P05 - NVI
The Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI) is a governmental agency, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs and the Norwegian Research Council. NVI has for many years been involved in research and monitoring activities on algal toxins, mycotoxins and plant toxins and their occurrence in food and in feed. One of the key activities of NVI is to isolate and identify new toxins as well as purify large quantities of both well known and new toxins. The group have successfully isolated and identified the structures of several new yessotoxins, azaspirazids and pectenotoxins. Large quantities of yessotoxin and selected pectenotoxins have been isolated and used as reference standards in collaboration with NRC in Canada. Recently, the group has identified pinnatoxin G, a hitherto unknown algal toxin in Norwegian waters that could pose a potential problem. NVI has produced antibodies against yessotoxins, okadaic acid group toxins and azaspiracids which have been used in the development of rapid test methods such as ELISAs. These toxins represent some of the toxin groups that most often cause closures of shellfish farms. NVI has developed a new improved sampler design. When coupled with appropriate analytical techniques (e.g. LC-MS, multi-toxin screens, ELISAs, bioassays), the method has the potential to offer valuable data as a supplement to existing methods for monitoring marine and freshwater algal toxins. NVI has close cooperation with the Norwegian Food Safety Authorities for sampling of shellfish in Norwegian coastal waters. NVI has been partner in the EU-funded BIOTOX project entitled “Development of cost-effective tools for risk management and traceability systems for marine biotoxins in seafood”. In 2004 NVI hosted Joint FAO/IOC/WHO ad hoc Expert Consultation on Biotoxins in Bivalve Molluscs. In 2011 NVI organised an International Workshop on Fish-Killing Algae (co-sponsored by IOC) and is participating in the IOC IPHAB Task team on Biotoxin Monitoring, Management and Regulations (Chair: P. Hess, IFREMER). NVI is the official advisory body on marine algal toxins to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
Key personnel involved
Eliann Egaas PhD is ecotoxicologist and former leader and a senior scientist at the chemistry section of NVI. She has the last 15 years advised the Norwegian Food Authority on food safety issues.
Chris Miles PhD is a chemist working as a researcher on biotoxins since 1989 and on marine biotoxins at NVI since 1995. He has developed numerous ELISAs for natural toxins, including several that are sold commercially (brevetoxins, microcystins/ADDA, domoic acid and yessotoxin from Abraxis and BioSense), and has 2 patents on novel immunoassays and hapten design strategies.
Thomas Rundberget PhD is chemist working as NVI researcher on myco- and phycotoxins since 2002.
Ingunn Samdal PhD is biochemist working as NVI researcher on marine algal toxins and immunological methods.
Morten Sandvik PhD is toxicologist, working as researcher at NVI since 1992 in different fields like ecotoxicology, biochemistry and analytical chemistry.
