News 2014-10-15: October 2014 Training in Tanzania and Ghana

Professor Rodrigo Gallardo Conducts Training at Sokoine University of Agriculture - In October 2014, Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo led a training for the Tanzania research team at Sokoine University of Agriculture covering poultry handling, sample collection, and laboratory procedures. The Tanzania research team honed their poultry handling and sample collection skills, and mastered the tear collection procedure for RNA samples. The research team also practiced laboratory techniques including RNA isolation, quantitative RT-PCR, and ELISA.

Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo demonstrates poultry handling and collection of tears for RNA samples during training at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania.

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A 4-day training has been conducted in University of Ghana. The blood, tear collection and ELISA assay in measuring NDV antibody response in serum and NDV virus isolation from tears and q-PCR measuring virus titers in tears procedures conducted under the supervision of Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo, and Huaijun Zhou. More than a dozen of graduate students, research staff, and faculty have participated. They used blood and tears they collected to isolate serum and measure antibody response using ELISA and isolated NDV virus and then measured virus titers using q-PCR. During the training, both theoretical and practical questions have been discussed and addressed. Through this training, our African colleagues have prepared themselves for coming pilot study and animal experiments and laboratories techniques needed.

The US and Ghana research teams meet at the University of Ghana in October 2014. Dr. Huaijun Zhou demonstrates procedures for RT-PCR for the University of Ghana research team.