The Beginning..

Soon after we started with miniPCR.com, we realised that this agency offered the potential to fill a gap in High School Science Education that had been left by the loss of the Katoa Program; an Outreach Program started by Prof. Justin O'Sullivan, then of Massey University and now Director of the Liggins Institute.

We had originally engaged with miniPCR because they offer readily portable PCR and Gel Documentation systems that some of our customers would appreciate in their work.

We recognised early that there would be little in the educational portfolio that would find funding for schools from the Government.

But there it was, a complete suite of tools to engage High School Students with the fundamentals of molecular biology - and we couldn't let that go to waste!

What to Do?

We came up with an idea, we would divert a significant amount of our marketing budget to buying enough equipment that we might be able to meet some of the needs of the High Schools and High School Students who chose to engage in learning about Biotechnology.

To this end, we have cherry picked the components that NZ schools would need as lab packs for 1 student pair to run all 30-some experiments that do not involve PCR. These are available in 2 formats: The SOVA Std and the SOVA Solo, more on these can be found here.

To support these SOVA kits with more advanced molecular biology capabilites, such as PCR and RT-qPCR (the gold standard for COVID detection), we have built the BERKHUT Kit which is a modification of the Lab in Box kit 2 that miniPCR Bio sells to suit the NZ market.  These BERKHUT kits will be loaned out based upon need – they do cost a little more!

With one BERKHUT Kit and one SOVA Kit 4 students can run the full array of wet lab experiments that miniPCR offer - except the ones that involve making GMOs, a PC2 lab is still required for that!

The Plan

Initially we plan to have 4 SOVA kits and 1 BERKHUT kit to support every region across the country, through and with the support of our regional partners. However, we will strive to generate enough contributions that we will be able to build up enough stock of kits to ensure every school in the country has 3 SOVA Std and 1 SOVA Solo.

Access to these kits would also allow any student who would like to do a science fair project can have access to everything they need, indeed the right project would also get funding for DNA Sequencing.

But, to ensure the students are well prepared for the bench experiments available to them, they will have to complete at least 2 of the 3 Digital Labs miniPCR Bio to prepare them for the wet-lab education kits.

We are making these Digital Labs available for free through virtual 'Classrooms' we are establishing through our regional partners. Completing them is a pre-requisite for receiving access to wet-lab work.

We will set up more 'Classrooms' as required by regional request and needs.

Once there is 1 BERKHUT and 4 SOVA Kits in each region we will focus on building enough stock to get 3 SOVA Std and 1 SOVA Solo kit into every school on a permanent basis.

This pack would allow 8 students, working in pairs, to build a gel electrophoresis platform and run some 30+ experiments and experimental workbooks that miniPCR Bio offer and we will be paying for.

The only capability lacking in these 'Classroom Set-Ups' is an actual PCR Machine, which can be borrowed…