BCAS
www.bc.cas.cz
CONTACT PERSON: Dr. Astrid S. Holzer
TELEPHONE: +420 387 775 424
EMAIL: astrid.holzer@paru.cas.cz
The Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic is the largest research centre of the Academy outside of Prague. It has 400 employees, provides tutoring for 180 PhD, MSc and BSc students and aims at bridging high-quality basic research with technology development. The scientific strength of the BC ASCR is reflected in the outstanding international reputation of all the institutes it is composed of. The Laboratory of Fish Protistology at the Institute of Parasitology brings together cross-disciplinary research to meet the wide range of challenges related to parasites causing fish diseases in times where aquaculture grows to meet global demands. Research focuses on fundamental questions relating to the identification and quantification of fish pathogens in different habitats, including study of their biology, life cycles and pathology as well as developing antiparasitic strategies. The laboratory also meets the demands of modern commercial markets by providing a small facility for applied research. Due to the position of the BCAS in the heart of Europe, a large part of the research focuses on freshwater fish in traditional pond aquaculture systems.
Role in the project:
In the present project, the BCAS will lead the investigation on myxozoan parasites in common carp. Myxozoan research has a long history in the laboratory and is conducted on the cellular to molecular level, including experimental in vitro and in vivo studies.
Key persons involved:
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Dr. Astrid S. Holzer, PhD from University of Stirling, is Head of the Laboratory of Fish Protistology and is experienced in aquatic animal diseases, with a strong track and international recognition in myxozoan research, spanning from pathology and life cycle studies to molecular biology approaches. She is a member of the scientific board of the IoP, has 40 SCI publications, is on the editorial board of several SCI journals and is responsible for the coordination and administration of a number of projects and of applied research with the aquaculture sector. |
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Dr. Ivan Fiala, PhD from University of South Bohemia, is research associate in the same laboratory, is focussed on genomic, phylogenetic and systematic study as well as evolution of Myxozoa. As a renowned expert in the field with 44 publications and up to 175 citations in individual phylogenetic key papers, is the GMO representative of the entire BC, and teaches fish parasitology at the University of South Bohemia. |
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Dr. Ashlie Hartigan, PhD from University of Sydney, is a postdoctoral researcher at the Fish Protistology lab and is focussed on transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of myxozoan stages in the blood of carp. She has 11 SCI publications, trains a PhD student and designs and runs experimental trials with infected carp. |
