Alice Gasperini nominated for the Student Spotlight Award at Aquaculture Europe 252025-07-10
Alice Gasperini, student of the Catholic University of Valencia, is one of the three finalists to the Student Spotlight Award granted by the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) at the upcoming Aquaculture Europe 25 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 retrospective welfare indicator in aquaculture. Using a transcriptomic and epigenetic approach, Gasperini and researchers of IATS-CSIC 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 stocking density, and dietary inclusion of an emulsifier under thermal stress, porcine protein hydrolysate, and microalgae meal. 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.
