Agriculture & Agri-food

The bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in beef cattle, causing considerable economic losses. This project explores the role of host genetics in shaping the composition of the microbiome, which is crucial in determining health and disease in ruminants. Here the team will characterize the genomic and metabolic markers, …

Genomic approaches to the control of Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex Read More »

The global market for soybean seed sales is estimated at $3.0 – $4.5 billion. Arcadia Biosciences estimates that superior soybean varieties carrying the enhanced seed oil trait could capture up to 25% of this market. Revenues would be obtained through licensing the trait or the resulting varieties to one or more partners with potential for …

Application of genomics for increasing seed oil content in soybean Read More »

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is an infectious and highly contagious swine virus. Recently, outbreaks of severe PED disease have been reported in the USA and Canada. The goal of this project is to develop a live virus vaccine specifically directed towards sows to protect suckling piglets against disease. Despite long-term efforts, effective vaccines to …

Development of a new generation of modified live virus vaccine for PEDV using reverse genetics system Read More »

After ravaging Asia for over a decade, Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) entered USA in April 2013, and Canada in January 2014. Controlling the spread of PEDV by surveillance and biosecurity measures and eliminating the virus from infected farms are industry priorities. This project will investigate genomic and molecular mechanisms associated with PEDV survivorship in …

Enhanced molecular diagnostics and validating genetic resistance to PEDv in pigs Read More »

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is the causative agent of porcine epidemic diarrhea resulting in high mortality in affected swine, particularly neonatal piglets, characterize PED disease. This emerging virus rapidly spreads and has caused significant economic losses, primarily due to very high mortality (50% to 100%) of young piglets in affected herds. The aim of …

The use of new molecules in association with real-time qPCR assays to discriminate infectious from non-infectious porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) particles Read More »

The existence of considerable host genetic variance in susceptibility to diseases is well documented in the pig, and currently, discussion and research has focused on improving pig health and the most appropriate means to do this. Thus, the goal of this project is to develop genomic tools for genetic improvement of disease resilience in the …

Improving Canadian pork industry profits and export potential by developing genomic tools to enhance health, performance, and disease resilience in wean to finish pigs Read More »

Improving feed efficiency is vital for the swine industry to enhance global competitiveness, reduce the environmental impact, and increase the sustainability and social acceptability of Alberta and Canadian pig production. The overall goal of this project is to genetically improve pig feed efficiency through enhanced genomic estimated breeding values. This project is in collaboration with …

Incorporating whole genome sequencing and 80K SNP data to enhance genomic prediction for pig feed efficiency Read More »

Pigs respond to Salmonella infection with reduced production efficiency, but fairly mild disease symptoms. The greater concern for Salmonella infection in swine production is for reasons of food safety and human health. Results obtained from a previous project suggest that it is possible to identify pigs that will mount a successful defense against Salmonella to …

Validation of biomarkers for decreased Salmonella carriage in swine Read More »

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) causes significant economic losses in both the beef and dairy industries. Although there are many factors contributing to BRD, the bacteria that are largely responsible for the disease share a common feature that is our target for developing effective vaccines.  This project is focused on developing effective preventative measures using novel …

Disease reduction in cattle by eliminating colonization of pathogens Read More »

The health of honey bees has been declining over the past decade, with Canadian beekeepers losing more than a quarter of their colonies each winter since 2006-07. The high colony losses, coupled with the possible loss of access to replacement sources, pose a serious threat to the productivity of major Canadian agri-food industries and jeopardize …

Sustaining and securing Canada’s honey bees using ‘omic tools Read More »