Susana Sirvas Cornejo

Profesora y Jefa del Laboratorio de Biología Molecular
Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Facultad de Pesquería.

Especialista en Biotecnología Marina. Ha sido Asistant at the Timetable Unit en la Universidad de Gales, Bangor, Reino Unido.  Ha investigado sobre la bioquímica y biotecnología de lipasas en microorganismos acuáticos y actualmente se dedica a investigación sobre recursos pesqueros.

Experiencia laboral (resumen>

• PhD in Biotecnología Marina, Universidad de Gales, Bangor, Reino Unido.
• BSc en Ingeniería Pesquera, Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Lima, Perú.

• Research Assistant in the Laboratory of Virology in the U.S. Naval Medical Research Centre Detachment – NMRCD (Lima, 2001).
• Research Assistant in the Laboratory of Microbiology in the Fisheries Technological Institute of Perú – ITP (Callao, 1986-1993).
• Member of the Biosafety Technical Group for the Fishery Sector (Lima, since 2003).
• Participation en three workshops on Risk Assessment and Risk Management of GMOs, to implement the Protocol of Cartagena on Biosafety (Lima, 2004).
• Consultant to the Fisheries Biosafety Authority, on the development of Biosafety Internal Regulations for Activities with Hidrobiological GMOs (Lima, 2005).
• Participation in the third Meeting of the Parties of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety - MOP3, as member of the Public Research & Regulation Foundation - PRRI (Curitiba, 2006).
• Member of the European Society of Marine Biotechnology – ESMB.
• Head of the Molecular Biology Laboratory and Lecturer in Biotechnology, at the Faculty of Oceanography Fisheries and Food Sciences, of the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, (Lima, since 2001).

Work Experience

1986 – 1991, Research Assistant in the Laboratory of Microbiology, Fisheries Technological Institute of Perú – ITP

• Use of gamma irradiation as inhibitor of bacterial growth in fish preservation (BSc-Engineering Thesis).
• Studies of oil extracts from the Peruvian herb Muña (Mintostachis mollis) as antibacterial agent.
• Incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in an acidified product called Cebiche (British-Peruvian project).
• Assesment of different culture media for bacterial recovery in fishery products.
• Microbiological quality control of fishery products.
• Lecturer at International Courses on Processing Technology of Fishery Products

1992 – 1999, PhD student, University of Wales, Bangor, United Kingdom

• The Project consisted on the extraction of chromosomal DNA from Aeromonas hydrophila, cloning and expressing protease and lipase genes in Escherichia coli, and sequencing of those genes. Clones that produced protease, were incorporated into microencapsulated diets for shrimp (Fenneropenaeus indicus), as digestive aid. The results are promising for the shrimp industry whose problems include indigestibility of diets by shrimps and prawns larvae and postlarvae, that show a development below normal.

1999, Administrative Assistant at the Timetable Unit, University of Wales, Bangor , United Kingdom

• Implementation of a software to schedule events such as lectures, practicals, tutorials, field practicals, and any other event that takes place in any of the schools during the academic year.

2001, Research Assistant in the Laboratory of Virology U.S. Naval Medical Research Centre Detachment (NMRCD), Perú.

• Isolation of virus from human sera through cellular culture.
• Detection of antibodies in human sera through ELISA tests.
• Culture of three cellular lines: mosquito cells (C6/36), kidney cells (Vero), and kidney cells from hamster (BHK).
• Reverse Transcription and Polymerase Chain Reaction RT-PCR tests for virus detection in human sera.
• Participation in the project: “Dengue 1 Heterologous Immunity in Aotus nancymae”, as part of the aim to develop a vaccine against Dengue. The tests were made in monkey sera.

Since 2001, Researcher and Lecturer at the Schools of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Facultad de Oceanografía Pesquería y Ciencias Alimentarias, Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Perú

• Setting up of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (2004).
• Isolation and identification of proteolytic marine microorganisms Implementation of methods to extract and measure the concentration and purity of genomic DNA from the Peruvian scallop Argopecten purpuratus.
• Implementation of a method to extract chromosomal DNA from marine bacteria.
• Lecturer in Marine Biotechnology and Applied Genetics.

Since 2003, Consultant on Biosafety of Hydrobiological GMOs

• Member of the National Committee of Biosafety for the Fishery Sector (since 2006)
• Member of the Biosafety Technical Group for the Fishery Sector, as part of the National Biosafety Structural Frame Project (since 2004)
• Development of Biosafety Internal Regulations for Activities with Hidrobiological GMOs (2005).
• Participation in the third Meeting of the Parties of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety - MOP3, as member of the Public Research & Regulation Foundation - PRRI (Curitiba, 2006).

Since 2005, Member of the Amazonic Ictiofauna Research Web - RIIA

• Participation in the Internacional Workshop on the Amazonic Ictiofauna Research (Iquitos, June-July 2005)
• Scientist in charge (for the UNFV) of the Collaborative Program between the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal – UNFV (Perú) and the Institut de Recherche pour le Developement – IRD (France).

Since 2005, Member of the Consultant Committee of the NGO “Research Centre The Dolphins” – CILDE (Lima)

Education

1966 – 1977 Primary and Seconday school at the private school “San José de Cluny”, Lima, Perú

1980 - 1985 Undergraduate studies Fisheries Engineering, Faculty of Oceanography Fisheries and Food Sciences, Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Lima Perú

1991 Course: Cellular Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Philosophy , Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú

1992 -1999 PhD in Marine Biotechnology, School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, United Kingdom

Publications

1. AYALA M.E. & SIRVAS S. 1990. Assessment of sea water agar and standard plate count agar on fish samples. Bol. Inv. Inst. Tec. Pes. Vol. 3, No 1, p. 43 -47.
2. FUCHS R. & SIRVAS S. 1991. Incidence of Listeria monocytogenes on an acidified product, Cebiche. Letters in Microbiology , Vol. 12, p. 88 - 90.
3. CARVAJAL G., AYALA M.E. & SIRVAS S. 1991. Microbiology of Sea Food. First edition. Editorial Concejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología - CONCYTEC. Lima, Perú.
4. JONES D.A., BRIDSON M., FREEMAN J., LATCHFORD J.W., MARTINEZ-PALACIOS C. A., MISCIATELLI N., RIBEIRO F.A.L.T., and SIRVAS-ROWLANDS S. 1997. Progress in the use of artificial feeds in Penaeid larval culture. Second Asia-Pacific Marine Biotechnology Conference; and Third Asia-Pacific Conference on Algal Biotechnology. Phuket, Thailand. P. 107 Abstract.
5. SIRVAS S. 1999. Effect of microencapsulated diets supplemented with a genetically modified bacterium on the growth and survival of Penaeus indicus postlarvae. PhD Thesis. University of Wales, Bangor, U.K., 188 pp.
6. SIRVAS S., LATCHFORD J.W., and JONES D. A. Effect of microencapsulated diets supplemented with genetically modified bacteria, on the growth and survival of Fenneropenaeus indicus postlarvae (in press).
7. SIRVAS S. y SIRVAS W. Effect of diets supplemented with scallop shells (Argopecten purpuratus), as source of calcium, on the growth of broiler chicken (in prep.).
8. SIRVAS S. y GAMERO B. Optimization of a DNA extraction technique from the Peruvian scallop Argopecten purpuratus (in prep.).