On The Road:
ADOL scientists are often invited to give talks. Besides providing information on ADOL research, these events provide opportunities to interact with our stakeholders. In 2007, the following presentations were given:
· “The Chicken Experience – Assembly, SNPs, and Patterns of LD” by Cheng, NESCent working group: Genomic Approaches to the Study of Adaptive Radiation in African Cichlid Fishes, Durham, NC, March 31 to April 3, 2007.
· “Retroviral Infections of Poultry: A Review” by Fadly, Third International Congress of the Poultry Industry, Moscow, Russia, April 10-13, 2007.
· “Overview of developments in the last 10-15 years in recombinant vaccines” by Silva, American Association of Avian Pathologists' Symposium on "Biotechnology – Impact on Avian Health," Washington, D.C., July 16, 2007.
· “Uncovering the Mysteries of Viral Disease Resistance in Poultry Using a Combination of Genomic and Proteomic Approaches” by Cheng, Genomics and the Land Grant Mission, West Lafayette, IN, Sept. 10-12, 2007.
· “Characterization of reticuloendotheliosis virus isolates obtained from chickens, turkeys and prairie chickens in the United States” by Fadly, 15th Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Association, Beijing, China, September 10-15, 2007.
· “Chicks and SNPs” by Cheng, 5th European Poultry Genetics Symposium, Braedstrup, Denmark, Sept. 26-28, 2007.
· “Using Integrative Genomics to Elucidate Genetic Resistance to Marek’s Disease in Chicken” by Cheng, International Symposium on Animal Genomics for Animal Health, Paris, France, Oct. 23-25, 2007.
· “Genomics and Disease Resistance in Poultry” by Cheng, 2007 Vaccinology Seminar Series, Kalamazoo, MI, Nov. 26, 2007.
Funded Competitive Grants:
ADOL scientists are very competitive in obtaining external grants. These additional funds help us achieve and extend our research goals and mission. Here is a list of competitive grants received in 2007:
· “Genome-Wide Screen for Polymorphic Genes with Cis-Acting Regulatory Elements that Respond to Marek’s Disease Virus Challenge in Chicken” by Cheng and Hunt, USDA, NRICGP.
· “A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Ability of an Integrative Genomics Approach to Identify Specific Genes that Show Allele-Specific Gene Expression following Marek’s Disease Virus Challenge, Which can be used in Marker-Assisted Selection for Line Improvement” by Cheng, Cobb-Vantress Research Advisory Committee.
· "Identifying Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Conferring Marek's Disease Resistance" by Zhang and Heidari, U.S. Poultry & Egg Harold E. Ford Foundation.
· “Study of Distribution of Neoplastic Diseases of Retroviral Etiology in Commercial Poultry Farms in Russian Federation,” by Fadly (project #3802),The International Science and Technology Center (ISTC).
Technology Transfer Activities:
Working with USDA-ARS Midwest Area Technology Transfer Coordinator, ADOL executed several Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) to supply various laboratories in the USA as well as in other countries with specific reagents such as viruses, antibodies, PCR primer sets, fertile eggs, monoclonal antibodies, etc. This year, ARS Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) has also entered into Biological License Agreements (USDA License No. 1448-001) with a commercial vaccine manufacturer for use of a hybridoma producing monoclonal antibodies against Marek’s disease virus.
Outreach Activities:
Several members of ADOL scientific staff participated in a one-day Science Fair that was held during the Math, Science and Technology Camp sponsored by the Black Child and Family Institute in Lansing, Michigan. The target audience was 6th-8th grade students. The students were introduced and took part in activities involving different areas of our research including genetics, pathology, DNA technology, virology, immunology, tissue culture, and farm management. The feedback received from the students and teachers indicated that this outreach activity was very successful.
Visitors:
ADOL offers a unique environment for visiting scientists and scholars to get training and work experiences on various aspects of virus-induced neoplastic diseases of poultry. In 2007, the following individuals came for an extended period:
· Abdel Galil El-Gohary, Visiting Professor from Egypt, Silva lab.
· Suga Subramaniam, visiting scholar, Cheng lab.
· James Finlay, summer veterinary student intern sponsored by NIH grant, Hunt/Dunn lab.
· Bryan Marker, summer veterinary student intern sponsored by the Richard and Joan Witter Scholarship Fund, Dunn lab.
· Shuang Chang, Ph.D. candidate from Ji Lin University, China, Zhang lab.
Welcome:
Graduate students and research associates are vital to the health and vitality of the ADOL research program. We welcome the following new additions in 2007:
· Sean MacEachern, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cheng lab.
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