BIOTROP trained 31 researchers, educators, and graduate students from Indonesia on Utilization of Bioinformatics and Molecular Data Analysis held on 11-13 November 2014 at the Centre’s headquarter.

In officially opening the training program, BIOTROP Deputy Director for Program Dr Jess C. Fernandez emphasized the importance of bioinformatics in biological system research, including molecular biology, to generate more accurate analysis and relevant recommendations. He said that this training is one contribution of BIOTROP to enable the participants to keep pace with the rapid developments in information technologies as potent tools for research. 

Through lecture-discussions and computer hands-on exercises, the participants learned about the concepts and principles of bioinformatics and how to process and analyze molecular data better using existing bioinformatics software systems such as BLAST from NCBI and Genetyx, developed by Genetyx Corporation, Japan. Other software systems  introduced during the training were were GenAlex for population genetics, Tassel for association mapping and a newly developed software by Department of Computer Science, Bogor Agricultural University for processing sequence data from NGS machine.

Resource persons during the training were Dr Nurul Khumaida, Dr Sinto Wahyuning Ardie, Dr. Eng. Wisnu Ananta Kusuma and Dr Willy Bayuardi Suwarno  from the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) ,  Dr. Mohammad Basyuni from Universitas Sumatra Utara and Dr Ulfah J. Siregar from SEAMEO BIOTROP  who also served as the training coordinator.

The participants came from IPB,  Udayana University, Lambung Mangkurat University, Indonesian Industrial and Beverages Crops Research Institute,  Indonesia Agricultural Quarantine Agency  at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, LIPI Research Center for Biotechnology , Fish Breeding Research Center, SUCOFINDO, and Agricultural Quarantine Agency Borneo.