- Researcher Sishan Wang
When humans come into contact with the Vibrio bacteria in shellfish,
it can lead to serious
gastrointestinal illness. So when Shishan Wang, an Amherst
researcher, discovered how to shorten the time it takes
to detect the bacteria—from 72 hours to six—the fishing industry and
consumer groups applauded his work.
Wang, a microbiologist in the Food Science Department in the College
of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), also captured a prize with
his research, the Charm Excellence in Science Award for Graduate Students
in Food Science. The award was established by Stanley Charm ’50, a
graduate from the Food Science Department, a generous friend of UMass
Amherst, and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for NRE. Charm,
a professor emeritus of chemical engineering at Tufts University, is
cofounder of Charm Sciences Inc., a Lawrence, Massachusetts–based company
that works on food safety issues around the world. Faculty established
criteria for the $2,000 award, and Dr. Robert Levin, Wang’s advisor
since he came to UMass Amherst in 2003, nominated the scientist from
China. Wang earned his PhD in 2006 and is now a postdoctoral researcher.
His breakthrough research was published in the Journal of Microbiological
Methods and presented at the annual meeting of the Food Science Department’s
Strategic Research Alliance, a group of 25 companies that works with
UMass Amherst scientists.
“I appreciate the award and am very proud to have made a significant
contribution to safety in the food system,” says Wang. The discovery,
he said, was the result of painstaking research conducted nights and
weekends in his lab on the fourth floor of Chenoweth. Wang’s research
centered on treating the bacterial samples with a chemical ethidium
bromide monoazide (EMA) and high-intensity light, harvesting cells,
using DNA purification methods and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
to determine the presence of the disease-causing bacteria.
The test Wang has developed is full of significant implications.
It means that when a Vibrio outbreak occurs, typically in the Gulf
Coast region, and shellfish eaters get sick, Wang’s test will determine
within six hours if a harvest area is still infected with the bacteria.
In some cases, Vibrio can be fatal. Faster results gives the fishing
industry a better chance of preventing the spread of disease and may
reduce the length of time that a fishing area is off-limits.
