Hyderabad: CDFD Launches Gyandeep to Introduce Students to Genetics Basics

Hyderabad: The Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) has launched 'Gyandeep' in collaboration with Genetiks4U, an outreach project funded by India Biosciences and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Hyderabad, to make children aware of the basics of genetics in a fun and engaging way. The inaugural session was held on Friday at the CDFD premises and saw participation from students from Kendriya Vidyalaya branches in the city. The next session is planned for January.

Dr Chandana Basu, DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Early Career Fellow and co-founder of Genetiks4U, explained the basics of DNA, genetic codes, and fundamental genetics. One of the highlights was a hands-on demonstration where students isolated DNA from bananas.

The event was organised by Dr Varsha, staff scientist and head of science communication at CDFD. Dr Shweta Tyagi, staff scientist and head of the laboratory of cell cycle regulation at CDFD, presided over the event.