New research facility planned for PEI
July 21, 2014
By Colin Ley
At the 30th anniversary meetings of the Aquaculture Association of Canada (AAC) held recently in St Andrews, New Brunswick, Matthew Bryenton of the Center for Aquaculture Technologies, Canada (CATC), outlined proposals for a new research laboratory in Kings County, Prince Edward Island.
The Center for Aquaculture Technologies is a contract research organization that offers its services in the application of technology to enhance the productivity and sustainability of aquaculture. The group is planning to construct a 20,000 square foot (1860m2) facility that will accommodate both in vitro and in vivo testing. Approximately half of the wet lab space will be certified to the AQC3 level and dedicated to projects requiring pathogen containment.
The wet lab area outside the containment zone will be used to maintain research lines, and to studies such as diet evaluation that do not require pathogen containment. All individual wet labs will contain dedicated air handling- and water recirculation systems that provide directional air flow and fresh or saline ground water at temperatures ranging from ambient to 16°C.
A molecular laboratory will allow the development and application of genetic tools including PCR-based diagnostics, SNP genotyping, and genomics applications.
The facility will meet the regulatory requirements of Canadian Food Inspection Agencies Office of Biohazard and Containment Safety (CFIA-OBCS) and Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Construction and commissioning are expected to be complete by the end of 2014.
– DJS
