On Thursday, November 8, Estefanía Paredes, head of the Functional Preservation Service for Marine Biological Resources at ECIMAT, presented the talk “Comparative cryopreservation of Molluscs” as part of the “Café con Sal” program.
The Functional Preservation Service for Marine Biological Resources at ECIMAT is making significant advances in the cryopreservation of molluscs. This work is part of the research activity “Cryobanking of marine organisms” within the “Assemble Plus” project (H2020 Program) and has as its main objective the cryopreservation of different types of marine cells, including those of molluscs.
This service is a pioneer in the short-term cryopreservation of clam (Venerupis corrugata) larvae and in the long-term study of cryopreservation of mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) seed, from the freezing phase to production. The results obtained in this comparative study of molluscs, together with the researchers’ prior experience and existing literature, will allow identification of the strengths and weaknesses of molluscs during the cryopreservation process, detection of factors determining survival, and improvement of protocols to increase survival rates. The outcomes are being directed toward their most important applications, including aquaculture, research, conservation, restocking, and fisheries management.
Pablo Heres’ doctoral thesis, from the Coastal Ecology group at the University of Vigo, is carried out within the Functional Preservation Service for Marine Biological Resources, under the supervision of Estefanía Paredes and Jesús S. Troncoso. During the lecture, Estefanía Paredes will present the methodology used, some of the results achieved so far, and the innovative lines of research currently underway.
