MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM Call for Applications: Malaria Experimental Genetics
The MRC Unit The Gambia at LSTMH offers a week-long laboratory-based Advanced Course on Malaria experimental genetics, which will give participants a working knowledge of and practical experience in cutting-edge Plasmodium experimental genetics techniques, from designing gene targeting vectors and creating transgenic parasites to genotyping and phenotyping the strains that result. Scheduled from October 31 to November 5, 2021.
The goal is to facilitate the participants’ own research careers by exposing them to state-of-the-art experimental approaches, while discussing the advantages and limitations of each approach. The course is targeted to early career malaria scientists who are looking to establish and use Plasmodium transfection technology at their host institutes.
Target audience:
The course is open to applicants based in Africa and should be postdoctoral scientists, PhD students or clinician-scientists/healthcare professionals engaged in, or soon to commence, relevant research.
Programme:
The overall programme strategy will be to follow a Plasmodium experimental genetics experiment from conception to completion, equipping attendees to design and carry out their own projects in the future. Topics to be covered will include:
- Gene targeting vector construction
- Transfection and genotyping
- Molecular phenotyping
Learning outcomes:
After attending this course, participants will be able to:
- design CRISPR-Cas9 gene targeting constructs to engineer single point mutations and gene disruptions.
- plan and execute P. falciparum and P. knowlesi transfection experiments, and genotype the resulting transfection progeny
- evaluate the strengths and limitations of different reverse genetic techniques, including conditional gene technologies.
- appreciate the range of phenotypic assays available for malaria experimental genetics
Read more here.
Application and bursary deadline June 24, 2021.
