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Journal Publications Sathkumara, H. D., Merritt, A. J., Corea, E. M., Krishnananthasivam, S., Natesan, M., Inglis, T. J. J. & De Silva, A. D. (2018) Clinical, Bacteriologic, and Geographic Stratification of Melioidosis Emerges from the Sri Lankan National Surveillance Program. Am J Trop Med Hyg . 98(2), 607-615. Available from: doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.17-0441 Grifoni, A., Weiskopf, D., Arlehamn, C. S. L., Angelo, M., Leary, S., Sidney, J., Frazier, A., Phillips, E., Mallal, S., Mack, S. J., Tippalagama, R., Goonewardana, S., Premawansa, S., Premawansa, G., Wijewickrama, A., De Silva, A. D. & Sette, A. (2018) Sequence-based HLA-A, B, C, DP, DQ, and DR typing of 714 adults from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Hum Immunol . 79(2), 87-88. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.humimm.2017.12.007 Patil, V. S., Madrigal, A., Schmiedel, B. J., Clarke, J., O'Rourke, P., de Silva, A. D., Harris, E., Peters, B., Seumois, G., Weiskopf, D., Sette, A. & Vijayanand, P. (2018) Precursors of human CD4+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes identified by single-cell transcriptome analysis. Sci Immunol . 3(19). Available from: doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aan8664 Nanayakkara, K. K., Rodrigo, U. G., Perera, K. L. N. & Nanayakkara, C. D. (2017) Pre-natal diagnosis of thalassaemia in Sri Lanka: A ten year review. J Obstet Gynaecol . 37(7), 861-863. Available from: doi: 10.1080/01443615.2017.1306841 de Silva, W.S.I., Perera, M.M.N., Perera, K.L.N.S., Wickramasuriya, & A.M., Jayasekera G.A.U. (2017) In silico Analysis of osr40c1 Promoter Sequence Isolated from Indica Variety Pokkali. Rice Science, Vol. 24 (4): 228-234 Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.rsci.2016.11.002 . Gunasekara, J.M.A., Jayasekera, G.A.U, Perera, K.L.N.S. & Wickramasuriya, A.M, (2017) Development of a Sri Lankan rice variety Bg 94-1 harbouring cry2A gene of Bacillus thuringiensis resistant to rice leaffolder [Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée)]. Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, 45(2): 143–157. Available from: doi: 10.4038/jnsfsr.v45i2.8180 Goonawardhana, N.D.S., Jayasekara, G.S.K.W., Elanahai, V., Udagama, P.V., & Fernandopulle N.D. (2017) Population genetic data for ten miniSTR loci in the Sri Lankan population. International Journal of Legal Medicine. 131(4):969-970. Available from: doi: 10.1007/s00414-016-1512-3 Tian, Y., Babor, M., Lane, J., Schulten, V., Patil, V. S., Seumois, G., Rosales, S. L., Fu, Z., Picarda, G., Burel, J., Zapardiel-Gonzalo, J., Tennekoon, R. N., De Silva, A. D., Premawansa, S., Premawansa, G., Wijewickrama, A., Greenbaum, J. A., Vijayanand, P., Weiskopf, D., Sette, A. & Peters, B. (2017) Unique phenotypes and clonal expansions of human CD4 effector memory T cells re-expressing CD45RA. Nat Commun. 8(1), 1473. Available from: doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-01728-5 Grifoni, A., Angelo, M. A., Lopez, B., O'Rourke, P. H., Sidney, J., Cerpas, C., Balmaseda, A., Silveira. C. G. T., Maestri, A., Costa, P. R., Durbin, A. P., Diehl, S. A., Phillips, E., Mallal, S., De Silva, A. D., Nchinda, G., Nkenfou, C., Collins, M. H., de Silva, A. M., Lim, M. Q., Macary, P. A., Tatullo, F., Solomon, T., Satchidanandam, V., Desai, A., Ravi, V., Coloma, J., Turtle, L., Rivino, L., Kallas, E. G., Peters, B., Harris, E., Sette, A. & Weiskopf, D. (2017) Global Assessment of Dengue Virus-Specific CD4+ T Cell Responses in Dengue-Endemic Areas. Front Immunol. Available from: doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01309 Grifoni, A., Pham, J., Sidney, J., O'Rourke, P. H., Paul, S., Peters, B., Martini, S. R., de Silva, A. D., Ricciardi, M. J., Magnani, D. M., Silveira, C. G. T., Maestri, A., Costa, P. R., de-Oliveira-Pinto, L. M., de Azeredo, E. L., Damasco, P. V., Phillips, E., Mallal, S., de Silva, A. M., Collins, M., Durbin, A., Diehl, S. A., Cerpas, C., Balmaseda, A., Kuan, G., Coloma, J., Harris, E., Crowe Jr, J. E., Stone, M., Norris, P. J., Busch, M., Vivanco-Cid, H., Cox, J., Graham, B. S., Ledgerwood, J. E., Turtle, L., Solomon, T., Kallas, E. G., Watkins, D. I., Weiskopf, D. & Sette, A. (2017) Prior Dengue virus exposure shapes T cell immunity to Zika virus in humans. J Virol. 91(24). Available from: doi: 10.1128/JVI.01469-17 Uehara, A., Tissera, H. A., Bodinayake, C. K., Amarasinghe, A., Nagahawatte, A., Tillekeratne, L. G., Cui, J., Reller, M. E., Palihawadana, P., Gunasena, S., De Silva, A. D., Wilder-Smith, A., Gubler, D. J., Woods, C. W. & Sessions, O. M. (2017) Analysis of Dengue Serotype 4 in Sri Lanka during the 2012-2013 Dengue Epidemic. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 97(1), 130-136. Available from: doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0540 Krishnananthasivam, S., Jayathilaka, N., Sathkumara, H. D., Corea, E., Natesan, M. & De Silva, A. D. (2017) Host gene expression analysis in Sri Lankan melioidosis patients. PLoSNegl Trop Dis . 11(6). Available from: doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005643 Krishnananthasivam, S., Sathkumara, H. D., Corea, E., Natesan, M. & De Silva, A. D. (2017) Gene Expression Profile of Human Cytokines in Response to Burkholderia pseudomallei Infection. mSphere . 2(2). Available from: doi: 10.1128/mSphere.00121-17 Grifoni, A., Angelo, M., Sidney, J., Paul, S., Peters, B., de Silva, A. D., Phillips, E., Mallal, S., Diehl, S. A., Botten, J., Boyson, J., Kirkpatrick, B. D., Whitehead, S. S., Durbin, A. P., Sette, A. & Weiskopf, D. (2017) Patterns of Cellular Immunity Associated with Experimental Infection with rDEN2Δ30 (Tonga/74) Support Its Suitability as a Human Dengue Virus Challenge Strain. J Virol . 91(8). Available from: doi: 10.1128/JVI.02133-16 Natesan, M., Corea, E., Krishnananthasivam, S., Sathkumara, H. D., Dankmeyer, J. L., Dyas, B. K., Amemiya, K., De Silva, A. D. & Ulrich, R. G. (2017) Calprotectin as a Biomarker for Melioidosis Disease Progression and Management. J Clin Microbiol. 55(4), 1205-1210. Available from: doi: 10.1128/JCM.02284-16 Angelo, M. A., Grifoni, A., O'Rourke, P. H., Sidney, J., Paul, S., Peters, B., De Silva, A. D., Phillips, E., Mallal, S., Diehl, S. A., Kirkpatrick, B. D., Whitehead, S. S., Durbin, A. P., Sette, A. & Weiskopf, D. (2016) Human CD4+ T cell responses to an attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine parallel those induced by natural infection, in magnitude, HLA restriction and antigen specificity. J Virol . 91(5). Available from: doi: 10.1128/JVI.02147-16 Bodinayake, C. K., Tillekeratne, L. G., Nagahawatte, A., Devasiri, V., Kodikara Arachichi, W., Strouse, J. J., Sessions, O. M., Kurukulasooriya, R., Uehara, A., Howe, S., Ong, X. M., Tan, S., Chow, A., Tummalapalli, P., De Silva, A. D., Østbye, T., Woods, C. W., Gubler, D. J. & Reller, M. E. (2016) Emergence of Epidemic Dengue-1 Virus in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 10(10). Available from: doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004995 Kamaral, L. C. J., Dassanayaka, P. N., Perera, K. L. N. S. & Perera, S. A. C. N. (2016) SSR markers reveal the population structure of Sri Lankan yellow dwarf coconuts (Cocos nucifera L.). Tree Genetics & Genomes 12, 116. Available from: doi: 10.1007/s11295-016-1076-x Kirupananthan, R., Kamaral, L. C. J., Galhena, G. H., Perera, K. L. N. S. & Magamage, M. P. S. (2016) Address the public health and food security concerns of babesiosis through molecular detection of Babesia bovis in suspected carrier cattle of selected localities in Sri Lanka. Procedia Food Science 6: 213-219. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.profoo.2016.02.053 Weiskopf, D., Angelo, M. A., Grifoni, A., O'Rourke, P. H., Sidney, J., Paul, S., De Silva, A. D., Phillips, E., Mallal, S., Premawansa, S., Premawansa, G., Wijewickrama, A., Peters, B. & Sette, A. (2016) HLA-DRB1 Alleles Are Associated With Different Magnitudes of Dengue Virus-Specific CD4+ T-Cell Responses. J Infect Dis. 214(7), 1117-1124. Available from: doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiw309 de Alwis, R., Bangs, D. J., Angelo, M. A., Cerpas, C., Fernando, A., Sidney, J., Peters, B., Gresh, L., Balmaseda, A., de Silva, A. D., Harris, E., Sette, A. & Weiskopf, D. (2016) Immunodominant Dengue Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cell Responses Are Associated with a Memory PD-1+ Phenotype. J Virol. 90(9), 4771-4779. Available from: doi: 10.1128/JVI.02892-15 Olsen, A., Chen, Y., Ji, Q., Zhu, G., De Silva, A. D., Vilchèze, C., Weisbrod, T., Li, W., Xu, J., Larsen, M., Zhang, J., Porcelli, S. A., Jacobs Jr, W. R. & Chan, J. (2016) Targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-Downregulating Genes for the Development of Antituberculous Vaccines. MBio. 7(3). Available from: doi: 10.1128/mBio.01023-15 Tissera, H., Amarasinghe, A., Gunasena, S., De Silva, A. D., Yee, L. W., Sessions, O., Muthukuda, C., Palihawadana, P., Lohr, W., Byass, P., Gubler, D. J. & Wilder-Smith, A. (2016) Laboratory-Enhanced Dengue Sentinel Surveillance in Colombo District, Sri Lanka: 2012-2014. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 10(2). Available from: doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004477 Weiskopf, D., Angelo, M., Zapardiel, J., Seumois, G., De Silva, A., De Silva, A. D., Vijay, P., Peters, B. & Sette, A. (2016) DENV-specific CD4 T-cells dominantly recognize capsid-derived epitopes and display a cytotoxic phenotype. J Immunol . 196 (1). Available from: https://www.jimmunol.org/content/196/1_Supplement/147.13/tab-article-info Padumadasa, C., Perera, K. L. N. & Sankalpani, E. M. N. (2016) DNA intercalation and cleavage studies of plumbagin and phenanthroline-based Cu(II) complex, [Cu(PLN)(PHEN)]NO3. Int J Chem Stud. 4(4), 87-90. Available from: https://www.chemijournal.com/archives/?year=2016&vol=4&issue=4&ArticleId=282&si=false Fernando, A. N., Malavige, G. N., Perera, K. L. N., Premawansa, S., Ogg, G. S. & De Silva, A. D. (2015) Polymorphisms of Transporter Associated with Antigen Presentation, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Interleukin-10 and their Implications for Protection and Susceptibility to Severe Forms of Dengue Fever in Patients in Sri Lanka. Journal of Global Infectious Diseases. 7(4): 157–164. Available from: doi: 10.4103/0974-777X.170501 Weiskopf, D., Cerpas, C., Angelo, M. A., Bangs, D. J., Sidney, J., Paul, S., Peters, B., Sanches, F. P., Silvera, C. G., Costa, P. R., Kallas, E. G., Gresh, L., de Silva, A. D., Balmaseda, A., Harris, E. & Sette, A. (2015) The Human CD8+ T-Cell Responses Against the 4 Dengue Virus Serotypes Are Associated With Distinct Patterns of Protein Targets. J Infect Dis . 212(11), 1743-1751. Available from: doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiv289 ​ ​ Page 2 of 3 1 2 3

54 Kitulwatte Road, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka ​ +94 112696992 +94 11 2696881 Fax: +94 (0) 11 2686137 Email: info@genetechsrilanka.com ​ Head of Forensics, Parentage Testing and DNA Typing: Dr. Nandika Perera Email: nandika@genetechsrilanka.com ​ Head of the School of Gene Technology and Disease Diagnostics: Mrs. Vajirapani De Silva Email: vajirapani@genetechsrilanka.com ​ DNA Sequencing Services Email: sequencing.genetech@gmail.com Contact Form Name Email Contact Number Subject Message Success! Message received. Send

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: ​ Molecular diagnostics of infectious and genetic diseases DNA typing for paternity testing and forensic casework Teaching of basic to advanced molecular biology Training of personnel involved in molecular biology Genetically modified (GM) and other food testing Sex determination of birds Diagnostics of animal diseases Research in the molecular life sciences Customised biotechnology solutions 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. Our Services View > Courses and Internships View > Research View > Our Leadership View >

Industry Based Training Programme This is a full-time programme designed to provide practical training in the applications of Molecular Diagnostics and basic methods in gene technology. It will consist of some lectures to provide students with the necessary theory to understand the applications of these topics, practicals to receive hands-on experience in laboratory techniques and demonstrations covering topics in these subject areas. ​ This programme will be beneficial to students awaiting entry into tertiary degree programmes (university) as well as for students that are currently enrolled in tertiary programmes. ​ Dates: TBD ​ Duration: 10 consecutive weekdays LEARN MORE Our Firm Genetech is a multi-faceted institution and our activities can be broadly categorised into the following areas: ​ Molecular disease diagnostics DNA typing for paternity testing and forensic casework Teaching of basic to advanced molecular biology Training of personnel involved in molecular biology Genetically modified (GM) and other food testing Sex determination of birds Diagnostics of animal diseases Research in the molecular life sciences Customised biotechnology solutions Molecular biology products Read our story View our services Long term internships and research opportunities 6 weeks and upwards Customised individual programmes available CONTACT US Our Leadership Our leaders at Genetech set the policies and the strategic direction of the firm. Collaborating with each other, their knowledge and experience come together to make a positive impact for all our stakeholders - students, patients, healthcare providers and local and global communities. Dr. Maya Gunasekera Founder of Genetech (1961 - 2006) View Profile The working culture is built by leaders who believe empathy is absolutely vital. This is demonstrated by talking and listening to people, understanding what they care about, adapting to their needs and catering to what they want. Dhammika Gunasekera Owner of Genetech and Managing Trustee of Genetech Research Institute View Profile Dr. Nandika Perera Head of Forensic DNA Typing and Parentage Testing View Profile Samudi Mohotti Senior Scientist View Profile Our Values Positivity Our commitment to sustain a positive environment for our employees as well as our clients is one of the key factors that sets us apart from our competitors Collaboration Collaboration is at the core of everything we do. We enjoy interacting with various types of people whilst appreciating the cultural diversity that they bring to the community. Excellence Delivering excellence has always been our main focus as we love inspiring and elevating the communities we touch. Integrity We always act with integrity, and we have strong moral and ethical principles to be followed at all times regardless of the consequences. Read more

Dr. Nandika Perera Head of Forensic DNA Typing and Parentage Testing Dr. Nandika Perera joined Genetech in early 2004 soon after its inception and was part of the pioneering team led by late Dr. Maya Gunasekera, who introduced molecular diagnostics and DNA typing services to Sri Lanka. In subsequent years, he was promoted to the post of Senior Scientist and in 2010, he became the Head of the Parentage Testing Section. Currently, he is also the Head of Forensic DNA typing and has provided more than 2500 DNA typing reports to the Sri Lankan Judiciary. ​ He together with his team has established several in-house molecular diagnostic tests including a test for prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia disease. More recently, he introduced X chromosome STR typing to Sri Lanka to be used in forensic and kinship analysis. The technique offers a significant advantage over the other commonly used DNA typing methods in resolving some specific cases of kinship which cannot be conclusively resolved otherwise. He is also involved in various other molecular biology related research in collaboration with many state and private universities and research institutes in Sri Lanka. His portfolio of works includes many research publications, some in the world’s leading high-impact journals such as Scientific Reports of Nature publishing group and International Journal of Legal Medicine which is testimonial of his illustrative career in the field of molecular genetics. ​ Nandika is an alumnus of both the University of Colombo and Institute of Chemistry, Sri Lanka. He holds two Honours degrees, one in the field of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (from University of Colombo) and the other in Chemistry (from Institute of Chemistry, Sri Lanka). He obtained his master’s degree in Molecular Life Sciences at the Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Colombo and has completed his Ph.D. in the field of Molecular Forensics at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Open University of Sri Lanka. He is the recipient of many academic awards including the Gold Medal for the best academic performance in his Master’s Degree, the award for the best performance in part 1 examination in Graduateship in Chemistry and the W. F. Peiris Memorial Scholarship in Graduateship in Chemistry.

Genetically Modified and Other Food Testing Definition Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified through the introduction of a gene from a different organism. Currently available GM foods stem mostly from plants. What we do We use a PCR method to identify the most common genetic elements that are generally found in GM crops. The test is very sensitive and able to detect 0.1% GM content. In addition to the common genetic elements, on request, we also offer to detect other genetic elements that are assumed to have been integrated into the plants during the GM procedure. Our test can be applied to crops such as corn, soy, canola, and potato as well as processed food items such as tea, desiccated coconut, bakery & confectionery items, breakfast cereals & snacks, food additives, and others. Validation of method The test method has been validated according to the guidelines given by the European Commission Joint Research Centre for food samples and uses positive (European Certified reference materials) and negative control samples in order to assure the best qualitative results. Who we help Our testing facility has been utilised by the Food Control Administration Unit, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka for the screening of imported seeds and food products as well as local farmers, manufactures and exporters to certify their products are free from GM food materials. Contact us View price list