Alice Gasperini nominated for the Student Spotlight Award at Aquaculture Europe 252025-06-25
Student Alice Gasperini is one of the three nominees to the Student Spotlight Award of the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) at the upcoming Aquaculture Europe 2025 Congress (September 22-25, Valencia), with the work entitled “Decoding biological ageing to enhance welfare in farmed sea bream: A transcriptional and epigenetic approach”. This research was supported by the THINKINAZUL program of the Generalitat Valenciana and the Spanish project BreamHOLOBIONT, both aimed at promoting innovation and sustainability in aquaculture.
This work is part of a broader research effort aimed at decoding biological age in fish as a welfare indicator in aquaculture. Using a transcriptomic and epigenetic approach, Gasperini and researchers of IATS Nutrigenomics Group identified a set of 10 candidate genes that respond to various environmental and nutritional challenges, validating their potential as molecular markers of animal welfare.
The trials included high-density conditions, thermal stress, and innovative diets based on porcine protein hydrolysates and microalgae. Results showed that these genes accurately reflect environmental impacts on fish health, paving the way for advanced diagnostic tools to certify welfare in aquaculture systems. Best of lucks for Alice!
