Gates Foundation visit affirms IITA’s readiness for BioCap training
As part of efforts to gain first-hand insight into the facilities that will underpin practical training under the upcoming BioCap project, Dr Lawrence Kent of the Gates Foundation visited the IITA Biotechnology Laboratories recently.
As part of efforts to gain first-hand insight into the facilities that will underpin practical training under the upcoming BioCap project, Dr Lawrence Kent of the Gates Foundation visited the IITA Biotechnology Laboratories recently. The visit took place ahead of the official launch of BioCap in Rwanda. It focused on familiarizing the donor with the environment where shuttle training and hands-on genome editing work for Rwandan scientists will be conducted.
Dr Kent was taken through the laboratories by Dr Leena Tripathi and the IITA Biotechnology team, who showcased the banana gene-editing pipeline, including laboratory infrastructure, research workflows, biosafety systems, and stewardship frameworks that guide compliant research. He also engaged with the training environment designed to support hands-on capacity building in genome editing, from early-stage laboratory work through to downstream applications.
Reflecting on the visit, Dr Kent said, “I am impressed by the IITA team’s expertise and the quality of the work IITA researchers are doing on plant genome editing. This platform will equip Rwandan scientists with the skills and environment necessary to make a tangible impact by applying plant genome editing technology in the development of disease-
resistant crops.