Overview of research projects

Funding: Industry (Stable equipment/Animal husbandry supplies), 196.665 EUR

Project Details:
Sensor-based devices are increasingly used to objectify lameness and other gait abnormalities in horses. Recording the ground reaction forces of the hooves is the gold standard but measurements require well equipped facilities and significant effort. With the help of pressure boots, which can be easily attached to the horse's hooves, their pressure on the ground and position during locomotion can be determined. Data will be compared to established kinetic (pressure measuring plate) and kinematic methods (Equinosis Lameness LocatorTM).

Results:

Keller, J., Jung, K., Geburek, F. Equine Lameness Detection and Monitoring with an Instrumented Hoof Boot.

In: Proceedings of the 5th Scientific Meeting of the European College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, ECVSMR; Cordoba, Spain, October 16-18, 2024; in print

 

Geburek, F., Jung, K., Keller, J. Bewegungsanalyse mit instrumentierten Hufschuhen - was ist möglich?

In: Tagungsband des DVG-Vet-Congress 2024 - 7. Internationaler Kongress zur Pferdemedizin / Tagung der DVG-Fachgruppe Pferdekrankheiten, 1.- 2. November 2024, Berlin, Verlag der DVG Service GmbH, Gießen, ISBN 978-3-86345-736-5, S. 44-46

Funding: Schaumann Stiftung, 5.000 EUR

Project Details:
Die Leber des Milchkuh ist aufgrund der hohen Milchleistung der Tiere ein wichtiges Stoffwechselorgan. Um detallierte Mechanismen erforschen zu können, soll in diesem Projekt bovine embryonale Zellen zu Hepatozyten differenziert werden. Der große Vorteil stammzellbasierter Hepatozytenmodelle ist, dass man nicht abhängig von gesunden Spenderorganismen ist, aus denen funktionsfähige primäre Hepatozyten isoliert werden können. Im
Rahmen verschiedener Projekte wurden bereits unterschiedliche Protokolle beschrieben, um nach einer in-vitro Differenzierung sowohl morphologisch als auch funktionell möglichst Hepatozyten-ähnliche Zellen ("Hepatocyte like-cells", HLC) zu generieren. Hierbei wurden Stammzellen von z.B. Mäusen nach der Isolation mit
verschiedenen Wachstumsfaktoren, Zytokinen und anderen Faktoren kultiviert. Unter anderem kommt bei der
Differenzierung von Stammzellen zu Hepatozyten-ähnlichen Zellen der Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF-2),
Aktivin A, Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) und Dexamethason zum Einsatz. Als Qualitätsmerkmale für die
stammzellbasierten Hepatozyten-ähnlichen Zellen werden die zelluläre Morphologie, sowie die Gen- und
Proteinexpression als funktionelle Komponente herangezogen. So sind diese Zellen in der Lage z.B. Albumin zu
produzieren. Ein weiterer großer Vorteil
dieser stammzellbasierten Hepatozyten ist die deutlich längere Lebensdauer im Vergleich zu den primären
Hepatozyten, welche in Kultur frühzeitig phänotypische Altersanzeichen zeigen und generell nur eine kurze
Überlebensdauer haben.

Funding: Gesellschaft zur Förderung kynologischer Forschung e.V., 11.520 EUR

Project Details:
Hypothyroidism is on of the the most commonly encountered endocrinopathy in dogs. However, low thyroxine concentrations are also found as adaptive mechanismen with other diseases (non-thyroidal illness syndrome, NTIS) and it is correlated with severity of diseases and thus, mortality. A discrimination between hypothyroidism and NTIS is not just viable for proper treatment but eminent for patient?s prognosis. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines have been linked to the pathogenesis of the NTIS in both human and animal studies. The aim of this study was to characterize two common canine endocrinopathies (hypoadrenocorticism, hyperadrenocorticism) and their effects on the thyroid gland in the context of a possible NTIS. A NTIS is defined based on an advanced thyroid panel (TT3, fT3, T3RU, TNF-a, IL-1, and IL-2) in canine serum.
Methods In this retrospective cross-sectional study data and left-over of clinical diagnostic serum samples from dogs stratified as healthy, Cushing?s, or Addison diseased were assessed by a single German veterinary laboratory to avoid inter-assay and intra-assay variability via validated chemiluminescence assay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA [TgAA, IL-1, IL-2, TNF-a]) in accordance to the American Society of Veterinary Clinical Pathologists? (ASVCP) guidelines for Quality Assurance in Laboratories.

Project Details:
A blood test provides information on the physiological or pathological status of an animal. In veterinary medicine, another focus is on monitoring the nutritional status of a patient. The patient's results, obtained through sampling and appropriate analysis procedures, are categorised with previously established RI of a healthy reference population. The laboratory results provide important information for the diagnosis and prognosis of a sick animal. In addition to correct analysis, the reliability of laboratory results requires quality-assured pre-analysis and appropriate and evidence-based RI. Even accurate measurement results can lead to incorrect diagnosis and therapy if the sample has been altered at the time of analysis to such an extent that it no longer corresponds to the basic population of the previously used reference population. Many factors influence the quality of samples in the pre-analytical phase and the basis for assessment in the post-analytical phase. The aim of this project is therefore, for the first time, to focus significantly more on pre-analytical factors in the production of RI. In order to avoid diagnostic errors, pre-analytical workflows should be standardised as far as possible. According to a thorough literature search, the RIs of the following parameters in particular differ significantly from each other and will therefore be reproduced in this paper using a reference population. In particular, this will be done with very clearly defined pre-analytical conditions. From clinical chemistry, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), creatine kinase (CK), total protein (TTP), albumin, total bilirubin, urea, beta-hydroxybutyrate (ß-HBS), free fatty acids (FFA), cholesterol and various minerals are considered.
The aim is to further develop and establish recommendations that can be implemented in daily practice and laboratory work in veterinary medicine, are based on current and quality-assured RI for dairy cows from Germany and lead to meaningful laboratory results.

Project Details:
The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of four distict cytokines, which are important in early bovine pregnancy, on the gene expression in cultured primary bovine hepatocytes. PCR is used to detect how the hepatocellular IGFBP-expression changes when the cells are stimulated with different cytokines in different concentrations. This demonstrates the connection between immunological and endocrine changes in early pregnant cows. We particularly focus on IFNτ, the embryonic pregnancy recognition signal of ruminants.

Project Details:
The aim of this study is the validation of the automated analysis of cell count in bovine synovia using the ADVIA 2120i. Corresponding reference ranges for clinically normal joint aspirates should be developed to differentiate these from pathological samples. In addition, further examinations such as the determination of protein content and a microbiological examination of the samples are carried to analyse whether particular parameters can provide information on clinical appearance, diagnostics or therapy. Both macroscopically abnormal and normal joint aspirates are used for examination.

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch die Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung., 100.000 EUR

Project Details:
The consumption of short-ripened and nitrite-reduced raw sausages can pose a risk to the consumer if a lack of drying and altered ripening processes allow pathogenic and spoilage-causing bacteria to multiply. Bacillus species are used as starter cultures in modern biotechnological processes, but also in traditionally fermented products. They are able to form so-called bacteriocins. These are ribosomally synthesised peptides with a high antibacterial activity. An application of these bacteriocins in sausage production can extend the shelf life and prevent the occurrence of pathogenic germs. As starter cultures, bacteriocin-forming bacteria can make an important contribution to the safe production of short-ripened and nitrite-reduced raw sausages.
In this project, Bacillus species that have not been investigated so far are tested for their antimicrobial properties against meat-relevant spoilage and zoonotic pathogens (e.g. Campylobacter spp., listeria and salmonella). With an already established high-throughput method on a laboratory scale, this can be done with a hundred isolates simultaneously. Cell-free culture supernatants are obtained, which are subsequently used to identify the potential bacteriocins. Promising Bacillus isolates are tested in a second step in short-ripened and nitrite-reduced raw sausage products as a supplement to established starter cultures.

Funding: Das Projekt ist Teil der Modell- und Demonstrationsvorhaben (MuD) Tierschutz im Bundesprogramm Nutztierhaltung. Die Förderung erfolgt aus Mitteln des Bundesministeriums für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL) aufgrund eines Beschlusses des deutschen Bundestages, Projektträger ist die Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE), Förderkennzeichen 2820MDT341., 399.935 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of this model and demonstration project is to scientifically evaluate (partially) mobile slaughtering of poultry and cattle and to communicate the results adequately into practice. Different types of (partially) mobile slaughter units will be analyzed with regard to their effects on the animals (animal welfare) and products from these animals (meat hygiene, meat quality), organizational feasibility, technical requirements, legal conformity and economy. Existing and new scientific findings for the optimization of the above-mentioned aspects will be tested for their suitability, and communicated and transferred into practice. The communication of the results will take place via specialist articles, leaflets/practice guides, specialist videos, homepages, online seminars and information events.

https://www.tiho-hannover.de/stronger

Cooperation Partners:

Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau e.V. (FiBL)

Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft e.V. (DLG)

Funding: Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), 38.190 EUR

Project Details:
In the context of Listeria monocytogenes infections during pregnancy, neurodevelopmental disorders have been described as post-infectious long-term consequences in surviving children, such as cognitive deficits, learning disabilities or personality changes. Neurons migrate several centimeters through the growing brain to reach the correct position and form the proper connections that ensure normal brain structure and function. Our hypothesis is that Listeria monocytogenes infection causes surviving neural progenitor cells to mature more rapidly, and possibly migrate aberrantly. Aberrant migration may then result in defective synapses, some of which could cause network hyperexcitability. In order to study the functional (network) changes induced by infection with Listeria monocytogenes in the developing brain in vitro, in cells of the target species human, neurospheres (a model for brain development) are generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells in high throughput. These will be used for infection experiments in the joint project. Functional readouts will be used to investigate whether infection with Listeria monocytogenes affects the growth of neurites, the ability of growing neurons to migrate, or to form electrically active networks at different stages of neurosphere development. If the hypothesis is confirmed, additional underlying molecular signaling pathways will be investigated in order to identify therapeutic targets in the long term. In a workshop, interested researchers will be introduced to the culture and analysis of human fetal neurospheres after infection.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Sonja Bröer, FU Berlin

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung., 67.500 EUR

Project Details:
Sous vide cooking is the heating of raw ingredients under controlled temperature-time combinations in heat-stable vacuum bags. As with all LTLT cooking methods, the choice of a suitable temperature-time combination is the most important parameter for microbiologically safe food in sous vide-cooking. The aim of this study is to define microbiologically safe temperature-time combinations for the inactivation of pathogens in sous vide-cooked minced beef and pork. In addition, a characterization of technological and sensory aspects of the influence of the sous vide cooking method on hamburger patties is carried out.