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Center
of Excellence for Shrimp Molecular
Biology and Biotechnology
(CENTEX SHRIMP) |
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Centex Shrimp,
which is an abbreviation for the Center
for Excellence for Shrimp Molecular
Biology and Biotechnology. It is a
multidisciplinary laboratory that
was formed in October 2001 by the
amalgamation of research laboratories
from the Departments of Anatomy, Biochemistry
and Biotechnology of the Faculty of
Science and It is jointly supported
by the Faculty of Science, Mahidol
University and the National Center
for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
(BIOTEC). |
Vision
:
Our vision for the year 2007 is that
Thailand will be the world leader
in production of healthy & healthful,
domesticated shrimp cultivated in
biosecure pons with no negative environmental
impact. This could be summarized by
the motto, “Premium
shrimp from paradise”.
Mission:
The mission statement for Centex Shrimp
is “"Premier science
for premium shrimp".
This means that its aim is to carry
out academically excellent research
on molecular biology and biotechnology
of shrimp for application in the production
of the highest quality of consumer
shrimp. |
| "Premier
Science for Premium Shrimp" |
Strategy
:
• To serve as a coordination
center for cooperative research
on shrimp amongst, Mahidol University,
BIOTEC and other national and international
institutions
• To become a national and
regional focus for research and
training in molecular biology and
biotechnology for the shrimp industry
• To operate in close consultation
with the Thai shrimp industry so
that our work will be not only academically
sound but also relevant to industry
needs
Current
Research Projects :
Centex research projects are driven
by a combination of current needs
of the shrimp industry and expertise
of the staff. Research priorities
are set by urgency of industry needs,
and these can change with time.
Thus, the interests listed below
reflect the situation at the time
this webpage was printed.
| Molecular
study of shrimp pathogens
including viruses, bacteria
and parasites |
| Development
of diagnostic probes and kits
for shrimp diseases |
| Shrimp
humoral and cellular defense
mechanisms |
| Shrimp
genome analysis |
| Shrimp
nutritional research particularly
for improved reproduction
|
| Development
and improvement of domesticated,
specific pathogen free (SPF)
black tiger shrimp |
Research
Highlights :
• Development of DNA diagnostic
procedures for several viral diseases:
White-Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV),
Yellow-Head Virus (YHV) and Hepatopancreatic
Parvo Virus (HPV) in shrimp. These
are now available together with
reagents for all these viruses from
the Shrimp Biotechnology Business
Unit (SBBU) under the Ezee Gene
brand.
• Development of nested RT-PCR
diagnostic detection for yellow
head virus that is now licensed
to Farming IntelliGene Technology
Corporation, Taiwan.
Staff
:
As of October 2005, there are 17 staff
members at Centex Shrimp (15 scientists
and 2 office staff). Of these, 8 hold
Ph.D., 2 hold M.Sc. and 5 hold B.Sc.
degree. Since 2001, Prof.
Dr. Timothy W. Flegel has
been a Director of the Center of Excellence
for Shrimp Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.
Awards
:
 •
Science and Technology Award
in 2000, Thailand Toray Science
Foundation, in recognition of the
group’s work on shrimp viral
disease diagnosis and control. (Prof.
Dr. Vichai Boonsaeng, Prof. Dr. Timothy
W. Flegel and Prof. Dr. Boonsirm Withyachumnarnkul).
• Outstanding Technologist
Award in 2003, Foundation
for Promotion of Science and Technology
under the patronage of His Majestry
the King, Applications of Biotechnology
for Shrimp Industry (Prof.Dr. Vichai
Boonsaeng, Prof. Dr. Timothy W. Flegel
and Prof. Dr. Boonsirm Withyachumnarnkul
in collaboration with researchers
from other departments of Mahidol
Univesrsity, Chulalongkorn University
and Srinakharinwirot University.
• Fellowship of Young
Women in Science 2005 from
L’Oreal Thailand Company Limited
for the project entitled “Identification
and characterization of Taura syndrome
virus (TSV) carriers by RT-PCR and
development of a new sampling procedure
for shrimp haemolymph on filter paper,
this causes disease in shrimp’
(Mrs. Wansika Kiatpathomchai)
Services
:
| Yearly
regional training courses
on shrimp pathology |
| Active
post-graduate training program
with 15-20 M.Sc. and Ph.D.
students and one or more post-doctoral
fellows |
|
Providing consultants for
the Thai Shrimp industry on
disease diagnosis and control
and on broodstock development |
| Occasional
courses on specialized topics
according to demand |
Facilities
:
• Cell
and tissue culture facility
•
Facility for shrimp histopathology
and transmission electron microscopy
• PCR analysis and proteomics
• Wet laboratory
Collaboration
:
In
Thailand
• The Thai Department of Fisheries
in the areas of disease control
and shrimp domestication
• Chulalongkorn University
in the area of shrimp genetics
• Rangsit University in the
area of pathogen isolation, characterization
and diagnosis
• Srinakharinwirot University
in the area of diagnostic tool development
• Prince of Songkla University
in the area of disease diagnosis
and control Maejo University in
the area of shrimp genes involved
in apoptosis
Abroad
• Zoology Department, National
University of Taiwan on shrimp disease
and genetics
• CSIRO Livestock Industries,
Queensland Bioscience Precinct,
Australia on shrimp disease diagnosis
and control.
• Department of Comparative
Physiology, Evolutionary Biology
Center, Uppsala University, Sweden
on the shrimp defense system
• James Cook University, Australia
on shrimp pathogen characterization
• Oceanic Institute, Hawaii
on shrimp maturation and genetics
Funding
:
 Centex
Shrimp is operated by funds from six
sources: Mahidol University, BIOTEC,
research grants, contract research,
royalties on intellectual property
(IP) and revenue from training and
analytical services. In the 2001-2002
fiscal year, total input from Mahidol
University was approximately 15.4
million baht (excluding faculty salaries
and overhead) and grant funding was
approximately 7.7 million baht, for
a total of approximately 23.1 million
baht (about US$500,000). Approximately
half of this amount was in the form
of capital expenditures of start-up
equipment and this will be repeated
for the second and third years of
operation. Thereafter, capital expenditures
will decrease substantially, but it
is expected that grant income will
increase with the increasing size
of the group.
With respect to income from services
and IP, Centex Shrimp collaborates
closely with the
Shrimp Biotechnology Business Unit
(SBBU), established by
BIOTEC to bring the results research
to the marketplace. For example, SBBU
currently markets PCR test kits under
the Ezee Gene brand for a number of
shrimp pathogens, including white
spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and hepatopancreatic
parvovirus (HPV).  It
also markets a monoclounal antibody
kit for yellow head virus that resulted
from research within Centex Shrimp
through collaboration with other institutions.
In addition, SBBU also offers training
and support services for shrimp disease
diagnosis both locally and internationally.
Revenue from sale of the kits yields
returns to support further research
by BIOTEC (the original research sponsor)
and royalties to Mahidol University,
Centex Shrimp and its collaborators.
Income increased exponentially in
the first three years of SBBU operation
beginning in 2000, with total income
from kits and services for 2001-2002
reaching 4.5 million baht by the third
quarter. This yielded a return of
approximately 2.5 million for BIOTEC
and 0.4 million in royalties. Further
information about SBBU,
its products and services can be found
at www.shrimpbiotec.com
For further information
about Centex Shrimp, please
contact us at the following address
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Last modified:22-Apr-2009
© 2009 Faculty of Science, Mahidol University
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272 Rama VI Road,
Ratchathewi District, Bangkok 10400, THAILAND
Tel: +66 2201-5007 Fax: +66 2354-7165
Webmaster : scwww@mahidol.ac.th |
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