Its topic was "Genomics of health and biosafety in aquaculture", an important area that allows for a new look at disease prevention and increasing the resilience of fish in growing conditions.
The school was attended by representatives of VNIRO and its branches, as well as leading universities and research centers — St. Petersburg State University, NSU, Moscow State University, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, IOGen RAS, as well as specialists of trout farming LLC "Loriland" from the Republic of Armenia. Such a wide range of participants emphasized the interdisciplinary and international nature of the discussion.
The school's program covered key aspects of fish health in aquaculture. Larisa Bychkova spoke about the main types of fish diseases and the features of the most common infections. Natalia Romanova revealed the topic of disease resistance, paying special attention to modern methods of diagnosis and prevention of diseases. Nikolai Muge immersed the audience in the basics of fish immunology: participants got acquainted with the mechanisms of the immune response and learned about current research on trout disease resistance, which VNIRO staff are conducting using the GWAS method. The program was complemented by a brief but informative digression into the history of genetics from Tatiana Avrutskaya: the audience recalled the difficult fate of science in the 20th century and its revival in the 1960s.
The school has become a significant educational event for young industry professionals. The knowledge gained will allow the participants to systematically approach biosafety issues: to better understand the nature of infections and immune reactions, to competently select diagnostic and preventive methods, and to make better use of the possibilities of genomic research to increase the sustainability of aquaculture facilities.
The School was organized with the support of grant No. 075-15-2025-479 from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation "Genomic breeding as a tool to intensify the creation of new domestic salmon breeds and lines for commercial aquaculture."
VNIRO Press Service
