe, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya attended the inauguration and the ceremonial opening of the new laboratory complex as the chief guest. Prof. Nilanthi de Silva, Dean, Faculty of the Medicine, Emeritus Prof. Lal Chandrasena, Emeritus Prof. Ira Thabrew and other academic and nonacademic staff members of the faculty also attended the event.

The in vitro cell based assay is an essential tool in multidisciplinary research, particularly in early stages of drug discovery and in understanding basic cellular mechanisms. This workshop is organized with the objective of providing participants with basic understanding in the theoretical concepts of human cell culture and more importantly to improve their laboratory expertise in cell culture techniques, selected genotoxicity assays and other molecular biological techniques used in cutting-edge clinical biochemistry and molecular biology research.

This five-day workshop was attended by about 30 participants representing academia, government sector institutions and industry. Dr. Mary N. Mohankumar [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Chennai, India] Dr. Engin Bojnik, [San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy], Dr. Yoshito Fuji [Nagasaki University, Japan/ Indiana University, USA], Dr. Senani Williams [Department of Pathology, University of Kelaniya] and the academic staff of the Department of Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry were contributing as resource persons in this workshop.