Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre

https://lnkd.in/gmtsNUwn Proudly announcing our green journey with Nextgreen Global Berhad . After almost 14 years of success, The Petri Dish is embarking the sustainability goals that we advocate. The newspaper is printed using paper produced from Empty Fruit Bunch from oil palm. Collaborating with a biotech company is an honour. Read more in the article. Chukwuebuka Onyebuchi

My #deepavali2024 gift to these Nigerian #STEM graduates and early career professionals. Dr Puspa Ramloo and I started the Empowering Africa's STEM Talent Webinar series and this was the inaugural webinar. I spoke on The Journey After Your Degree, covering essential soft skills. I came back from Nigeria on the 25th Oct and Dr Puspa and I immediately sprang into action and implemented the idea we conceptualised while we were there. We had almost 50 participants. The light that we shone this Deepavali.

Announcing our first webinar series *THEMED: EMPOWERING AFRICA’S STEM TALENT* The aim: To develop a competitive and futuristic STEM talent for Africa. Welcome note by President of NVMA: Dr. Moses Arokoyo The moderator: Dr Puspa Ramloo, MD of House of Pluto Keynote speaker: Dr. Mahaletchumy Arujanan. Visionary STEM advocate. 100 most influential people in biotechnology by Scientific American Worldview 2015. Globally reknowned Science Communicator. Register here https://lnkd.in/gcYbhc3H Zoom link https://lnkd.in/gBMxvaKK

Understand the science behind #saturatedfattyacids and #unsaturatedfattyacids. What are their implications in palm oil? You will be surprised if I say they make our palm oil better. Wait for the next issue. Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) Malaysian Palm Oil Board Thank you Master Chef Chef Fadzly Che Omar.

It is unimaginable how much advocating, stakeholder engagement, and risk and science communication is required to create political will and eliminate risk-averse attitude towards #geneediting and #geneticmodification. After workshops in Bangkok and Jakarta, here I am as a speaker and moderator for a Gene editing seminar in Malaysia and Singapore organised by Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, ILSI SEA Region (International Life Sciences Institute Southeast Asia Region) and other partners. It is always nice to hear latest developments in agriculture using these technologies. Little do the public realise how our food production is affected by climate change and rising pests due to this phenomenon. Technologies used in agriculture is often seen as beneficial to the farmers, not realising they actually impact consumer cost, nutrients and quality. We need strong political will to incorporate modern biotechnology into agriculture. Nice speaking side-by-side with Wayne Parrott Andrew D. Powell Paul Teng Rofina Yasmin Othman PhD, FASc, ICDM, PCM.

My opinion on experts asking the public to grow their own food. What are you thoughts? Do you have the resources - time and space to do this? Getting tired of all these quick fixes and not understanding the gravity of the issue. #foodsecurity

When I visited Kasetsart University last week, I was introduced to their rice breeding projects. One of their success story (among many of course) is their purple rice that they named Riceberry. I immediately thought I must buy it in the town, but my kind Thai colleague presented me with their KU brand. Yesterday, I did rice upma after roasting the rice. Turned out so delicious. The rice was created in 2002 by the Rice Science Centre at Kasetsart University and it is a cross between Jao Him Nin, a non-glutinous purple jasmine rice, and Khao Dawk Mali (Hot Mali rice). Riceberry grows mainly in northern and northeastern Thailand. It is very rich in antioxidants that can prevent cancers. Did you know Kaset means agriculture and Sart means university. Kasetsart is one of the renowned agriculture universities in the world. It has so many research centres around Thailand and plays a pivotal role in the country's agriculture. As an alumnus of Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, I wish this name was retained and the priority was focused on transforming it into a regional agriculture university instead of rebranding it.

I have always wanted to create awareness on palm oil as there is so much of mis and disinformation. I find communicating about palm oil is a nice challenge for a science communicator like me. So, here is what I am doing in @thepetridish . Glad to put my biochemistry to use now. Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) MPOB Digital

🌿🌏 Day 1 Recap of ASCA7 - 7th Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology, Biosafety Regulation, and Communication in Bangkok, Thailand! 🌟 We are pleased to share the highlights from the first day of this important event, where experts and delegates from across Asia gathered to delve into the latest advancements in agribiotechnology and biosafety regulation. The opening session commenced with inspiring addresses from distinguished leaders, including Ts. Dr. Mahaletchumy Arujanan, Global Coordinator of BioTrust-ISAAA, and a welcoming message from Dr. Rhodora Romero-Aldemita, Executive Director, ISAAA Inc., who introduced the workshop’s themes and objectives. Throughout the day, participants engaged in insightful sessions covering topics such as Crop Improvement Technologies, Gene Editing, and the implications of biosafety regulations. Experts like Dr. Gabriel O. Romero and Dr. Flerida Carino provided valuable perspectives on environmental risk assessments and food safety. As the Indian representative, FSII - Federation of Seed Industry of India is proud to be part of this enriching experience, learning from the diverse expertise present and fostering connections within the agribiotechnology community. Stay tuned for more updates from ASCA7 as we continue this journey of knowledge and collaboration! 🌾🤝 Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre | Raghavan Sampathkumar | Surabhi Jajodia | Ratna Kumria | Michael G. K. Jones | James Michael John May | Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs | Aldemita Rhodora | CropLife Asia | Sonny T. | Thelma Soriano #asca7 #agribiotechnology #biosafety #fsii #bangkok #agribiotech #crop #geneediting #agriculture #biotech #sustainablefarming #seedindustry #agtech #farming #beejkibaat #voiceoftheseed #agritech

Photos are not great but I have a strong message to share. And here is an excerpt of what I presented at the 15th International Fundamental Science Congress (#IFSC2024) organised by Universiti Putra Malaysia 's Faculty of Science. Malaysia places a lot of emphasis on #STI but very little is done to prioritise fundamental sciences - biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics and statistics. We hardly see these sciences in our policies and funding schemes. Our policies focuses on commercialisation, patents and TRLs. It is time to map these fundamental sciences into the current policies. Let us not keep jumping on bandwagon and then move on to the next emerging technologies before the fruits of the previous priority area is harvested. Fundamental sciences will make us technology leaders. Focusing only on commercialisation will make us technology borrowers. There is no shortcut to commercialisation and becoming a technology hub. We need the stamina, longterm goals, funding, and enabling policies to support fundamental sciences. If 0.95% of GDP is spent on R&D, how much is spent on fundamental sciences? Out if it how much is spent on each sciences - biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and statistics? There are no drugs, vaccines, herbicides, AI, ML, aviation, aerospace, just anything without fundamental sciences.