About IIM

The Institute of Marine Research (IIM-CSIC) is one of the main marine research centers in the Iberian Peninsula. Looking at the Atlantic from Vigo, a city with a strong connection with the sea, the IIM-CSIC faces the challenge of increasing our knowledge about the ocean, from its physical characteristics to the food we take from it and the processes that bind the whole system together.

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Research

Research is at the core of the Institute of Marine Research's work. Working along 3 Core Research Themes, which intertwine and connect to each other, the researchers and technicians at the IIM-CSIC look for answers within 9 different research lines.

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Innovation

While our research provides us with new knowledge about our sea and shores, at the Institute of Marine Research we are committed to go a step further, creating new collaborations with the industry and other economic activities, be they already 'established' industries, such as fisheries or aquaculture, or 'emerging' ones, such as ocean observation.

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Society

Science is not complete until it is shared with society. As a public research institution, the IIM understands that its commitment is with society, fostering a two-way relationship with its surrounding community and an open perspective on science.

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Work & Study

Marine scientists, lab technicians, biologists, chemists and engineers, but also economists, lawyers or communicators (both working and in training) contribute to the interdisciplinary nature of our center. With more than 200 employees, the IIM-CSIC is a large community of people who work together for the sake of science, knowledge and sustainability.

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News & Events

Do you want to be aware of the latest at the IIM? The Institute has a whole team involved in communication & outreach, sharing all news that arise and organizing events to reach all sectors of society: from other peers working in science to children in schools or our neighbors from Vigo.

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SIES - Species Identification and DNA Sequencing

The IIM's Species Identification Service (SIES) has been in operation since 2001 and specializes in the identification of marine organisms in food products. The Service is part of the Food Biochemistry group of the Institute of Marine Research (IIM-CSIC) in Vigo, which has been working for decades in the development and application of analytical tools for the identification and quantification of marine organisms in food products, although species presence can also be detemined in a wide variety of other matrices.

Objectives & Tasks

Species identification is carried out mainly by Sanger DNA sequencing, using various genetic markers such as cytochrome B, cytochrome oxidase I, control region and 16S DNA, among others. To identify species based on DNA sequence, the Service not only uses public databases, but also performs phylogenetic analyses using its extensive tissue bank and more than 2000 of the service's own reference sequences. For this purpose, it has standardized protocols in place, for which quality certification is expected in the near future. In addition, the service belongs to a network of laboratories devoted to species identification, within which it has participated in various interlaboratory exercises that have demonstrated the efficiency and reliability of the methods used.

The service also has the capacity to carry out other types of analyses depending on the goal, such as real-time PCR and mass sequencing (NGS), and dedicates part of its efforts to develop new techniques to be included in its analysis portfolio.

The Species Identification Service is available to entities, companies, public institutions and private users who wish to perform various types of DNA analysis, especially those related to the food, fishing and health industries (determination of species with health-related effects), quality control and authenticity (species substitution), traceability and conservation of marine resources.

Portfolio of services

  • SPECIES IDENTIFICATION BY SANGER SEQUENCING BASED ON TISSUE, FOOD PRODUCTS OR OTHER MATRICES AND COMPARISON WITH IIM'S REFERENCE SEQUENCES AND/OR PUBLIC DATABASES
  • SANGER SEQUENCING FROM TISSUE, FOOD OR OTHER MATRICES
  • DNA EXTRACTION FROM TISSUE, FOOD OR OTHER MATRICES
  • DNA SEQUENCE ANALYSIS AND SPECIES IDENTIFICATION
  • NGS SEQUENCING: 16S METAGENOMICS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA AND MICROALGAE
  • IDENTIFICATION OF HAKE SPECIES BY REAL-TIME PCR
  • NUCLEIC ACID QUANTIFICATION WITH NanoDrop 2000

Team

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For further info
SIES WEBSITE AT CSIC.ES
Contact us

sies@iim.csic.es