The EC Joint Research Centre, being the European Union Reference Laboratory for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Food and Feed (EURL GMFF) and the National Institute of Biology have organised and executed from 8-10 of December a “Training workshop on digital PCR and next generation sequencing for National Reference Laboratories assigned under Regulation EC 882/2004” in the M Hotel in Ljubljana.

The workshop was dedicated to new information on digital PCR and next generation sequencing (NGS). Participants indicated that they are interested in these technologies not only for the purpose of GMO detection but also for related areas where molecular methods can be used for identification and quantification of biological material. Examples given included horse meat and other food fraud cases, and detection of pathogens. The practical part of the workshop was organized at the Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology of the NIB (FITO), where different dPCR platforms were included. The workshop brought together representatives from 12 different European countries, JRC and NIB. During the visit of Dr. Joachim Kreysa, the head of EURL GMFF and the unit for Molecular Biology and Genomics of the JRC at FITO, further closer collaboration of the groups was discussed. Topics including antimicrobial resistance, plant pathogens, environmental forensics and on a more general level the harmonisation of methods for detection, identification and quantification of biological agents.