Research
Research Projects	Research Group	Organisms	Collection	DNA Labs
DNA Labs Over the years 2000-2002, I have built a molecular biology facility within the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation. The labs were set up with RM2.4 million start-up funding from the Federal government of Malaysia. They became operational by early 2003. We have three separate laboratories, dedicated to sample processing, PCR / agarose electrophoresis, and sequencing, respectively. Among our most prized equipment are two -80ºC freezers, two MJ gradient-thermocyclers, a Bio-Rad Versadoc gel imager, and an ABI 3100 DNA sequencer. The labs are currently used by various researchers and students working on molecular systematics (gingers, timber trees, parasitic wasps, scavenging beetles, ants, termites, and land snails), diagnostic PCR of Wolbachia bacterial symbionts, and population genetics in land snails and primates. A DNA training course was given here by Atsuko Takano and Takuji Tachi in 2003 under the Bornean Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation programme, funded by the Japanese government.     In addition to intramural use, the labs are explicitly intended to encourage our foreign visiting researchers to carry out their molecular analyses within Sabah, in collaboration with local students. This will reduce the amount of biological material exported from Malaysia and it will increase the knowledge transfer from overseas researchers to local ones.