On 22 June 2023, Jennifer R. Littlejohn, Acting Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, along with the delegations from the U.S. Embassy in Thailand, U.S. Department of State, and Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, visited BIOTEC to explore international collaboration. The visit is part of the Third United States – Thailand Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology held during June 21 – 22, 2023.
During the visit, BIOTEC presented its research highlights and conducted a comprehensive facility tour to showcase its work. The group had the opportunity to explore several key facilities: BIOTEC Bioprocessing Facility (BBF), which Dr. Chanikul Chutrakul, Researcher of Functional Ingredients and Food Innovation Research Group, led the tour. BBF showcased its advanced capabilities in bioprocessing and its contribution to the field of functional ingredients and food innovation. Next, Dr. Sage Chaiyapechara, Team Lead of the Aquaculture Service Development Research Team, gave an overview of the Aquaculture Service Facility. The other laboratory was the National Omics Center (NOC), in which Dr. Sithichoke Tangphatsornruang, NOC’s Director, demonstrated the state-of-art facility’s and its mission on Omics. Dr. Jittima Piriyapongsa, Team Lead of NBT Data Bank, also led a tour at the National Biobank of Thailand (NBT)–the country’s conservation infrastructure for biological resources. The group ended the day at BIOTEC’s Plant Factory–a half-of-football-field indoor greenhouse—in which Dr. Kriengkrai Mosaleeyanon, Researcher of the Innovative Herbal Plant Factory Research Team, showcased the facility’s ability to cultivate high-value crops using innovative techniques.
Overall, the visit offered a comprehensive insight into BIOTEC’s research capabilities and demonstrated the organization’s commitment to advancing scientific collaboration and innovation in various domains.
More details on the facilities:
BIOTEC Bioprocessing Facility (BBF) is a food manufacturer with certified Codex GHPs and HACCP. It adheres to the guidelines of Good Industrial Large-Scale Practice (for utilizing microorganisms at the LS 1 containment level). The facility promotes the use of microbial as a functional ingredient.
Aquaculture Service Facilityhas a mission is to conduct research relating to various aspects of aquaculture and support the industry with contract research, PCR disease diagnostic service, and Ezee Gene® test kits. Watch its facility here.
National Omics Center (NOC) carries out various research, such as genome sequencing for the conservation of mangrove and coral species, genetic analysis for the improvement of commercial plant microbe species, and proteomic chemical profiling of medicinal plants.
Plant Factory is equipped with artificial light (PFAL) cultivation system of agriculture technology for crop production under controlled environmental conditions.
National Biobank of Thailand (NBT) supports infrastructure for the conservation of the biological resources of Thailand and carries out research using advanced technology on the value and potential for the development of natural resources from the genetic to the ecosystem level.
