Des Moines, IA / Longmont, CO November 17, 2016 – Eurofins BioDiagnostics, an industry leader in seed and plant health testing as well as one of the global market leaders in genomics is pleased to announce the hiring of Dr. Periasamy Chitrampalam (Ravi) as a research plant pathologist. Dr. Chitrampalam will be using the most advanced molecular biology tools to develop different assays for plant and seed pathogen detection. In addition, he will also support the seed health testing operational labs in improving their testing accuracy, throughput and turnaround time. Ravi will be responsible for transferability and validation of protocols recommended and released by the International Seed Health Initiative (ISHI) and the National Seed Health System (NSHS).
“The development of new and innovative methods for the detection and identification of harmful plant and seed pathogens is vital to our focus of bringing solutions to the agricultural industry,” said Michael Drozd, President of Eurofins BioDiagnostics. “Dr. Chitrampalam’s strong academic background combined with his focus on bringing applied solutions to producers will be a great asset to the Eurofins BioDiagnostics team, our customers and the industry.”
For over a decade, Ravi has been conducting research as a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of Arizona, University of California (Davis), and most recently at North Dakota State University. His pathology research has included evaluation of sclerotial density of S. sclerotiorum and its distribution pattern in commercial lettuce fields of Arizona and California. He has worked to assess the extent of genetic variability in Sclerotinia within and among lettuce fields in California using microsatellite markers. His research has also been directed toward the determination of pathogenicity of different genetic groups of L. terrestris on turfgrass. Most recently, Dr.
Chitrampalam has been working to design molecular probes used to diagnose and quantify the pathogen, Fusarium tricinctum, in soybean production fields.
“The development of new methods for the detection of harmful plant pathogens will provide far reaching benefits to producers that are struggling with the devastating effects from contaminated fields,” indicated Dr. Chitrampalam. “I am excited for the opportunity to work side by side with others that are dedicated to providing valuable seed health testing services to the agricultural industry.”
Ravi’s responsibility is to develop and improve appropriate testing protocols for different plant and seed pathogens and to develop new DNA or RNA based methods such as next generation sequencing for different diagnostic assays in seed and plant systems. For more information, visit www.eurofinsus.com/biodiagnostics.
Eurofins – a global leader in bio-analysis
Eurofins Scientific is a life sciences company operating internationally to provide a comprehensive range of analytical testing services to clients from a wide range of industries including the pharmaceutical, food and environmental sectors.
With 25,000 staff in more than 250 laboratories across 39 countries, Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 130,000 reliable analytical methods for evaluating the authenticity, origin, safety, identity, composition and purity of biological substances and products. The Group is committed to providing its customers with high quality services, accurate results in time and, if requested, expert advice by its highly qualified staff.
The Eurofins Group is the world leader in food testing and one of the global market leaders in pharmaceuticals and environmental testing. It intends to pursue its dynamic growth strategy and expand both its technology portfolio and its geographic reach. Through R&D and acquisitions, the Group draws on the latest developments in the field of biotechnology to offer its clients unique analytical solutions and the most comprehensive range of testing methods. As one of the most innovative and quality oriented international players in its industry, Eurofins is ideally positioned to support its clients’ increasingly stringent quality and safety standards and the demands of regulatory authorities around the world.
The shares of Eurofins Scientific are listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (ISIN FR0000038259) and Frankfurt (WKN 910 251) Stock Exchanges (Reuters EUFI.LN, Bloomberg ERF FP, ESF, EUFI.DE)
