The Alhama de Murcia Industrial Park houses the first entirely private capital laboratory, based on molecular biology and microbiology, specialized in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) techniques to quickly and accurately diagnose infectious diseases and changes. genetics, in this case for the agricultural sector, such as those used to detect cases of covid in humans.
Under the name of Genoma Laboratorio, a group of businessmen has invested more than 500,000 euros in the project, in modern facilities that will be inaugurated tomorrow on Avenida de Europa in said business area. Up to four specialists will work in their laboratories, with the prospect of expanding to a dozen as the project consolidates.
José Manuel Lucas, doctor in Environmental Sciences and director of the laboratory, points out that “the effects of climate change, and in an increasingly globalized market context, subject the agricultural sector to constant pressure.” He thus refers to the appearance of new pests that, according to Lucas, suddenly endanger crops. This laboratory and its tools are capable of detecting the presence of emerging pests before they become an irreparable problem, “or we study the operation of fertilizer products based on soil microorganisms,” he says. Another of the highlighted elements announced by the Genoma Laboratorios technicians is the ability to develop biotechnological R&D projects, unthinkable until a few years ago, “this will help place the agricultural sector of the Region of Murcia at the international forefront.”
This project is currently agricultural, but it can become a very specific project, since its techniques can be applied to public health, veterinary medicine, food, veterinary medicine, which was born with the intention of being a reference. “We want to help overcome the new challenges of the sector and thereby facilitate accessible scientific transfer for Murcian agriculture,” highlights the director of the laboratories, a specialist in Applied Genetics.
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