Kilifi laboratory acquires microarray technology

The immunology lab in Kilifi has opened a new microarray facility. The facility which is valued at Ksh 5 million, is the latest technology in the analysis of malaria parasites and will make it faster and easier for scientists to measure how much of each gene of the malaria parasite is expressed. This will help them find the difference between virulent (deadly) and less virulent strains of malaria in their gene expression. It will also be a platform for scientists conducting studies on other pathogens such as bacteria that cause pneumonia. The facility was opened by Zbynek Bozdech a senior researcher from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, who is here to help train staff on how to use it. Nanyang Technological University has been collaborating with Margaret Mackinnon on this project for the last four years. They have recently been awarded a grant from the Wellcome Trust to continue their work on malaria parasite virulence using microarray technology.