Nutrition, Genetics and Biotechnology Division Laboratory

The Centre for Bioinformatics at ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA) is envisioned to be a one-stop resource centre for research in omics science including genomics, transcriptomics, metagenomics, phylogenomics and nutrigenomics. The centre would undertake research and provide technical support, guidance and skill development in the field of bioinformatics. The main objective of the centre is to generate valuable genomic resources for candidate species and to explore them for a deeper molecular level understanding of economic traits. To meet the objective, the centre is actively involved in generating high-throughput datasets on latest sequencing platforms and analysing them with the advanced computational tools. The centre is equipped with the high-performance computing servers, tower work stations and a dedicated computing facility. The centre also aims to disseminate knowledge through conduct of hands-on training programs.
Few notable achievements of the centre include, deciphering the genomes and developing full-length transcript resources for candidate species like Penaeus indicus and Mugil cephalus; assembly of pathogen genomes like White Spot Syndrome Virus, Vibrio campbelli and Vibrio parahaemolyticus; application of phylogenomics to address taxonomic ambiguity in Penaeus sensu lato; employing genome-scale metabolic modelling to identify novel probiotics for application to shrimp aquaculture; engaging transcriptomics approach to understand biotic and abiotic stress responses and dietary requirements in fish and shellfish etc.