Research

Funding: VW Stiftung, 533.900 EUR

Project Details:
The ‘FLAP-chips’ project aims at resolving the molecular basis of influenza virus-host binding interactions for the development of novel predictive and intervention strategies and to reduce seasonal, zoonotic and pandemic influenza burdens in humans. To this end the ‘FLAP-chips’ project has the following concrete objectives, completing the step from the knowledge of molecular virus-cell interactions towards complex systemic functionality:
1. Combine state-of-the-art printboard nanotechnology with influenza virus expertise to establish the FLAP-chip platform for the quantitative affinity measurement of influenza virus receptor membrane landscape binding profiles.
2. Identify the general rules of multivalent binding and super-selectivity at the virus-host cell membrane interface
3. Utilize the FLAP-chip platform to study quantitative affinity profiles of influenza viruses in order to evaluate: a. Inter- and subsequent intra-species transmission of zoonotic influenza viruses: identification of pandemic threat
b. The emergence of influenza viruses with resistance to antiviral drugs: identification of anti-influenza virus resistance development
c. Influenza virus evolution and escape from pre-existing immunity (herd immunity): antigenic drift cartography

Influenza viruses bear high morbidity and mortality burdens in humans as a result of an occasional zoonosis from animals, influenza pandemics and seasonal epidemics. While zoonotic influenza viruses typically do not spread among humans, some may evolve efficient transmissibility causing a pandemic. By the subsequent spread and mounting of herd immunity these viruses eventually evolve into seasonal epidemic viruses. Herd immunity pressure results in the evolution of escape mutants and so-called antigenic drift. Likewise, antiviral pressure can lead to the evolution of antiviral-resistant mutants in treated individuals. The receptor binding domain (RBD) of the hemagglutinin protein (HA) governs the initiation of infection, attachment of the virus to host cells and subsequent host-cell interactions. Importantly, the RBD appear involved in most if not all of the above epidemiological and evolutionary signatures, which characterize influenza viruses. However, the links between these signatures, visible at macroscopic level, and RBD molecular host-cell interactions at molecular level, remain little understood.

Cooperation Partners:

TU Twente Netherlands

Project Details:
Die Zusammenarbeit in diesem deutsch-chinesichen Kooperations-Projekt verfolgt das Ziel, ein Ratten-Zellkultur-Modell zur Untersuchung der Expression von HSP in Myokardzellen anzupassen und zu nutzen. Zudem soll die Rolle von HSP bei immunologischen Erkrankungen und bei der Krebsentstehung erforscht werden. Darüber hinaus finden Untersuchungen zur HSP-Expression bei Schweinen unter Stress, insbesondere beim Transport, statt. Die Reisekosten werden durch die BLE im Rahmen der Deutsch-Chinesischen Zusammenarbeit auf dem Gebiet der Agrarforschung getragen.

Cooperation Partners:

College of Veterinary Medicine

Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU)

Prof. Dr. Bao Endong

Funding: Industry (Animal breeding), 42.350 EUR

Project Details:
Infektion von Eseln mit NPHV des Pferdes und Untersuchung des Infektionsverlaufs sowie Charakterisierung der Leberveränderungen im Infektionsverlauf

Cooperation Partners:

Twincore Centre

Funding: Industry (Stable equipment/Animal husbandry supplies), 40.546 EUR

Project Details:
Die Wurfgröße bei Sauen zählt zu den wichtigsten ökonomischen Parametern in der Ferkelerzeugung. Dank züchterischen Fortschritts ist diese in den letzten Jahren kontinuierlich gestiegen, sodass die Anzahl lebend geborener Ferkel pro Sau und Jahr enorm gesteigert werden konnte.
Doch einhergehend mit der Zunahme der Häufigkeit großer Würfe stieg auch der Anteil an sehr leichten/kleinen Neonaten, die aber durchaus überlebensfähig sind. Vor diesem Hintergrund stellt die Untersuchung eine Erhebung aktueller Daten über die chemische Zusammensetzung von Fruchtmasse und Adnexe dar, um anhand dieser die bedarfsgerechte Versorgung von Sauen in der Trächtigkeit weiterhin zu gewährleisten.

Funding: Industry (Veterinary pharmaceuticals/Vaccines), 20.000 EUR

Project Details:
In modern pork production stomach health is still a recent challenge. High percentages of slaughtered pigs and sows are affected by severe gastric lesions. Beside stress it is well known that feeds’ particle size is an important causative factor. But what about gastric health in piglets at weaning? Until weaning the piglet in particular are fed by sow’s milk and just started to take up dry feed. Further on, the production of gastric enzymes and gastric acid is not yet well developed. To get more information on this point, gastric health in newly weaned piglets is in the focus of ongoing experimental studies.
To investigate on whether the offer of diets as pellets or the process of pelleting (heat, pressure) on the feedstuffs are obvious for this fact a pelleted diet was ground again. In practice, offering roughage is seen as a possible solution for the prevention of gastric lesions. In parallel, the influence of pelleting, particle size distribution (second/third grinding) and the presence of straw as bedding material are focussed in this study.

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz, 46.891 EUR

Project Details:
In diesem Projekt wird in Praxisbetrieben untersucht, welche kommerziell erhältlichen oder betriebsindividuellen Sitzstangenvarianten gegenwärtig in der Masthühnerelterntierhaltung eingesetzt werden. Neben der Erfassung von Management- und Haltungsbedingungen wird die Nutzung der angebotenen Sitzstangen durch die Tiere mittels Fototechnik aufgezeichnet und bewertet. Ziel ist es, Empfehlungen insbesondere für die Gestaltung optimaler Sitzstangen für Masthühnerelterntiere herauszugeben, um künftig eine "Alibi-Funktion" von nicht genutzten oder ungeeigneten Sitzstangenvarianten zu verhindern.

Results:

https://www.ml.niedersachsen.de/download/135921/Abschlussbericht_gegenwaertiger_Einsatz_von_Sitzstangen_in_der_Masthuehner-Elterntierhaltung.pdf

Project Details:
Animal welfare is an important topic in politics and society. Therefore, objective parameters are needed for measuring animal welfare or stress in farm animals. Glucocorticoids, such as cortisol are only suitable to a very limited extent, because their levels are influenced by animal handling. Adrenaline and noradrenaline are released in acute stressful situations and thus are no indicators of chronic stress. However, DHEA can be an indicator for chronic stress that has already been investigated in various human medical studies. If the stress system was activated for a longer period of time, a drop in DHEA concentrations was detected. The increased release of ACTH from the hypothalamus leads to an increase in cortisol formation from the precursor pregnenolone, which leads to a reduction in DHEA production. The aim of this study was to generate basic data on the DHEA concentration in pigs as preliminary work for further projects.

Results:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871141318302476