FishDNA: Traditional and Next-Gen Molecular Tools for Seafood Traceability and Safety

About

The Summer School on “FishDNA: Traditional and Next-Gen Molecular Tools for Seafood Traceability and Safety” provides an advanced and integrated overview of the molecular approaches currently applied in seafood inspection, authenticity verification, and hygiene monitoring. Through a combination of lectures, hands-on workshops, and group discussions, participants will explore how molecular biology supports official controls, food business operators, and researchers in ensuring transparency and safety along the fishery chain.

The five-day programme is structured to progressively guide participants from traditional methods for species identification to cutting-edge genomic and metagenomic techniques. The first days focus on DNA barcoding and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) methodologies, while subsequent sessions address microbiota profiling, metagenomics, and applications to biological risk assessment. Practical workshops allow participants to become familiar with data analysis pipelines and open-source bioinformatics tools. The final day integrates all topics into a group project, where participants design a molecular strategy to tackle real-world challenges related to fish authenticity, microbiological safety, or parasite detection.

The Summer School combines theoretical and practical components, fostering multidisciplinary interaction between experts in food inspection, molecular biology, and veterinary public health.

The Summer School will be activated with at least 15 students. The maximum number of participants is set to 25 students.

The Summer School will be held on campus, in Pisa, at Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, viale delle Piagge, 2

Course leader

Prof. Andrea Armani

Target group

Students holding a Bachelor’s degree, students enrolled in the Master’s Degree Program in Veterinary Medicine, and PhD students

Course aim

The aim of the Summer School is to provide participants with theoretical knowledge and practical skills on molecular techniques applicable to traceability and safety in the fishery sector. Specifically, the course intends to:

- Strengthen understanding of DNA-based approaches (barcoding, metabarcoding, metagenomics) for species authentication and microbial community characterization;
- Illustrate how molecular evidence can support risk assessment and policy making in food safety;
- Promote a multidisciplinary perspective connecting laboratory methods, bioinformatics, and regulatory frameworks;
- Encourage critical thinking and teamwork through hands-on exercises and project-based learning;
- Foster networking and collaboration among young researchers, PhD students, and professionals working in veterinary public health, molecular biology, and food inspection

Fee info