From windmills to clogs to biotech
Diary of a young scientist
Shrimps are cannibalistic. To prevent them from eating each other, they are separated in cages. They are then "vaccinated" with feed pellets containing a protective protein.
All in the name of shrimp farming, one of the major aquaculture industries in the Philippines.
Many diseases cause problems to shrimp farms. Among them, the most destructive is the White Spot Syndrome Virus which infects tissues and organs and damages the stomach, gills and glands.
First discovered in Taiwan in 1992, it has spread worldwide, causing losses in billions of dollars. It can kill up to 100% of infected crustaceans in a span of three to ten days. No commercial shrimp is resistant to the disease.
Researches are looking for ways to combat the disease and protect shrimps. Among their weapons is VP28, one of the two major proteins found in the virus that plays a key role in the first steps of infection. For protection, VP28 is incorporated in feed pellets and fed to shrimps.
The exact location of VP28 and its structure continue to elude researchers. But they know that the VP28 protein attaches to shrimp cells and competes with the virus.
The next step is to find out which particular shrimp cells and in which tissue or organ the protein attaches to during white spot infection or during vaccination.
The location and function of VP28 was the aim of my research at the Wageningen University in The Netherlands.
I wanted to find out where in the shrimp digestive system the VP28 ends up after "oral vaccination", one of the most convenient weapons because it is not labor-intensive. The knowledge could optimize VP28 as a vaccine and help understand how it works.
But that is getting ahead of the story.
When I was a child in grade school, we read the story of Hans Brinker, the Dutch boy who stuck his finger in the hole of the dam to save his village from flood.
I came to know of Holland then as a country of dams and windmills. I also got a collection of dolls from many countries of which my favorite was Miss Holland because of the colorful costume and dainty little clogs she wears.
From then on, I have always dreamed of going to the Netherlands. I wanted to see windmills more than anything. The dream came true when I was granted an MS scholarship in 2002 at Wageningen University.
In the Netherlands, I learned a lot of molecular and biotechnological techniques. Due to a personal fascination with viruses, I took a second course called Fundamental and Applied Virology. I worked with a group that focused on the White Spot Syndrome Virus doing my seven-month thesis at the Laboratory of Virology.
Using cloning technology, my thesis involved the localization of a protein that provided shrimps with protection against the disease. While I was unable to trace where VP28 actually went, it enabled me to think more critically.
After finishing my MS study in Wageningen in 2005, I pursued a career in biotechnology research. I wanted to be involved in vaccine development, DNA cloning and nuclear transfer.
I believe a lot of opportunities are available for me abroad but at the moment, I prefer to teach in the Philippines and share the knowledge I gained abroad.
Like my old dream to see the windmills, I would put one clogged foot forward to walk towards my new goals.
Knowledge from experiments opens doors for deeper research as one question leads to another. Research simply never stops. It's an endless chain of "search and know" as long as there are things that provoke the mind to think. Research continues to live.
As for the White Spot Syndrome Virus, more research could lead to ways to prevent and minimize if not eradicate its spread. InterNews&Features
(Ellaine Riciel Salvador just turned 28, one of the youngest faculty members at the Central Luzon State University. She teaches at the CLSU Department of Biosciences, CLSU Institute of Graduate Studies and the Regional Science Training Center.)