Media Workshop - Tissue Culture: From Bench to the Market

The workshop will showcase the successful and viable tissue culture methods that have been developed and how these techniques could be used to generate revenue.

23 August 2007
Forest Biotechnology Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)

Communicating with the members of the media is one of MABIC’s core activities. This group of stakeholders is one of the most influential sources of information on science and technology to lay audiences. One of our aims is to ensure active participation of journalists in promoting and communicating biotechnology. For this to happen, it is imperative that journalists are exposed to the technical aspects of biotechnology. However, measures must be taken that the information disseminated to this group is science-based and factual. This is important as media has the power to dictate public perception.

With this in mind, MABIC continues to organize media workshops and this time the focus is on tissue culture. Tissue culture is an important tool in modern agricultural biotechnology for producing disease-free, high quality planting material, and uniformed plantlets. The workshop will showcase the successful and viable tissue culture methods that have been developed and how these techniques could be used to generate revenue. Unlike most biotechnology applications, a well-established tissue culture method could be mastered by laypersons and developed into small or medium scaled industries. The Forest Biotechnology Division has been active in this area and has licensed their techniques to a number of private companies who produce quality timber planting materials. This division is also setting an example of how public-private collaborations can successfully transform the landscape of local biotechnology scene.

It is also our aim to dismiss the popular notion that agricultural biotechnology only revolves around Genetic Modification (GM) technology. In fact, other areas and applications of biotechnology are transforming the agriculture sector. This workshop will provide the insights of tissue culture technology, and its commercial potential.

All journalists and science communicators are invited to attend the workshop. Admission is free.

For more information, write to [email protected].

From 23 Aug 2007
Until 23 Aug 2007
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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