| |
A Profile :
 |
|
|
Why this Centre?
With the global fish production through marine capture fisheries reaching its maximum due to over exploitation, a major source of food/dietary protein for the teeming millions of people in the new century will be aquaculture. India has the potential for producing culture fish, many more times of what it is actually producing. One of the main reasons for this failure is the large scale mortalities of fish due to aquatic environmental pollution/stress leading to immunosuppression and the consequent microbial infectious diseases. Fish diseases can be prevented by immunological and other ways of monitoring the environment and by taking immunoprophylactic measures (Vaccines and Immunostimulants). To develop efficacious immuno-prophylactic measures for fish diseases, better understanding of fish immunity is an important prerequisite. The centre provides the necessary facilities for training and research in Fish Immunology, which is a newly emerged discipline in life science.
|
|
At the national level, there are only a few institutions working in the area of fish immunology. This situation is due to lack of trained personnel, the field being new. In the Postgraduate and Research Department of Zoology and Biotechnology of Lady Doak College, Immunology and Fish Immunology have been identified as the area for intensive study and research respectively.
What is the specific purpose?
1. Research in Fish Immunology, Immunomodulation, Immunostimulants and Immunotoxicology with reference to finfish aquaculture.
2. Providing consultancy service to the fish farmers on fish health (prophylaxis and therapy) and the culture environment (pollution etc) and to the pharmaceutical companies on vaccine/immunostimulant efficacy (testing) and protocol for drug administration.
3. Providing library facilities for researchers in fish immunology from all over the country.
4. Offering short term training in (Fish) Immunology techniques for young college/university teachers/researchers.
Who use the Centre?
i) On a regular basis, the college faculty and graduate students (M.Sc, and Ph.D) who are interested in the field of Immunology and Fish Immunology.
ii) On appointment, students, teachers and scientists from other institutions for literature search and short term study.
Who are the fulltime members of the centre ?
Currently, the group includes a research associate, four fulltime doctoral fellows, one part-time doctoral fellow, a couple of MPhil scholars, an accounts Assistant, a technical Assistant, a field/lab Assistant and the Director of the centre.
|
What are the thrust areas for research?
The main areas of research interest include developing environment-friendly prophylactic and therapeutic immunostimulants from terrestrial and marine plants for culture fish. Another area is heavymetal- induced immunosuppression in fish and this aspect has relevance to extensive cultures in large water bodies which are more often receive polluted waters form rivers and canals which are polluted by industrial effluents. Stress-induced immunomodulation due to physical and social sressors is another priority area of research in this centre.
What are the accomplishments?
The centre has published large number of Research articlesin indexed national and international journals with good impact factors. The centre’s director Dr. Dinakaran Michael who has been doing active research for the past two decades has received national and international recognition for his achievements and has supervised large number of MPhil and PhD theses work. Dr Michael has widely traveled to present his group’s research findings in international and national conferences and to give invited lectures. He has received many major research grants totaling more than 10 million (1 crore) Rupees from national funding agencies like UGC, DBT, DST and OASTC(MoES) and international agencies like Volkswagen Foundation, Hannover, Germany and United Board, New York, USA.
|
|
|
|
How to contact the Centre?
Dr. R. Dinakaran Michael PhD
Director
Centre for Fish Immunology
P.G. Department of Zoology and
Biotechnology
Lady
Doak
College, Madurai-625002,
India
Phone: (O) +91-452-2530527/2524575
(H) +91-452-2580184/4390134
Mobile: 98421-68018
Fax: +91-452-2521333
Email: rdmichael2000@yahoo.co.in
cenfisimm@yahoo.com
| |
| | |
