Overview of research projects

Funding: HZI, 36.669 EUR

Project Details:
Co-infection of viral or bacterial pathogens with SARS-CoV-2 infection in a mouse model Part 2

Funding: KWS Lochow GmbH, 61.988 EUR

Project Details:
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Funding: BMBF, 198.361 EUR

Project Details:
Noroviruses are the most prevalent viral cause of acute gastroenteritis. At least 40 noroviruses have been
described, with new variants regularly emerging. Norovirus evolution, emergence, and circulation are not
entirely understood, especially the role of a potential animal reservoir is insufficiently investigated. Several
lines of evidence suggest norovirus transmission between humans and animals. However, there is no in
vitro system to investigate interspecies transmission to date. Here we set out to establish an ex vivo system
based on intestinal biopsies of various animal species to investigate interspecies norovirus transmission
experimentally. We will use biopsies of dogs, pigs, and chickens as they are highly abundant and kept in
close contact with humans. The risk for transmission is therefore increased. Precision-cut intestinal slices
will be set up and used to investigate norovirus binding, entry/internalization, and replication in the
respective host tissues. Furthermore, the role of the known susceptibility factors, the histo blood group
antigens, will be investigated. Once established, this explant system will allow the investigation of norovirus
receptors, attachment factors and other host determinants in humans and non-human animal species. The
system will also be valuable for investigating other enteric viruses with zoonotic potential, including
coronaviruses, influenza viruses, and dog and pig-specific noroviruses.

Funding: Europa-Programm des Niedersächsischen Ministeriums für Wissenschaft und Kultur aus Mitteln von SPRUNG, 79.770 EUR

Project Details:
The focus is on studying the evolution of viruses in the two hosts arthropods (mosquitoes, ticks) and mammals and the implications for host receptor usage.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Félix Rey, Institut Pasteur, Paris, Frankreich

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für wissenschaft und Kultur, 50.000 EUR

Project Details:
Studierenden der Tiermedizin soll eine Kategorisierungsstrategie für die Haltungsumgebung und Erkrankungen von Schweinen bereits in den ersten beiden Fachsemestern vermittelt werden, um in den späteren Semestern erworbenes Wissen zur Nutztiermedizin besser einordnen und damit besser lernen zu können. Damit wird auf fehlendes landwirtschaftliches Vorwissen der Studierenden und auf den Mangel an Nachwuchs für die Nutztiermedizin reagiert. Die Lehreinheit fokussiert sich auf die technischen Bedingungen in der Stallumgebung (z.B. Fütterungstechnik, Bodenbeschaffenheit), welche die Tiergesundheit maßgeblich beeinflussen. Diese bleiben den Studierenden bisher besonders fremd, sofern sie nicht auf einem landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb aufgewachsen sind. Es sollen dafür vier unterschiedliche Haltungssysteme für Schweine als 360°-Rundgänge gefilmt, für die interaktive Tourengestaltung vorbereitet und mit Informationsmaterial hinterlegt werden. Dazu wird jeweils ein klinischer Fall so aufgearbeitet, dass nur ein offener Blick sowie technischer und biologischer Grundverstand, der ab Studienbeginn vorausgesetzt werden kann, nötig sind, um die Arbeitsaufgabe im Sinne einer Schnitzeljagd zu lösen, bzw. das Grundproblem zu identifizieren. Alle Informationen, die darüberhinausgehend benötigt werden, um den Fall zu lösen, werden an Infopunkten zur Verfügung gestellt. Die Lernkontrolle erfolgt anhand eines weiteren Falls in einer der virtuellen Stallumgebungen ohne Infopunkte und wird asynchron durch den Lehrenden bewertet.

Funding: Nationalparkverwaltung "Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer"", Virchowstr. 1, 26383 Wilhelmshaven", 38.243 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of the project is a survey of the local grey seal population in the entire Lower Saxony and Hamburg Wadden Sea during the birthing season (November-December) 2023 and at the time of the fur change (March-April) 2024.
On five trilaterally coordinated dates (three during the birthing season; two during the fur-change period), airborne surveys will be conducted with a single-engine aircraft. During the aerial surveys of the tidal flats, a high-resolution SLR camera will be used to photograph the haul-outs. In order to determine the number of young born as well as the total population, the photos taken are subsequently analyzed on the computer.

Funding: Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, 110.319 EUR

Project Details:
In der Nutztierhaltung insgesamt, aber auch in der Masthähnchenhaltung im Speziellen, besteht die dringende Notwendigkeit zur Reduktion des Arzneimitteleinsatzes vor dem Hintergrund der damit verbundenen Umweltbelastung. Durch den Einsatz von Mikroalgen soll eine präventive Förderung der Tiergesundheit erreicht werden. Mikroorganismen sind einzellige, pflanzliche Organismen, die über diverse phytogene Inhaltsstoffe mit antiinflammatorischen, immunstimulierenden oder antioxidativen Wirkungen verfügen. In diesem Projekt sollen die Effekte ausgewählter Mikroalgen auf Leistung und Tiergesundheit sowohl in der konventionellen als auch in der ökologischen Masthähnchenhaltung untersucht werden.

Cooperation Partners:

Microganic GmbH, Melle

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

Project Details:
(Deep)freezing is a process for preserving fat. Both the duration and the temperature of the freezing treatment influence the physicochemical and sensory quality of the fat and also the quality of the products made with this fat (Flavia et al. 2014). In our opinion, there have been no studies that have related the influence of the freezing duration and temperature of fat to the quality of the cooked sausage produced with it. For this reason, in the project pork and turkey fat will be stored after freezing for up to 24 weeks at -18 °C and approx. -80 °C. After 12 and 24 weeks, the fat will be processed to cooked cured sausages. The products will be directly characterised with regard to physicochemical (e.g. colour, pH value, aw value, antioxidative capacity), microbiological (e.g. total bacterial count) and sensory properties (following the DLG 5-point scheme). The products will then be cut, packaged in a protective gas atmosphere and stored according to the storage time, which is typical for the product in retail. The control products contain fat that was frozen overnight (for technological reasons).

Funding: Philipp Schwartz-Initiative, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 38.600 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of project is to gain deeper insights into how altered FSH secretion due to GnRH agonist SRI treatment affects FSHR expression, but also how it affects SSC self-renewal, differentiation and proliferation using the dog as a model.
SSC are crucial for male fertility as they sustain spermatogenesis, the continuous process of sperm production, ensuring the maintenance of reproductive function and genetic diversity. Understanding their regulation is essential for addressing fertility issues and reproductive medicine. Besides, the aim is to investigate to what extent the SSC niche is altered, namely how RA and RA generating enzymes are affected by altered peripheral FSH secretion.
For the current project dogs were treated over 5 months with a GnRH slow release implant (SRI); after 5 months the SRI was removed and groups of dogs were surgically castrated at the time of implant removal (week 0) and 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 weeks later, respectively representing either downregulated/arrested spermatogenesis or restart of spermatogenesis at various time points. Besides, untreated healthy male and 2 month-old juvenile dogs served as controls. All samples have been previously characterised in detail within earlier projects.
As FSH is significantly reduced during downregulation and fully restored rapidly after SRI removal, these testicular samples collected during downregulation and subsequent recovery seem to be a promisining model to study effects of altered FSH signaling on SSCs and their niche in a non-rodent model.

Results:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39631561/

Funding: COVID-19-Forschungsnetzwerkes COFONI vom Niedersächsischen Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur über die Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, 50.000 EUR

Project Details:
This project aims at
(1) Establish a database for BSL-3 sample biobanking from preclinical in vivo models of
COVID-19 disease within COFONI-network
(2) Initial review and meta-analysis of internationally available data on preclinical in vivo
models of COVID-19 disease