Freedom to Choose Grant Recipients

Dr Silvia Casabianca 
University of Urbino | Italy

Early warning and forecasting
of harmful algal bloom (HAB) events

“Identifying harmful algal bloom (HAB) species through light microscopy necessitates considerable taxonomic knowledge, is a time-intensive process, not feasible for analysing a large quantity of samples collected in monitoring programs.
Our real-time PCR assays were based on SYBR Green chemistry and possess a high detection limit enabling the detection of a single cell. The assays exhibit high specificity and sensitivity, making them superior to traditional microscopy methods. Moreover, these molecular assays can function as a tool for early warning and forecasting of HAB events, thereby providing a means of managing and preventing the safety food and economic risks related to phytoplankton bloom events in coastal regions.”

Francis Anti Amoako
CSIR-CRI | Ghana

Viral diagnostic techniques
using two mandate crops, cassava and yam

“In contemporary agriculture, the accurate detection and management of pathogens play a pivotal role in upholding food security and crop well-being. However, the imperative for more resilient and precise diagnostics has intensified with agriculture confronting evolving pathogen threats and the specter of climate change. The proposed research project endeavors to address virus indexing in tissue culture-generated planting materials through a comparative study of three polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques: conventional PCR, quantitative PCR (qPCR), and isothermal PCR. Focusing on cassava and yam, two primary staples in Ghana, our assessment will scrutinize the sensitivity of these methods to pinpoint the most suitable approach for indexing.”

Jayanta Mondal 
MD Anderson Cancer Center | USA

Epigenetic mechanisms that govern the metastatic reactivation of breast cancer

“Thwarting metastasis is regarded as the holy grail in the treatment of cancer.  My experiments elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms that govern the metastatic reactivation of breast cancer in the lung by reprogramming the tumor immune microenvironment. I intend to utilize real-time PCR to probe for certain gene expression signatures that regulate these oncogenic pathways to decipher how their expression regulates breast cancer lung and brain metastasis. Real time PCR would aid me in not only checking the knockout/knockdown efficacy but also enable me to study the effect of chemotherapeutics in modulating various molecular signalling pathways that mechanistically regulate the invasion-metastasis cascade. ”