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Research Centers

Center of Excellence for Shrimp Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (CENTEX Shrimp)

Centex Shrimp
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 :

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"

Centex Shrimp

 

Strategy :

 

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.

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Research Highlights :
  1. 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.
  2. Development of nested RT-PCR diagnostic detection for yellow head virus that is now licensed to Farming IntelliGene Technology Corporation, Taiwan.

 

Awards :

 

Services :

 

Facilities :
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Collaboration :
In Thailand Abroad

 

Funding :
Centex Shrimp
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.biotec.or.th
Centex Shrimp
CONTACT ADDRESS :
Centex Shrimp, Chalerm Prakiat Building, Floor 4,
Faculty of Science, Mahidol University,
Rama VI Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tel : (66)2 201 5870-72 Fax : (66)2 247 7051