October 6 University pharmacy Students Investigate the Genetic Material (DNA) and Extract It from Fruits and Rats’ Livers.
"Discover Your DNA" and "An Introduction to Biotechnology and Molecular Biology", were two workshops conducted by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, with the co-operation of The Biotechnology Unit at The Faculty of Pharmacy, October 6 University. The numbers of trainees were 247 and 444 respectively, who were divided according to social distancing into separate groups during the day in different laboratories. The workshops duration was 45 days. Each student conducted practical experiments during which the student acquired all the theoretical, scientific and practical aspects he needed.
The duration of training hours for the first workshop was 8 hours, while for the second one it was 10 credit hour. They included an explanation of the theoretical and practical sides, the principles of genomics and their inherent applications with their relationship to modern diseases. The types of nucleic acids, their structures, and how their gene expression are expressed if multiplied, mutated, or if they are a cause of chronic diseases were also explained.
The first workshop dealt practically with living tissues like strawberries and bananas fruits, where the genetic material was extracted practically using modern and traditional methods. While in the second workshop, the principles of genetics, molecular biology and genetic engineering were explained. The applications of molecular biology and its relationship to biotechnology were explained too, including a review of the types and structures of nucleic acids, their complications, and their genetic expression as well. On the first day, each student extracted the genetic material from rats’ livers, became familiar with the extraction steps and the difficulties they might face during the class. On the next day, the student checked the purity and quality of the genetic material through electrical separation and viewed the genetic material on agarose after separation.
Finally, it was of our interest, for the safety of the students and the staff, we considered all safety factors in terms of spacing, wearing masks and permanent disinfection with alcohol during work periods.