Research

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur , 50.000 EUR

Project Details:
Within a blended learning event, content on interprofessionalism and teamwork is delivered across professional groups via self-study units in TiHoMoodle, in video conferences and in live events in the communication room in the Clinical Skills Lab. With the help of actors, relevant aspects of communication between veterinarians and veterinary assistants as well as animal owners are simulated and practiced so that the foundation can be laid for effective and harmonious collaboration in veterinary practice.

Results:

OER-Beitrag: https://www.twillo.de/edu-sharing/components/collections?id=784dd823-e75e-48ed-a8c3-6de63136b02b

https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020229

Funding: Rentenbank, 90.000 EUR

Project Details:
The project aims at the integration of animal welfare as a constant dimension in the concept of sustainability. The work is done on conceptional levels and by use of case studies of selected kind of farm animals.

Results:

Using one of the resulting models, we can show that animal welfare is a protected good among many other sustainability goods, but due to its categorical difference it cannot be implemented as an equivalent element alongside the other sustainability dimensions in a sustainability concept. We were therefore unable to achieve a "genuine" integration of animal welfare as a constitutive component, but we were able to achieve a meaningful positioning via the social dimension of sustainability as a connecting link.

Since a decision is required in the case of conflicting objectives despite categorical differences, we have developed a reflection model as a proposal for dealing with this problem, which can serve as a basis for weighting in the case of value preference decisions. We have demonstrated its applicability in detail using a specific example.

Overall, we have been able to clearly distinguish ourselves from other concepts in the current sustainability discourse, among other things through the well-founded selection of arguments that can be applied from an ethical perspective.

The absolute goal of the sustainability debate in connection with animal husbandry and animal welfare is not clearly discernible from the discourse situation, so that there is still motivation to participate by contributing valid arguments.

 

Using one of the resulting models, we can show that animal welfare is a protected good among many other sustainability goods, but due to its categorical difference it cannot be implemented as an equivalent element alongside the other sustainability dimensions in a sustainability concept. We were therefore unable to achieve a "genuine" integration of animal welfare as a constitutive component, but we were able to achieve a meaningful positioning via the social dimension of sustainability as a connecting link.

Since a decision is required in the case of conflicting objectives despite categorical differences, we have developed a reflection model as a proposal for dealing with this problem, which can serve as a basis for weighting in the case of value preference decisions. We have demonstrated its applicability in detail using a specific example.

Overall, we have been able to clearly distinguish ourselves from other concepts in the current sustainability discourse, among other things through the well-founded selection of arguments that can be applied from an ethical perspective.

The absolute goal of the sustainability debate in connection with animal husbandry and animal welfare is not clearly discernible from the discourse situation, so that there is still motivation to participate by contributing valid arguments.

The design of a model with a high degree of concretization that adequately takes animal welfare into account is currently considerably limited by the fact that objectively measurable thresholds are not yet available.

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, 110.550 EUR

Project Details:
Social media are playing a rapidly growing role in human communication. If content is posted, imitated or shared on Social media which can impair animal welfare, it potentially reaches a broad mass of people. This project is intended to initiate a social debate on the subject of animal welfare on Social media, which is scientifically based. The aim is to educate potential users about the animals' expressive behaviour and needs, as well as the potential relevance of various depictions for animal welfare. Several functional groups such as universities, schools, veterinarians, pet shops and the (print) media are involved for this purpose.

Results:

A targeted search for pet videos with animal suffering was carried out on the platforms TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Numerous videos with animal welfare relevance were found, which were categorized according to their content. The scientific analysis of animal behaviour in the videos was the basis for determining the animal welfare relevance. In 82.4% of the videos analysed, the animals showed signs of stress. In 53.3% of the videos there was a risk of injury to the animals, and in 29.7% of the videos the animals were suspected of being in pain. The results of an online survey with 3,256 participants showed that 98.5% of respondents had already contact with animal videos. 41.7% of respondents said that they never/almost never searched for animal videos themselves and 73.8% said that they often/very often had animal videos suggested by the platforms' algorithms. Various print and online media reported on the project (e.g. Spiegel, Zeit (Leo), Hannoversche Allgemeine and various specialist magazines). In addition, those responsible for the project gave interviews on radio, television and in a podcast. Posters, flyers, logos as well as GIFS and PDF files were also made available to the public. Various functional groups were involved as multipliers through lectures at events and teaching opportunities for schools.

Project Details:
Ziel des Projektes ist die Untersuchung von Probenmaterial zum Nachweis von Mykoplasmen bei Schlangen, und die Auswertung in Abhängigkeit von der Lokalisation, Spezies und der klinischen Symptomatik.

Cooperation Partners:

Laboklin GmbH

PD Dr. Rachel Marschang

Marline Faulhaber

Project Details:
Ziel der Studie soll die Evaluierung der Ausbreitung von Ophidiomyces in der Schlangenpopulation in Deutschland sein. Durch Einbeziehung klinisch gesunder und erkrankter Schlangen soll eine Aussage bezüglich der Prävalenz getroffen und weitere Erkenntnisse über die Pathogenität und Auswirkungen sowohl auf das Einzeltier als auch die Gesamtpopulation sollen gesammelt werden.

Cooperation Partners:

Laboklin GmbH

PD Dr. Rachel Marschang

Lisa Schüler

Project Details:
Ein Verfahren zur Messung des Stresslevels über Ausscheidungen des Mäusebussards soll etabliert, validiert und anschließend zur Einschätzung der Stressbelastung von Tieren in Rehabilitation eingesetzt werden.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Touma, Universität Osnabrück

Funding: Frauenhofer ITEM, 278.466 EUR

Project Details:
Frauenhofer ITEM-Therapeutic treatment against SARS-CoV-2 with inhaled VHH from BiondVax - Efficacy program in hamsters

Funding: MWK, 22.000 EUR

Project Details:
The importance of the highly conserved protein Nsp15 for the infection of cells by coronaviruses has been studied in detail in recent years. As an endonuclease, it rapidly recognizes and degrades both single-stranded (ssRNA) and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). In addition, evidence from animal models suggests immunomodulatory properties of Nsp15 during early viral infection, leading to a delayed immune response. This process is ultimately involved in the development of acute respiratory failure, which is the main cause of COVID-19 mortality. As part of this funding program, we plan to develop new inhibitors of this protein through structure-guided design. Promising compounds will be characterized with respect to their ADME and physicochemical properties in order to obtain orally bioavailable compounds for the treatment of future viral pandemics.

Results:

https://www.umg.eu/forschung/corona/cofoni/

Funding: MWK, 220.890 EUR

Project Details:
CRISPR/Cas13-mediated antiviral therapy against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants: a novel technology to target viral genome

Results:

https://www.umg.eu/forschung/corona/cofoni/

Funding: BLE/ Unterauftrag FLI, 78.300 EUR

Project Details:
Pig production has grown dramatically worldwide over the last 20 years, leading to increased herd sizes
with weekly production cycles of piglets. In the meantime, the dynamics of infections with swine influenza A
viruses (swIAV) have changed, from epizootic acute respiratory
outbreaks to a self-sustaining infected status of affected herds. Moreover, the genetic and antigenic
diversity of swIAVs in European pig populations has dramatically increased in recent years. Thus, novel
reassortants and antigenic variants have emerged regionally, that can escape control strategies based on
vaccines licensed for use in Europe. The self-sustaining forms of swine influenza (SI) in large holdings
adversely affect animal health and welfare, and prompts the excessive use of antibiotics when swIAV is
associated with other respiratory pathogens in the porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC), resulting in
severe economic losses. There is an urgent need to increase knowledge of within-herd virus dynamics and
evolution in order to design intervention and prevention measures to limit swIAV persistence in intensive
herds and counteract continuous production losses and emergence of new swIAVs.The objectives of the
research project PIGIE are:
- to define the epidemiological and economic factors that drive the prevalence and dynamics of swIAV in
large pig herds,
- to evaluate the impact that swIAV enzootic infections have on animal welfare, production parameters and
economic productivity,
- to study the genetic and antigenic diversity of swIAV in Europe,
- to identify the host-pathogen factors that would foster swIAV evolution,
- to provide a better understanding of long-lasting and protective immunological memory responses
developed in the infected hosts,
- to identify mitigation points in continuously infected herds,
- to implement and evaluate control strategies that would help to counter sustained infections in closed
intensive herds.

Cooperation Partners:

FLI, Riems