Western Australia
September 10, 2008
Discovery of unique protein
markers in
subterranean clover, which can be high in oestrogen and cause
infertility in sheep, will fast track development of a quick
molecular test for seed purity which could save sheep producers
thousands of dollars a year.
Project leader, Adjunct Associate Professor Chris Florides,
Managing Director of
Saturn Biotech, said the research involved the extraction of
seed proteins, subsequent in-vitro digestion and analysis using
mass spectrometry.
Saturn Biotech is based at the WA
State Agricultural
Biotechnology Centre (SABC), Murdoch University -- a centre
of excellence in agricultural research that provides platform
technologies, state of the art equipment and facilities for
research and development in agricultural biotechnology.
“Researchers from universities, state government and industry
use these world class facilities,” Professor Florides said.
He indicated the starting point for the project was suspecting
that techniques used for testing cereal grains could be applied
to clover seed of varieties normally indistinguishable from each
other.
“Using prOTOF, a high powered mass spectrometer and the only one
of its kind in Australia, we obtained unique protein profiles
for eight different sub-clover varieties.
“The test differentiates between varieties with similar
morphological features and effectively reduces testing time from
two months to two days,” he said.
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Celebrating in San Diego: Adjunct Associate Professor
Chris Florides, Managing Director of Saturn Biotech,
based at the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre,
Murdoch University, with Murdoch College student, Oliver
Tester, winner of third place in the North American
BioGENEius Challenge Competition at the Bio2008
Convention in San Diego, USA. |
The research is funded by the
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC)
and conducted in collaboration with the Department of
Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA). The culmination of the project
will ultimately be a high throughput molecular test used by
DAFWA in its sub clover seed certification scheme.
Professor Florides said part of his role as a member of the
agricultural research community was mentoring young scientists
and providing them with a platform to showcase their abilities.
He recently mentored 16 year old Murdoch College student Oliver
Tester, who placed third in the North American BioGENEius
Challenge Competition at the Bio2008 Convention in San Diego,
USA.
The BioGENEius Challenge of WA enables top secondary science
students from years
10-12 to pursue a year-long science project, working with a
leading WA scientist.
Oliver first presented his research results at the WA BioGENEius
Challenge, sponsored by the WA government through the Department
of Industry and Resources and was one of two winners who then
represented WA at the Bio2008 Convention in San Diego,
accompanied by their mentors.
“This is the first time in this competition that research
outside North America received such an accolade, proving that
research in Western Australia can be as innovative and
successful as anywhere in the world,” Professor Florides said.
Other news
about
Saturn Biotech |
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