Our Story
Genetech was founded with the vision of making the benefits of biotechnology accessible to the people of Sri Lanka. In pursuit of this objective, we have become a pioneer in the field of molecular life sciences in Sri Lanka.
We introduced molecular diagnostics and DNA fingerprinting technology to Sri Lanka, and have established ourselves as one of the most progressive and respected private scientific facilities in the country. At present, we are a multi-faceted institution and our activities can be broadly categorised into the following areas:
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Molecular diagnostics of infectious and genetic diseases
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DNA typing for paternity testing and forensic casework
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Teaching of basic to advanced molecular biology
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Training of personnel involved in molecular biology
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Genetically modified (GM) and other food testing
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Sex determination of birds
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Diagnostics of animal diseases
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Research in the molecular life sciences
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Customised biotechnology solutions
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Molecular biology products
Genetech was founded in 2002 by Dr. Maya B. Gunasekera, who obtained her Bachelor of Science with a First Class from the University of Colombo (1980-1983) and her doctorate from the National Institute of Medical Research, UK (1985-1988). She was a Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Colombo for 11 Years where she was responsible for introducing Molecular Biology and Gene Technology to the curriculum of the Faculty of Science. She was a pioneer in the use of DNA testing in forensic casework in Sri Lanka. She developed a new molecular method for the detection of the dengue virus among numerous published research findings.
Dr. Maya Gunasekera passed away in April 2006. Her husband Dhammika N. Gunasekera, who is an old boy of Royal College (1968-1981), an alumnus of the University of Colombo (1981-1984) and of Imperial College London (1986-1989) is now the owner of Genetech and the managing trustee of Genetech Research Institute.
Dr. Maya B. Gunasekera
Founder of Genetech
Our staff consisting of qualified scientists works with strong ethical commitment to the values of the principles of life sciences, mainly molecular biology. Our dedicated staff work with high levels of commitment and integrity to maintain the quality of our services. Much of our portfolio embodies the development and introduction of DNA based solutions by combining the current technology with latest advances.
At Genetech, we ensure that the standard of laboratory organisation, management, analysis methodology, precision, quality control and safety are maintained at levels recommended by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 15189). All diagnostics tests conducted by us will initially undergo standard validation procedures prior to being used as a routine method of analysis. All the tests offered at Genetech are conducted onsite.
We were named the winner of the National Science & Technology Award for Outstanding leadership in introducing advanced technologies and services presented by the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka in 2008.