Centre to offer forensic services using molecular tools

By Leonard Okachie

The Centre for Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology

(CMBB) of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in Abia, says it will soon offer forensic services using molecular tools.

The Director of CMBB, Prof. Ifeoma Ijeh, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria at Umudike, on Monday.

She said that the services would also be extended to the Police Force, in order to checkmate crime and criminality in the society.

Ijeh, a Nutritional and Toxicological Biochemist,  said that the centre had the capacity to use molecular tools to find solutions to rape and paternity issues amongst others.

She said: “In the case of rape, all we need is an evidence from the victim, we will identify the DNA and match it.

“If we match the DNA, we can get the culprit.

“From the crime scene, all we need is the suspect’s fingerprint, hair or anything traceable to him or her.

“With our Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine, we can make multiple copies of the DNA, run the gene expression, then match and identify who the suspect is.

“These days, people are crazy about paternity, they want to be sure the baby is theirs, the molecular tools we offer can achieve all these.”

According to the  director, the CMBB is a trans-disciplinary centre that focuses on research and educational services in Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology.

She said that some of the services offered by the centre included: DNA extraction,  DNA Sequencing, Agarose Gel Electrophoresis, PCR, and Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay(ELISA).

(NAN)