The SAIAB Molecular Systematics Laboratory was established in 2005 and became fully operational by 2006. The laboratory is equipped to prepare samples for sequencing that is done through Rhodes University and Macrogen Inc. (South Korea). DNA Barcoding is mostly done in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding (CCDB) at the University of Guelph. Excluding the CCDB collaboration, the laboratory has produced over 5900 sequences since 2005, with a peak in 2007 when more than 3800 sequences were produced in one year. In collaboration with CCDB, the laboratory has produced over 4000 DNA barcodes.
The laboratory has played a particularly proud role in post-graduate education in its short lifespan. A total of nine post-graduate students (four Honours, four MSc and three PhD) and six interns have been trained in molecular techniques and have/are producing data for their degrees or internships in our laboratory. From starting with three users in 2005, we now expect 14 in 2010, mainly due to students attracted by the three molecular biologists attached to the laboratory. Visitors, research associates and collaborators also regularly use the facility.
The staff and students associated with the laboratory have contributed significantly to the research outputs of SAIAB, with presentations at national and international meetings and conferences, including the Southern African Society for Systematic Biology (SASSB) conference 2009, the Pan African Fish and Fisheries Association (PAFFA) conference 2008 in Ethiopia and the Second International Barcode of Life Conference 2007 in Taiwan, among others. Six papers in international journals have been published from data generated in the laboratory, with several more in preparation, submitted or in press.
Since its inception, the Molecular Laboratory has played an active role in science advancement at SAIAB. The laboratory participates annually in SciFest Africa (hands-on apprenticeships demonstrating DNA extractions for high school learners), SAIAB Winterschool (lectures and practical sessions for post-graduate students) and undergraduate teaching (practicals to complement the lectures delivered to students in the Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Sciences at Rhodes University).