The Department of Pharmacology of the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education &Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry is organizing a first of its kind national workshop on 'Basic techniques in Molecular Technology & Bioinformatics in Pharmacogenomics, from 3-10, August 2004.

The objective of the workshop is to provide training in basic molecular biology techniques required in pharmacogenetic studies, to impart web-based training in basic concepts of bioinformatics and to provide theoretical knowledge on some of the recently developed molecular biology tools.

Further the workshop would provide a knowledge base of elementary medical genetics, statistical methods, etc towards carrying out pharmacogenetic and related research, according to JIPMER sources.

Intended for beginners in molecular biology and bioinformatics with focus on pharmacogenomics, the workshop will admit about 20 participants, preferably post-graduate students and faculty members of departments of pharmacology and allied sciences.

The eight-day workshop will have practical demonstrations and hands-on training in molecular biology techniques such as DNA extraction, quality check and quantification of DNA, the polymerase chain reaction - restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), gel electrophoresis: horizontal and vertical, extraction of DNA from gel and purification of PCR products for sequencing etc.

Bioinformatics sessions will include locating the gene sequence of interest, identification of the PCR product, primer design, and selection of the restriction endonucleases and validation of the PCR method by sequencing, said sources.