STEM Shoutout: Dr. Irene Salinas

New grant continues fish vaccination research

Associate professor of biology Irene Salinas received a $500,000 grant from the USDA to further research vaccinations in trout aquaculture populations.

Her previous research found that vaccinations help keep populations of fish disease-free. Health of the fish is a serious concern for aquaculturists. By 2020, the aquaculture industry will provide 60% of the fish that humans eat, Salinas said.

“In this grant, the goal is to know how long the duration of the protection lasts and what are the immune mechanisms that explain this immune response,” Salinas said. “In this manner, we will know what has to happen for a vaccine to confer long lasting protection, which is what industry really wants.”