Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research (CRH) has started collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO). Both research institutions share the interest in the study of barley as the platform for production of recombinant proteins to be used for human, animal and plant health. Within the collaboration, they also plan to realize student and staff mobility.
“We hope that the cooperation will result in implementation of a joint project, ideally with practical outcomes, for example in the form of patent. One of the most promising fields, where the research results could be used, is vaccination of fish in marine aquacultures,” said Ivo Frébort, the director of CRH and dean of faculty of science.
In the framework of the project, the scientists from Olomouc are prepared to share their experience with methods of preparation of labouriously obtainable proteins, derived from various organisms, using transgenic lines of barley as the host. The Norwegian partner will contribute predominantly by characterization and purification of the obtained proteins and by testing their application as probiotics, antibiotics and vaccines on animals.
The representatives of the partnering institutions have already made mutual visits. At the beginning of April, Jihong Liu-Clarke, the leader of the collaborating Norwegian team, visited Olomouc. She introduced her institute and its scientific specialization. Then she got acquainted with the technical infrastructure of CRH and research specialization of its departments.
Last week, representatives of CRH, led by Professor Frébort, visited the facilities of the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research near Oslo. “The aim of our trip was not just introducing Centre of the Region Haná and the faculty of science to our Norwegian partners or tour around their laboratories, but, first of all, intensive discussion about joint research prospects. We are glad that we managed to arrive to an agreement of future collaboration, which will become the basis for implementation of the planned activities,” explained Professor Frébort. As a part of the collaboration, Jihong Liu-Clarke accepted the invitation to present a lecture at the plant biotechnology conference Green for Good IV that will take place in June.
The collaboration has been supported through the Czech-Norwegian Research Programme CZ09, which is financed by the Norwegian Grants 2009 – 2014 and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic in the framework of institutional funding of research and development.
