Innovation Capabilities & Products
- Capabilities | Advanced -omics applied to marine organisms
Studies on the structure of the genome of marine organisms, including gene mapping, DNA sequencing and how the complete set of RNA transcripts is produced by the genome and affected by development, diseases, or environmental factors conditioning the phenotype and particularly proteomics and metabolomics, always applying the most advanced techniques (ATAC-seq, MethylCap-Seq, RNA-seq, recombinant DNA technology, knockin and knockout CRISPR/Cas9, enhancer detector (ZED),Tol2 kit and BAC transgenic technologies, etc.).
- Capabilities | Development of new food products from fisheries and aquaculture by-products
Development of processes for the transformation of discards and seafood by-products into new raw materials (fish mince, fish oil, etc.) with added value for the generation of innovative processed food products (hamburgers, nuggets, etc.), ensuring traceability, nutritional value and safety in new value chains.
- Capabilities | Development of pathogen-resistant variants for aquaculture
Application of the most advanced -omic techniques for the identification of resistance genes that can be used as biomarkers for the selection of pathogen-resistant variants of marine aquaculture species.
- Capabilities | Development of bioprocesses (biorefineries) for the extraction of bioproducts and bioactive compounds from food industry by-products
Development of processes that allow extracting useful components of industrial interest from discards and food industry by-products and effluents. Biochemical characterization of useful components present in different kinds of fisheries products and by-products, such as skin collagen, visceral enzymes, chondroitin sulphate present in cartilage, chitin from crustacean shells and cuttlebone or protein hydrolysates obtained from muscle. Evaluation of potential applications of these compounds through the characterization of their biological activities (antioxidants, etc.) and functional properties for their use in different industries, such as biomedical, chemistry, cosmetic, food, etc.
- Capabilities | Development of immunostimulants and vaccines for aquaculture species
Application of the most advanced -omic techniques, together with immunology, microbiology and protein biochemistry, to develop immunostimulants and vaccines for aquaculture species.
- Capabilities | Development of “in vitro” bioactivity tests for biomolecules using cell lines and specific gene expression tests
Development of techniques (metabolomics, proteomics, genomics, lipidomics, biomarkers) to characterize the response of cells to different biomolecules and to validate their activity and safety.
- Capabilities | Generation and supply of zebrafish mutants
Generation of stable zebrafish mutant and transgenic lines to use as model systems to study fish and human diseases.
- Capabilities | Control of traceability and labelling
Development of specific biomarkers and -omic techniques to quantify allergens and to track species composition and geographical origin for quality traceability and prevention of food fraud and unregulated fisheries.
- Capabilities | Modeling and optimization of fermentative processes and other bioprocesses with industrial utilization
Development of mathematical algorithms and simulation software for global optimization and control of bioprocesses in the food and biotechnological industry
- Capabilities | Assessment of nutritional value in seafood and design of personalized nutrition treatments and products
Design and development of seafood products for target consumers (elderly, young, diabetic, allergic to seafood, etc.) that guarantee specific nutritional requirements, safety and sustainability. Development of techniques (i.e. metabolomics, proteomics, genomics, lipidomics, etc.), using animal models and cell cultures, to characterize the response of a patient/consumer to diet and to design personalized nutrition treatments and products (i.e. nutraceutics, hypoallergenic fish products, immunostimulants, functional foods, etc).