Some good news from the Egypt Deserts Gene Bank. This just in from its head, Dr Mohamed Amar:
The EDGB was looted and much valuable equipment destroyed during the uprisings in Egypt in February 2011. One of my key tasks was to rebuild the gene bank and increase its international network and collaborative research. Therefore, great funding was allocated from the budget of the Desert Research Center for the rehabilitation of the bank, to better than it was. In April 2013, the Egyptian Desert Gene Bank was reopened in the presence of senior leaders of the Desert Research Center and the governor of North Sinai. All equipment has been updated according to the latest standards. At the same time, we have been provided many scholarships for staffs outside Egypt, in China and other countries, as part of the rehabilitation of human resources.
We wish them all the best.