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User:Ronavni/Amir Sagi

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Ronavni/Amir Sagi
Sagi in 2023
Born (1956-05-22) 22 May 1956 (age 68)
Jerusalem,
CitizenshipIsraeli
Known forcrustacean biology, sexual differentiation and growth
Scientific career
FieldsBiology, life sciences

Amir Sagi (Hebrew: אמיר שגיא, born May 22, 1956) is a professor of life sciences at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, whose field of expertise is crustacean biology, physiology, endocrinology, and functional genomics. He contributed to the study of sexual differentiation, growth and aquaculture.

Early Life and Education

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Sagi completed his M.Sc., in Oceanography, Marine Biology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem which marked the start of his interest in crustacean reproduction strategies.[1] and during his Ph.D he addressed anatomical and physiological aspects of differentiation in prawn with special attention to the androgenic gland.[2]

Carrier

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His postdoctoral training in comparative endocrinology was at the University of Connecticut and the Marine Biological laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass. under Prof. Hans Laufer. Sagi than moved to Ben Gurion University of the Negev (1992) in which he was promoted to the degree of Full professor of Life sciences (2005), and Distinguished professor (2018 - present).[3]

He has also served, between 2011 - 2013, as president of the International Society for Invertebrate Reproduction and Development (ISIRD),[4] and held various roles within academic and professional committees such as Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Ben Gurion University of the Negev (2008 - 2011)[5] and as a board member of the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev.[5]

Sagi’s group has discovered the IAG physiological sexual switch,[6] and its associated signaling cascade in decapods with particular emphasis on investigating specific gene expression[7] investigating multigenic functions through multigene function in crustacean reproduction and growth[8] and the establishment of genome editing in prawns using application of CRISPR.[9]

His group established novel monosex biotechnologies in crustacean culture including the first application of temporal RNA interference (RNAi) in the field of aquaculture for all-male culture.[10] Crustacean monosex technologies are widely applied in Vietnam, Thailand, China, Malysia, Israel and further spreading.[11][12] He is a co-founder of the all-female culture biotech company Enzootic Ltd.[13]

Prawns are efficient predators thus might serve as sustainable and responsible biocontrol agents over various invasive and pest species.[14] The Sagi lab development of monosex prawn biotechnologies enables the application of responsible, efficient, and non-invasive biocontrol agents in various parts of the world.[15]

Crustaceans are experts in bio-mineralization, since shedding and hardening their exoskeleton occurs periodically in every molt cycle throughout their life.[16] The studies of the Sagi group focused on the examination of proteins and their corresponding encoding genes in the context of biomineralization, including calcium mobilization, during the molt cycle in crustaceans.[17]

Selected publications

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The main contribution of Sagi is in the following fields:

Genetics and Sex Differentiation: From gene manipulations to establishment of monosex prawn biotechnologies

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Monosex prawns as biocontrol agents over damaging snails and other pests

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Molecular bio-mineralization in decapod crustaceans

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Awards and honor

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  • Vice President and Dean of R&D Award for Breakthrough Research (2022)[18]
  • ICA award for leading entrepreneurship in agriculture and biotechnology (2018)[19]
  • The Crustacean Society Excellence in Research Award (2016)[20]
  • The Landau Prize for Sciences and Arts (2014)[21]
  • The Global Aquaculture Alliance’s inaugural Novus Global Aquaculture Innovation Award (2013)[22]
  • Lily and Sidney Oelbaum Chair in Applied Biochemistry[5]

Patents

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Prof. Amir Sagi has obtained patents for his inventions including: Insulin-like gene of prawns and uses thereof[23]; Delivery peptides and methods of using the same[24]; Stable amorphous calcium carbonate comprising synthetic phosphorylated peptides[25]; Amorphous calcium carbonate for the treatment of calcium malabsorption and metabolic bone disorders[26]; Composition comprising crustacean gastrolith components and its use[27]; Orally administrable compositions comprising stable amorphous calcium carbonate[28]; Denitrification treatment system and method[29]; Sex-linked genomic marker for crayfish and uses thereof[30], Insulin-like gene in prawns and uses thereof[31], Functional sex-reversal of decapod crustacean females[32], WW homogametic male decapod crustacean and methods of using the same[33] and Insulin-like gene in prawns and uses thereo[34].

References

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  1. ^ Ra'anan, Z. and Sagi, A., 1985. Alternative mating strategies in male morphotypes of the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man). Biol. Bull., 169:592-601.
  2. ^ Sagi, A., Cohen, D. and Y. Milner, 1990. Effect of androgenic gland ablation on morphotypic differentiation and sexual characteristics of male freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol., 77:15-22.
  3. ^ "Amir Sagi". Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
  4. ^ "ISIRD History - Past Presidents of the Society". International Society of Invertebrate Reproduction and Development.
  5. ^ a b c "University Develops Gene-Silencing to Develop Prawn Aquaculture". FS - The Fish Site, 6 December 2012.
  6. ^ Levy, and Sagi, 2020. The “IAG-switch” – a key controlling element in decapod crustacean sex differentiation. Frontiers in Endocrinology 11: 651.
  7. ^ Shechter, A., Aflalo, E. D., Davis, C., and Sagi A. 2005, Expression of the reproductive female specific vitellogenin gene in endocrinologically induced male and intersex crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus. Biol. Reprod., 73:72–79.
  8. ^ Shechter A., Tom M., Yudkovski Y., Weil, S., Chang S.A., Chang E.S, Chalifa- Caspi, V., Berman A., and Sagi, A. 2007. Search for hepatopancreatic ecdysteroid-responsive genes during the crayfish molt cycle: from a single gene to multigenicity. J. Exp. Biol., 210:3525-3537  
  9. ^ Molcho et al., 2022. On genome editing in embryos and cells of the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Aquaculture. 558: 738391.
  10. ^ Ventura, T., Manor, R., Aflalo, E.D., Weil, S., Rosen, O., and Sagi, A. 2012. Timing sexual differentiation: full functional sex reversal achieved in Macrobrachium rosenbergii through silencing of a single insulin-like gene. Biol. Reprod., 86 (3): 90, 1-6.  
  11. ^ Phansawat, P., Keetanon, A., Rairat, T., Pichitkul, P., Poldetch, P., & Chuchird, N., 2022.‏ Benefits of Male Monosex Culture of Giant Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii): Improving Growth Performance, Production Yield, and Profitability. Journal of Fisheries and Environment, 46, pp.157-168.
  12. ^ "Biotechnology to boost Malaysian freshwater prawn seed production". Hatchery Feed Management, July 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "Enzootic Team". Enzootic - All-female Shrimp Aquaculture, 26.3.2023.
  14. ^ Savaya-Alkalay, A., Ovadia, O., Barki, A and Sagi, A., 2018. Size-selective predation by all-male prawns - implications for sustainable biocontrol of snail invasions. Biological invasions, 20:137-149.  
  15. ^   Hoover et al., 2019. Modelled effects of prawn aquaculture on poverty alleviation and schistosomiasis control. Nature Sustainability 2: 611-620.  
  16. ^ Abehsera, S., Weill, S., Manor, R. and Sagi, A. 2018. The search for proteins involved in the formation of crustacean cuticular structures. Hydrobiologia. 825(1), 29-45.    
  17. ^ Shaked, S. A., Abehsera, S., Levy, T., Chalifa-Caspi, V. and Sagi, A. 2020. From sporadic single genes to a broader transcriptomic approach: insights into the formation of the biomineralized exoskeleton in decapod crustaceans. Journal of Structural Biology 212(2): 107612.    
  18. ^ The Vice President of the University and Dean for Research and Development, Prof. Raz Yelinek, were awarded to outstanding researchers in recognition of their scientific achievements during the 2021-2022 academic year. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, June 2, 2022 (in Hebrew)
  19. ^ ICA in Israel. "(in Hebrew with English subtitles) ICA award to Enzotik and Peronit Compenies". YouTube, 2018.
  20. ^ "The Crustacean Society bestows its 2016 Excellence in Research Award on Prof. Amir Sagi". Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Jan. 22, 2017.
  21. ^ "Landau Arts and Sciences Prize Winners 2014". Mifal Hapais, November 20, 2014 (in Hebrew).
  22. ^ "Ben Gurion University Professor Wins Inaugural Aquaculture Innovation Award". Global Seafood Alliance, 25 February 2015.
  23. ^ "Insulin-like gene of prawns and uses thereof - Inventor: Amir Sagi, Tomer Ventura". Google Patents.
  24. ^ "Delivery peptides and methods of using the same - inventor: Amir Sagi, Tomer Ventura". Google Patents.
  25. ^ "Stable amorphous calcium carbonate comprising synthetic phosphorylated ,peptides - Inventor: Shmuel Bentov, Amir Sagi, Amir Berman, Assaf Shechter". Google Patents.
  26. ^ Amorphous calcium carbonate for the treatment of calcium malabsorption and metabolic bone disorders - Inventor: Amir Sagi, Assaf Shechter, Galit Shaltiel-GoldMichal, Daniely Oren Meiron. Google Patents
  27. ^ "Composition comprising crustacean gastrolith components and its use - Inventor: Yossi Ben, Amir Sagi". Google Patents.
  28. ^ "Orally administrable compositions comprising stable amorphous calcium carbonate - Inventor: Amir Sagi, Amir Berman, Yosef Ben". Google Patents.
  29. ^ Denitrification treatment system and method - Inventor: Alon Singer, Shmuel Parnes Asher Brenner, Amir Sagi. Google Patents
  30. ^ "Sex-linked genomic marker for crayfish and uses thereof - Inventor: Tom Levy, Rivka Manor, Amir Sagi". Google Patents.
  31. ^ "Insulin-like gene in prawns and uses thereof - Inventor: Amir Sagi, Tomer Ventura". Google Patents.
  32. ^ "Functional sex-reversal of decapod crustacean females - Inventor: Ohad Rosen, Amir Sagi, Assaf Shechter". Google Patents.
  33. ^ "WW homogametic male decapod crustacean and methods of using the same - Inventor: Assaf Shechter, Ohad Rosen, Amir Sagi". Google Patents.
  34. ^ "Insulin-like gene in prawns and uses thereof - Inventor: Amir Sagi, Tomer Ventura". Google Patents.
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