€4 million in equipment for university genetic research

The University of Malta has installed €4 million worth of equipment, financed by the European Union, to further its groundbreaking research in genetics.

The equipment is being used at the University’s genetics labs for research on human blood and genetic investigations into thalassaemia, a genetic blood disorder that causes anaemia.

In 2010, Maltese researchers made a landmark discovery of a genetic cure for the disease.

The treatment of the disease has been the subject of research for the past 30 years but it was a Maltese PhD graduate, Joseph Borg, who made the breakthrough, which also featured in a specialised publication on genetics and received considerable worldwide attention.

Touring the upgraded laboratories, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi praised researchers for their work. He said the investment was not only creating new opportunities for students but also for the country, which was quickly earning a good name in the field.

He said this investment complemented another investment of €30 million on the new BioMalta campus, adjacent to Mater Dei Hospital.

The key to the country’s success, he said, was to anticipate change taking place globally as had been done in the case of ICT, financial services and biotechnology. The BioMalta campus would attract investment in research and development projects.

Dr Gonzi said this was part of a radical change in which the University was the protagonist. University rector Juanito Camilleri said the research formed the basis of the University’s research and development strategy, which was complementing that of the country.

He said researchers were already being trained for the Life Sciences Park project and noted that investment in research was the basis for success in the future.