South Korean Colleague Leaves Milford With Promising Results
Story by Teri Frady

Members of the Biotechnology Branch at the Milford Laboratory recently had a going-away party for Dr. Hyun Jeong Lim (4th from left) of South Korea. Dr. Lim has spent the past year in Milford working on a project to isolate probiotic bacteria for use in bivalve shellfish hatcheries. "Probiotic just means 'for life.' These are good bacteria that inhibit bad bacteria and can promote better digestion among hatchery animals," said Biotechnology Branch chief Gary Wikfors. "It's the same idea as leaving the live and active cultures in your yogurt to boost its positive health effects. Probiotic bacteria are also a potential substitute for the use of antibiotics, which can raise environmental quality issues for growers," he said.

Dr. Lim conducted the work while on a Korea Science and Engineering Foundation Fellowship. "While she was here, we proved that these bacteria can work in concept. We are continuing the work to find a practical way to administer the bacteria that Jeong isolated and showed were effective," said Wikfors. Lim was a research scientist when she left South Korea. Upon her return, she will take on responsibilities for international programs of her home agency the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute.