Host genetic resistance to viruses
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: The Roslin Institute
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
The outcomes of viral infections and the dynamics of host-pathogen interactions depend jointly upon the genotype of the host and the virus. For any viral strain, host genotype determines infection outcomes, extent and nature of pathology, and appropriate control strategies. Antiviral defences are divergent between species with gain and loss of genes and even entire gene families. For example, birds do not possess some of the genes involved in recognition of DNA viruses in mammals, and these genes are diversified amongst large mammals. Additionally, many viral infections have a limited host range and/or distinct pathology in different hosts. We aim to identify genetic loci controlling resistance and/or pathology, focussing on genetic variation within populations.
Planned Impact
unavailable
Organisations
- University of Edinburgh (Lead Research Organisation)
- Genus plc (Collaboration)
- Free University of Berlin (Collaboration)
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) (Collaboration)
- WorldFish (Collaboration)
- Cawthron Institute (Collaboration)
- Scotland's Rural College (Collaboration)
- INDIAN COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH (Collaboration)
- THE PIRBRIGHT INSTITUTE (Collaboration)
- Benchmark Holdings (Collaboration)
- Eco Animal Health Ltd (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
| Paul Digard (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Arabi YM
(2017)
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
in The New England journal of medicine
Baillie JK
(2018)
Shared activity patterns arising at genetic susceptibility loci reveal underlying genomic and cellular architecture of human disease.
in PLoS computational biology
Bishop SC
(2014)
Genomics and disease resistance studies in livestock.
in Livestock science
Burkard C
(2019)
Gene edited "superpigs" resist devastating disease
in TheScienceBreaker
Burkard C
(2018)
Pigs Lacking the Scavenger Receptor Cysteine-Rich Domain 5 of CD163 Are Resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus 1 Infection.
in Journal of virology
Chakraborty P
(2017)
Marek's disease virus infection of phagocytes: a de novo in vitro infection model.
in The Journal of general virology
| Description | • We identified the first human genetic polymorphism that influences susceptibility to severe disease after infection with the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza A virus. This work was published in Nature. (PIs Digard, Freeman, Hume, Simmonds). • Using specialised sequencing techniques we identified a single nucleotide polymorphism in population linkage disequilbirum with a causative mutation conferring almost complete resistance to the salmon disease Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV). This is now implemented in selection programmes for IPN resistance, and is worth an estimated £24million/year to the Scottish economy (PIs Houston, Bishop). In further work, to elucidate the functional mechanisms underlying the IPNV resistance mutation, a series of studies aimed at comparing the transcriptome profile between resistant and susceptible salmon fry have been performed (the first of which has been published in BMC Genomics). The study demonstrates that both genotypes of fish can become infected with the virus, but that susceptible animals are characterised by a larger, yet ineffective, innate immune response. • A major genetic locus (QTL) affecting host resistance to salmonid alphavirus - a problematic viral disease for salmon in seawater - was discovered in large disease challenge studies of salmon, in collaboration with two major salmon breeding and production companies [Marine Harvest and Salmobreed (Now part of Benchmark)]. This work has been published in the journal Heredity (PIs Houston, Bishop). • Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome is an endemic infectious disease of pigs, manifesting differently in pigs of different ages but primarily causing late-term abortions and stillbirths in sows and respiratory disease in piglets. The causative agent of the disease is the positive-strand RNA PRRS virus (PRRSV). PRRSV only infects a specific subset of cells of the innate immune system of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. Previous research found that the virus needs a specific receptor, CD163, in order to make its own membrane fuse with the host cell membrane in an uptake vesicle to release the viral genetic information into the cytosol and achieve a successful infection. CD163 has a pearl-on-a-string structure, whereby the "pearl"/ domain number 5 was found to interact with the virus and allow it to infect a cell. We generated pigs lacking the CD163 subdomain 5 using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in single cell fertilised eggs. The pigs were healthy under normal husbandry conditions and other biological functions conducted by the CD163 were found to be intact. We isolated a variety of monocyte and macrophage cells from these pigs and found them to be completely resistant to infection by both major genotypes of PRRSV. This work has been published in the journal PloS Pathogens (PIs Archibald, Whitelaw). |
| Exploitation Route | Using a variety of techniques, including gene editing studies in cells from humans, pigs and chickens, genetic studies in critically-ill patients, and novel computational approaches, we have identified several genes that may influence the severity of influenza in humans. These genes may lead us to new drugs to treat flu: we have one new drug being synthesised at the moment for pre-clinical testing. Understanding the genetics will also enable us to design specific "precision medicine" approaches to make sure the right patients get the right treatment. Resistance to viral diseases in salmon, including IPNV, is at the heart of a new strategic partnership between Roslin Institute and Hendrix Genetics. This partnership is initially focussed on developing and implementing CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in Atlantic salmon. Press release: http://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/14697537.Genetic_research_alliance_aims_to_improve_livestock_breeding/?ref=mrb&lp=17 QTLs affecting resistance to salmonid alphavirus (aka Pancreas disease Virus) have been implemented in Atlantic salmon breeding programmes via marker-assisted and genomic selection to help improve resistance to the disease. http://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-press-and-journal-aberdeen/20150522/282411282907070 ; http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2015/salmongene-220515; (Ross H). PRRS is endemic in most pig producing countries worldwide. Vaccines have mostly failed to stop the spread of the virus, which continues to evolve rapidly. Consequently, it is one of the greatest challenges facing pig producers today. In Europe alone, the disease is estimated to cost the pig industry more than €1.5 billion each year. Genome-editing offers opportunities to boost food security by reducing waste and losses from infectious diseases, as well as improving animal welfare by reducing the burden of disease. Our results take us closer to realising these benefits and specifically address the most important infectious disease problem for the pig industry worldwide. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment Healthcare |
| URL | http://www.fishupdate.com/ipn-salmon-gene-research-progress-fishupdate-com/ |
| Description | The most important non academic impacts come from two genetic approaches we have developed to control viral diseases of livestock. The first, and best developed, concerns a salmon virus, while the second is a potential means for controlling one of the most important viral diseases of pigs. With respect to salmon, we identified a means of selecting a genetic trait conferring almost complete resistance to the viral disease Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN). This is now implemented in selection programmes for IPN resistance, and is worth an estimated £24million/year to the Scottish economy. Furthermore, this work provided proof-of-principle of the utility of genetic approaches to controlling infectious disease in aquaculture and has developed into a much wider programme led by Dr Ross Houston, examining other pathogens such as oyster herpes virus amongst others. This programme is still in progress and is reported in more detail in the current Roslin Institute BBSRC strategic programme grants. Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is a panzootic viral disease of pigs that causes major animal suffering and economic losses. PRRS has a very strong economic impact on pork production, substantiated through animal loss or slowed growth, as well as increased biosecurity and biomedical costs exacerbated by secondary infections. In order to enter host cells PRRS virus (PRRSV) attaches to a small portion of a single pig protein called CD163. Using genome editing, the region of the pig CD163 gene encoding the small virus interacting portion was removed. This disrupted the interaction between PRRSV and the host cell and rendered pigs resistant to disease. Both public opinion and the legal framework surrounding genome edited animals are major challenges facing our PRRSV-resistant pigs. Negative publicity surrounding transgenic technologies has resulted in general scepticism about biotechnology in animal breeding, although it has yet to be seen if this will encompass newer technologies such as genome editing. Engagement with multiple stakeholders (consumers, farmers, veterinarians, breeders, and policy makers) is required, in which we are transparent about both the benefits and limitations associated with the PRRSV-resistant pigs. Various modes of dissemination have been used to ensure communication of the results of this research to stakeholders, encouraging public debate on the topic of PRRSV-resistant pigs and more broadly on applications of genome editing in livestock. As both the research and the "product" involves animals, it was important to communicate openly about animal use in research, while stressing the goal of improved animal welfare intertwined with a positive impact for farmers worldwide. Together with the press and public relations team of the University of Edinburgh, a media package detailing the research and the global value of our PRRSV resistant animals was generated. In order to be transparent about our use of animals we allowed the BBC to film not only the piglets, but also the surgical procedure involved in their generation. This was broadcast on The News at Ten. In the media there was broad reporting of our results, totalling over 12 national and 4 international broadcasts, over 20 national print and 40 national online formats, over 20 international online and print formats, and over 20 veterinary and pig related publications. The media package was awarded a Highly Commended by the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK in 2018. We believe we achieved a social impact by introducing the public to the potential welfare benefits that can be achieved through genome editing in livestock, encouraging wider debate on the issue. From a commercial perspective, our patent on CD163 genome edited pigs has been granted and licensed by our industrial partner, Genus plc. The SRCR5 deletion pigs have been generated on the background of their commercial nucleus breeder pigs. Within a rolling approval process with the US American FDA, pigs are being bred and challenged with PRRSV. Preliminary data from that process shows resistance to both PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 challenge in vivo. Phase I submission is completed and further data on the second generation pigs expected to be submitted in 2022. Furthermore, regulators from other countries have indicated they will likely follow an approval by the FDA. Approval of other genome edited pigs and other animals for human consumption, such as the GalSafe pigs in the USA or Madai red sea bream in Japan, are encouraging. The timeline estimated for broader approval and sale of animals is between 3 and 5 years. The beneficiaries of this research include anyone in the pork production chain, as well as the consumer and ultimately the general public. The pigs will have improved welfare as they will be resistant to a debilitating disease. PRRSV infection supresses the pigs' immune response, giving rise to severe secondary infections with other pathogens. Antibiotics use increases between 50-100% in the case of a PRRSV outbreak on a farm, which means eliminating PRRSV infection can also significantly reduce the antibiotics use. The reduced loss of animals and improved weight gain due to the absence of PRRS will reduce food waste in the production chain and increase productivity. Estimates in the US attribute around a 10% production loss in pig rearing to PRRS every year. Ultimately this will reduce costs for the consumer and aid food security. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | (DELTA-FLU) - Dynamics of avian influenza in a changing world |
| Amount | € 5,497,794 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 727922 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 05/2017 |
| End | 11/2022 |
| Description | A global shared data biological sample resource to support productivity improvement for tropical livestock |
| Amount | £5,000,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 09/2015 |
| End | 09/2020 |
| Description | Advancing European Aquaculture by Genome Functional Annotation |
| Amount | € 6,000,000 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 817923 |
| Organisation | European Union |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 04/2019 |
| End | 04/2022 |
| Description | BBSRC Responsive Mode |
| Amount | £900,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/R008612/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | BBSRC responsive mode |
| Amount | £682,857 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/P003966/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2017 |
| End | 12/2020 |
| Description | BBSRC/India DBT Joint call in farmed animal diseases |
| Amount | £1,300,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/L004666/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2014 |
| End | 10/2017 |
| Description | CALL: INTEGRATING AND OPENING RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES OF EUROPEAN INTEREST |
| Amount | € 10,000,000 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | H2020-INFRAIA-2016-1 project number 731014 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 03/2017 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | Direct funding from Industry (Hendrix Genetics) - Genome editing for resistance to IPNV in salmon |
| Amount | £180,892 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Hendrix Genetics |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Start | 06/2016 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Description | Dissecting the molecular pathways of MDV oncoprotein Meq for understanding pathogenesis and aid vaccine development |
| Amount | £384,966 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/R007632/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | Dissecting the molecular pathways of MDV oncoprotein Meq for understanding pathogenesis and aid vaccine development |
| Amount | £312,917 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/R007632/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2018 |
| End | 05/2022 |
| Description | EU H2020 |
| Amount | € 5,500,000 (EUR) |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Department | Horizon 2020 |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | |
| Description | Genome editing for resistance to viral disease in rainbow trout |
| Amount | £161,786 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Hendrix Genetics |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Start | 11/2020 |
| End | 02/2022 |
| Description | Genomic and nutritional innovations for genetically superior farmed fish to improve efficiency in European aquaculture |
| Amount | € 6,149,963 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 818367 |
| Organisation | European Union |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 12/2022 |
| Description | H2020 |
| Amount | € 5,500,000 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | DELTA-FLU |
| Organisation | European Commission H2020 |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Belgium |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 04/2022 |
| Description | Identification of interferon stimulated genes that control Toxoplasma in pig macrophages |
| Amount | £470,900 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/W014807/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2023 |
| End | 12/2025 |
| Description | Identification of interferon stimulated genes that restrict cross-species transmission of influenza A virus. |
| Amount | £614,702 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/S00114X/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2019 |
| End | 09/2023 |
| Description | Interferon-stimulated genes as resilience factors for PRRSV infection |
| Amount | £642,924 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/T015179/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2020 |
| End | 11/2024 |
| Description | NERC Aquaculture Innovation Award |
| Amount | £202,253 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/P010695/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2017 |
| End | 12/2018 |
| Description | Newton International Fellowship |
| Amount | £96,501 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NF160037 |
| Organisation | British Council |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2017 |
| End | 02/2019 |
| Description | Sub-award from BBSRC Flexible Talent Mobility Award (BB/R506564/1). Professor Paul Digard & Dr Eleanor Gaunt. 'Identification of genome eduiting targets for resistance to avian influenza'. |
| Amount | £12,440 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/R506564/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2017 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Description | The SHIELD Consortium for Host Defence Therapeutics |
| Amount | £4,500,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MR/N02995X/1 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2017 |
| End | 07/2021 |
| Title | In silico generation of genome wide guide sequences for pig and chicken |
| Description | One of the aims of the project is to design CRISPR guide sequences against each of the annotated genes for pig and chicken using the most advanced algorithms available. this has now been achieved and selected guide sequences are being test in pig and chicken cell lines to determine efficacy. Once the full libraries have been validated the guide sequences will be made publicly available through dedicated pig and chicken genome websites. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Once publicly available, any researcher will be able to search for guide sequences to their gene of interest, allowing rapid generation of guide sequences to generate knockout libraries. |
| Title | In vitro infection model for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome |
| Description | Peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) are isolated from blood and either cryopreserved or used immediately. PBMC are cultured in vitro in the presence of CSF1 for 5 days.Growth in the presence of CSF1 facilitates the differentiation of PBMC into macrophages. These in vitro differentiated macrophages are subsequently infected with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus, |
| Type Of Material | Model of mechanisms or symptoms - in vitro |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The in vitro PRRS infection model facilitates studies of genetic variation in both host (pigs) and pathogen (e.g. PRRSV) simultaneously. Unlike for the laboratory mouse there is an absence of inbred strains or lines of pigs. The PBMC resource allows the same pig to be infected separately with multiple different pathogens or genetic variants of a pathogen. The PBMC resource and in vitro PRRS infection model also facilitates genetics studies that require population or sample sizes of hundreds to thousands that are not feasible through animal challenge experiments. Thus, the in vitro infection model also contributes to the 3Rs agenda. |
| Title | Cool tools - a biologist friendly parameterized model of an influenza A virus infected cell |
| Description | There is a need for formalised diagrams that both summarise current biological pathway knowledge and support modelling approaches that explain and predict their behaviour. We presented a new, freely available modelling framework that includes a biologist-friendly pathway modelling language (mEPN), a simple but sophisticated method to support model parameterisation using available biological information; a stochastic flow algorithm that simulates the dynamics of pathway activity; and a 3-D visualisation engine that aids understanding of the complexities of a system's dynamics in a publication in the journal PloS Biology. We presented example pathway models that illustrate of the power of approach to depict a diverse range of systems, including a parameterized model of an influenza A virus infected cell. For more details on the assembly and parameterisation of this pathway and to download the pathway itself, see S2 Text, S2 Graphml, S2 Fig and S3 GraphML in: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002530.g005 |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Too early to say, but the publication has been viewed nearly 8000 times in the 7 months since it was published. |
| Title | FANTOM consortium |
| Description | Our ongoing engagement with the FANTOM5 consortium has enabled the identification of the full set of promoters and enhancers used in the human and mouse genome; work recently published in two Nature papers |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Through the FANTOM5 consortium, we demonstrated that the SNP associated with disease susceptibility in humans is unlikely to be causal, and identified enhancers that control all three members of the IFITM family during monocyte-macrophage differentiation (http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood-2013-02-484188). In a detailed study in mice, we identified the relationships between type 1 and type II interferon responses in macrophages (http://dx.doi.org/10.1189/jlb.6HI0313-169R). |
| URL | http://fantom.gsc.riken.jp/5/ |
| Title | PRJEB14979 |
| Description | Marek's Disease Virus (MDV) is a widespread alphaherpesvirus of poultry that causes Marek's disease (MD) characterised by fatal visceral CD4+ TCRaß+ T cell tumours at high incidence in susceptible hosts. As is the case with many virus-induced tumours, immortal cell lines harbouring viral genome have been generated from ex vivo cultures of MD tumours. As readily-available sources of large numbers of cells of a uniform type, MDV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) have proved extremely valuable in studying virus-host interaction. While the viral genome is held in a latent state in most of the cells, a minor population of cells display spontaneous reactivation identifiable by the expression of lytic viral genes such as pp38. The process of spontaneous reactivation in these cell populations offers the opportunity for investigating the biological processes involved in the reactivation events. For this, we used two lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from lymphomas induced by pRB1B-UL47eGFP, a recombinant MDV engineered to express EGFP fused with the UL47. We used Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to purify the rare EGFP-positive cell population with spontaneously activating viral genome from the majority EGFP-negative cells and analysed their gene expression profiles by RNA-sequencing using Illumina HiSeq2500. The reads generated were mapped using TopHat and gene expression levels were analysed by edgeR. Ingenuity pathway analysis software on more than 2000 differentially-expressed genes between the lytically infected (EGFP-positive) and latently infected (EGFP-negative) cell populations was used identify major biological pathways involved in the reactivation. These studies revealed that amongst others, transcripts directly involved in T activation such as CD3 complex, CD28, ICOS, phospholipase C, CD3 complex were down-regulated following reactivation of the virus in the LCL. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | These data detail the gene expression changes during spontaneous activation of MDV and will be useful to researchers investigating the mechanism of action of this important virus, as well as in vaccine design |
| URL | https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/data/view/PRJEB14979 |
| Description | Biochemical interaction of CD163 with PRRSV glycoproteins GP2, GP3, and GP4 |
| Organisation | Free University of Berlin |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are providing purified, tagged CD163 protein variations for the assessment of biochemical and biophysical interactions of the protein with the PRRSV glycoproteins GP2, GP3, and GP4 and glycoprotein complex GP2/3/4. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our collaboration partners area analysing the biochemical and biophysical interactions of CD163 variants with the PRRSV glycoproteins GP2, GP3, and GP4 and glycoprotein complex GP2/3/4 using their established baculoviral expression system. |
| Impact | So far we are in the early stages of this collaboration and many protocols are still being optimised. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Centre for tropical livestock genetics and health (CTLGH) |
| Organisation | International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) |
| Country | Kenya |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Mick Watson is co-leading programme 5 (informatics and bioresources) programme of CTLGH which aims to collect data on genotype and phenotype into a central database which can subsequently be mined for useful associations. So far we have ensured that scientists have access to the latest high performance computing environment for research, we have analysed and continue to analyse hundreds of farm animal genomes from LMIC countries, and we have built the data portal (http://data.ctlgh.org) |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners are involved in all programmes, which include:Program 1: Harnessing genetic variability among indigenous and exotic breeds of cattle (as well as their crosses) to develop genetic and genomic tools that will be used to improve productivity under harsh tropical conditions and to mitigate the impact of cattle on climate change. Program 2: Harnessing genetic variability in tropical productivity and adaptation among various breeds of Chickens. Program 3: Development and application of precision breeding (through novel reproductive and germplasm technologies) to achieve step changes in livestock genetic improvement. Program 4: Understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the tolerance of certain cattle and poultry breeds to tropical diseases and pests. Program 5: A shared global data and biological sample resource to support continued research and development on tropical livestock genetics and health. |
| Impact | The data portal so far: http://data.ctlgh.org The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, bringing together geneticists, parasitologists, virologists, epidemiologists and data scientists together. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Centre for tropical livestock genetics and health (CTLGH) |
| Organisation | Scotland's Rural College |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Mick Watson is co-leading programme 5 (informatics and bioresources) programme of CTLGH which aims to collect data on genotype and phenotype into a central database which can subsequently be mined for useful associations. So far we have ensured that scientists have access to the latest high performance computing environment for research, we have analysed and continue to analyse hundreds of farm animal genomes from LMIC countries, and we have built the data portal (http://data.ctlgh.org) |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners are involved in all programmes, which include:Program 1: Harnessing genetic variability among indigenous and exotic breeds of cattle (as well as their crosses) to develop genetic and genomic tools that will be used to improve productivity under harsh tropical conditions and to mitigate the impact of cattle on climate change. Program 2: Harnessing genetic variability in tropical productivity and adaptation among various breeds of Chickens. Program 3: Development and application of precision breeding (through novel reproductive and germplasm technologies) to achieve step changes in livestock genetic improvement. Program 4: Understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the tolerance of certain cattle and poultry breeds to tropical diseases and pests. Program 5: A shared global data and biological sample resource to support continued research and development on tropical livestock genetics and health. |
| Impact | The data portal so far: http://data.ctlgh.org The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, bringing together geneticists, parasitologists, virologists, epidemiologists and data scientists together. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Collaboration with Benchmark PLC in salmon gene editing |
| Organisation | Benchmark Holdings |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration has been to develop a successful Industrial Partnership Award proposal for BBSRC into gene editing for disease resistance in salmon. Our team have developed gene editing facilities and capability in house for salmon (cell culture and embryos), and worked together with Benchmark to codevelop the project which begins on 1 April 2018. The reference code is BB/R008612/1. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners are bringing substantial in kind contribution, cash contribution and expertise to the project. This includes access to samples and data from their salmon breeding programme in Norway, and access to year-round salmon gametes for gene editing experiments. |
| Impact | Outputs include the successful award of project BB/R008612/1 |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Collaboration with Cawthron Institute in New Zealand |
| Organisation | Cawthron Institute |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration is built around a BBSRC partnering award in which I was the UK PI (BB/N022114/1 New Zealand - UK Paterning Award: Breeding for disease resistance in farmed oysters using genomic tools). The idea is to merge the genomic tools and skills that we have developed in the UK with the advanced shellfish selective breeding programmes that Cawthron run in New Zealand. Our research team has, for example, developed a high density SNP genotyping array for farmed oysters - the first of its kind for this species. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Cawthron have world-leading selective breeding programmes for shellfish, including Pacific Oysters. One of the main target traits is to increase resistance to Oyster Herpes Virus (OHV) which can decimate stocks on oyster farms. They are providing our collaborative projects with access to extensive samples and data from their pedigreed oysters which have been challenged with OHV, in addition to their time to manage and run the project and provide intellectual input. |
| Impact | Funded collaborative grant: NE/P010695/1 Application of genetic markers to improve resistance to herpes virus in commercial oyster populations This grant application builds on the BBSRC travel award and will provide funds for genotyping Cawthron's pedigreed oyster material with our high density SNP array developed under the BBSRC Aquaculture Initiative project BB/M026140/1 Investigation of Host Genetic Resistance to Oyster Herpes Virus using a High Density SNP Array. The downstream impact will be improved selective breeding for disease resistance in oysters, and transfer of much needed skills and expertise in advanced shellfish breeding from NZ to the UK. These collaborations also involve the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas). The collaboration brings together expertise in genomics, sequencing, selective breeding, shellfish biology and virology. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Development of antiviral therapeutics against PRRSV |
| Organisation | Eco Animal Health Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Based on previous results and results obtained in this project, antiviral therapeutics are being developed in collaboration with Eco Animal Health. We are developing methods and testing the antiviral compounds as well as actively contributing to their improvement. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Eco Animal Health are developing, synthesising, and providing the compounds tested. At the same time, those compounds give us mechanistic insights into the interaction of CD163 with PRRSV. |
| Impact | A patent application at the end of 2019 has been reviewed favourably and is on a good path to get granted. A second patent application has been submitted. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | ILRI |
| Organisation | International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) |
| Country | Kenya |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We work with ILRI on all aspects of genomics and data science, including whole genome sequencing of multiple African animals, data recording and database design, web and web content development, and bioinformatics training. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We work with ILRI on all aspects of genomics and data science, including whole genome sequencing of multiple African animals, data recording and database design, web and web content development, and bioinformatics training. |
| Impact | So far we have sequenced the genomes of approx 800 African farm animals from diverse breeds and ecotypes |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | In vivo challenge of genome edited deltaSRCR5 pigs with PRRSV-1 |
| Organisation | Genus plc |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Following the successful generation of pigs lacking domain 5 (SRCR5) of the CD163 and the promising in vitro results, showing primary cells of these pigs to be resistant against PRRSV infection we obtained further funding from Genus plc. to conduct an in vivo study. 4 delta SRCR5 pigs and 4 wild type pigs were challenged with PRRSV-1. We conducted the study and analysed the outcomes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Genus plc contributed funding to conduct the in vivo study to assess infectability of delta SRCR5 pigs with PRRSV-1 |
| Impact | We published the results of this study in a scientific publication, disseminated the results in a press release package, as well as presented the work at various scientific conferences and public engagement events. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Maintenance of delta SRCR5 pigs |
| Organisation | Genus plc |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Breeding and maintenance of the genome edited delta SRCR5 pig line from the end of "Engineering resistance to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV)" (BB/L004143/1) and the beginning of "Understanding the CD163 - PRRS virus interaction to improve genetic engineering for resistance" (BB/R004463/1). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Genus plc provided the funds for breeding and maintenance of the delta SRCR5 pigs. |
| Impact | The outcomes of this project are directly interlinked with the outcomes of the grants mentioned above. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Pirbright Institute |
| Organisation | The Pirbright Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As BBSRC Institutes within the National Institutes of Bioscience umbrella we collaborate on a variety of virology projects, pooling expertise, facilities and data. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Please see the specific publications involving joint authors |
| Impact | Toward the aim of defining the basis of resistance of poultry to viral diseases (DO1.2), we analysed the early immune response of Brown Leghorn and inbred line 61 chickens housed by the National Avian Research Facility to infection by Infectious Bursal Disease Virus, in collaboration with The Pirbright Institute. This identified candidate genes and pathways associated with resistance (DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02828-14). Uplift funding totalling >£800k linking Pirbright and Roslin Institute researchers will use epitope fingerprinting to investigate the genetic plasticity of infectious bronchitis virus strains to develop improved cross-protective vaccines (BB/M012069/1). Toward making disease-resistant animals, research linking ISPG2 and ISPG4 aims to define the contribution of RelA polymorphism to resistance to African Swine Fever Virus in pigs. Challenge experiments at The Pirbright Institute are ongoing at the time of writing. We currently have two joint PhD students shared between the Institutes - one (Miss Anabel Clements, supervised by Professor Paul Digard [RI] and Drs Munir Iqbal and Holley Shelton [PI]) is working on virulence determinants of avian influenza virus, while the other (Miss Laura Dunn, supervised by Dr Pip Beard [RI] and Dr Linda Dixon [PI]) is studying miRNA modification by African swine fever virus. Dr Beard, a senior virologist and pathologist has been appointed to a joint Roslin / Pirbright position, starting 1st May, 2016. |
| Description | Roslin-Genus Cooperative Partnership Addendum 16 |
| Organisation | Genus plc |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | The Roslin Institute team conceived and executed the research project to test the hypothesis that gene-editing the pig CD163 gene would confer resistance to infection with PRRSV. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Genus team contributed to the project design and management. |
| Impact | Paper published: Burkard et al. 2017. PLOS Pathogens 1392): e1006206 |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | Strategic research partnership with WorldFish |
| Organisation | Worldfish |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | A strategic research partnership has been established between Roslin and WorldFish. This partnership is initially focussed on use of advanced genetic and genomic technology to improve selective breeding of tilapia - one of the world's most important foodfish. Our contribution has included development of a research programme that builds on research performed in Atlantic salmon to inform strategies and techniques to implement genomic selection in WorldFish tilapia breeding programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | WorldFish run a family based selective breeding programme for tilapia and will provide data and samples from this programme to inform the research. |
| Impact | This is a multidisciplinary partnership involving researchers involved in tilapia health, genetics, molecular biology and bioinformatics. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal India |
| Organisation | Indian Council of Agricultural Research |
| Department | National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases |
| Country | India |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration is directly funded by a joint grant from the BBSRC and Indian DBT (see further funding awards). The Roslin side brings expertise in avian genomics and influenza A virus molecular biology |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners at NIHSAD bring expertise in highly pathogenic influenza A virus pathogenicity studies carried out under high biosafety containment. The overall aim is to investigate the determinant that set resistance or susceptibility to avian influenza amongst diverse birds species including chickens, ducks, pigeons and crows. |
| Impact | See publication: PMID 25592823 |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Title | DOMAIN 5 OF CD163 FOR USE IN ANTIVIRAL COMPOSITIONS AGAINST PRRS, AND TRANSGENIC ANIMALS |
| Description | The present invention relates to methods and compositions useful for the prevention and/or treatment of PRRS in animals, typically domestic pigs. The invention relates to proteins which comprise fragments of CD163, nucleic acid constructs encoding such proteins, and methods of modifying expression or activity of CD163 in vivo. |
| IP Reference | WO2015011483 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2015 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Steps along the way to converting this intellectual property into socio-economic impact including establishing regulatory approval, if necessary, for products from gene edited pigs to enter the food chain generally or in this specific example and agreeing licensing terms with appropriate players in the agri-food chain. |
| Title | SWINE COMPRISING MODIFIED CD163 AND ASSOCIATED METHODS |
| Description | The present invention relates to genetically edited swine which produce CD163 protein in which the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich 5 (SRCR5) domain (also known as CD163 domain 5) has been deleted. Such swine have been found to be healthy and do not exhibit negative properties, and are resistant to PRRSV infection. CD163 expressed in the edited swine also demonstrates retention of the ability to function as a haemoglobin-haptoglobin scavenger. Methods of producing such swine are also provided. |
| IP Reference | WO2018073237 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2018 |
| Licensed | Yes |
| Impact | The patent on hand describes methods by which to generate animals resistant to PRRSV by genome editing SRCR domain 5 of the porcine protein CD163. This Intellectual Property has been licensed to Genus plc https://www.ed.ac.uk/roslin/news-events/archive/latest-news/agreement-targets-disease-resistant-gene-edited-pi |
| Description | 'Science Insights 2022' - Research presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Science Insights is a work placement programme for high school pupils about to enter S6 (final year at high school). Backgrounds and insights around animal biotechnology were presented to the pupils and inspired engaging discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | A Workshop , " DNA Profiling: The Great Escape" aimed at HIgh school students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | A Workshop , " DNA Profiling: The Great Escape" aimed at HIgh school students. Organised by the Social Mobility Foundation with students from North Ayrshire Council, South Lanarkshire Council , Midlothian Council, and Glasgow City Council, Wide ranging , pupil directed discussion on science as a career . Pupils reported that this changed their view of what was possible fro them to achieve. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Animal Genetics and Diseases Conference Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK : Genome wide CRISPR knockout screen identifies host factors involved in Bovine Herpes Virus Type 1 infection. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk at an international conference on Animal genetics and diseases. Reported the use of CRIPSRi screens in cattle, raising awareness of the feasibility of using this approach in the study of host:pathogen interactions in livestock. Feed back from participants was positive and generated discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Annual Roslin Institute Open Doors Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The annual Roslin Institute Open Doors day was held on 14 October 2017 and was attended by 491 people. It involved 81 members of staff and students and showcased a wide range of research arising from BBSRC strategic investment, including (but not limited to), food safety, influenza, genetic improvement, DNA, imaging and the ethical treatment of animals in research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Avian Pathogenesis Meeting, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute. "Generation of genome wide CRISPR Cas9 libraries for pig and chicken" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Avian Pathogenesis Meeting was organised to provide an opportunity for interaction and collaboration with veterinary scientists from China. I presented our work on genome-wide CRISPR/cas9 libraries for pig and chicken and ISG libraries for pig and chicken. We highlighted our new capability to perform high throughput systematic functional screens in livestock species. Potential collaborations and sharing of resources were discussed and are currently being acted on. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | BBSRC Animal Health Research Club Final Dissemination Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A final presentation was given on the BBSRC Animal Health Research Club project on "Genetics of host responses to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSV) was given followed by discussion of the results. There was also a wider discussion on the challenges of studying the genetics of host responses to infection in pigs - challenge experiments in animal research facilities lack the power as the numbers that can be studied are too small on the one hand, but field data from natural exposure to disease can be noisy and logistically challenge to acquire. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | BBSRC Animal Health Research Club Fourth Dissemination Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A retrospective report on the BBSRC Animal Health Research Club project on "Engineering resistance to Porcine Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSV)" was presented including the ongoing research in the BBSRC project " Understanding the CD163 - PRRS virus interaction to improve genetic engineering for resistanc" (BB/R004463/1) and outreach activities. This was followed by questions and discussions from/with scientists engaged in other BBSRC Animal Health Research Club and with representatives from the industrial co-funders of the BBSRC Animal Health Research Club. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | British Science Festival Hull 2018: "From lab to farmyard: genome editing our livestock" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A talk on genome editing and it's potential impact on livestock breeding was presented to the general public at the British Science Festival in Hull in 2018. Around 50-100 people attended the talk. Publicity around the event, including blogging, press releases etc. reached a much larger public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.britishsciencefestival.org/event/from-lab-to-farmyard-genome-editing-our-livestock/ |
| Description | CPD event for High School Biology teachers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | SSERC CPD Summer School for 22 high school teachers. A lecture on the principles and application of genome editing and delivery of parts of a workshop we were developing on "Cows, Coughs and CRISPR". The participants reported an increased understanding of the topic and their feedback on the workshop allowed us identify an appropriate level of content and to further tailor it to the needs of the school curriculum. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Come Dine With The Future |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | What will we be eating in 50 years time? H Sang and 4 other presenters described what will be on their dinner menu, considering advances in technology and challenges of sustainability |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkta-s7z9DY |
| Description | Easter Bush Campus annual open day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The annual Roslin Institute Open Doors day was held on 13 October 2018 and was attended by over 600 people. It showcased a wide range of research arising from BBSRC strategic investment, including (but not limited to), gene editing food safety, influenza, genetic improvement, DNA, imaging and the ethical treatment of animals in research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Flu Fighters public exhibition stand |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 4. With £10k BBSRC funding, ISPG4-funded researchers jointly developed 'Flu-Fighters', an interactive exhibit suitable for children and adults highlighting our research to create influenza-resistant farm animals, develop improved vaccines and diagnostic tests, and understand the role of viral and host factors in the outcome of infection. This was run over three days in November 2014 at the Great British Bioscience Festival (visited by over 6500 people) as part of BBSRC's 20th anniversary programme. ISPG4 scientists were involved in running it again at the Royal Society's 2015 Summer Science Exhibition in London. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015,2016 |
| Description | GENOME 10K & GENOME SCIENCE Invited Talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation by Alan Archibald at the NORWICH RESEARCH PARK, NORWICH, UK on "Precision engineering for PRRSV resistance in pigs". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Genome Wide CRISPR Knockout Screen Identifies Host Factors Important for Bovine Herpes Virus Type 1 Replication. Plant and Animal Genomics PAG 2020 San Diego, USA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | PAG is the major international conference on plant and animal genetics. Reported the use of CRIPSRi screens in cattle, raising awareness of the feasibility of using this approach in livestock to study genetic basis of susceptibility or resistance to pathogens. Feed back from participants was positive and generated discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Genome Wide CRISPR Knockout Screen Identifies Host Factors Involved in Bovine Herpes Virus Type 1 Infection. Genome Science Edinburgh, UK Invited speaker ( Dr W. Tan) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk at an international genetics conference. Reported the use of CRIPSRi screens in cattle, raising awareness of the feasibility of using this approach in the study of host:pathogen interactions in livestock. Feed back from participants was positive and generated discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | How gene editing can contribute to the future of food production, Future of Food and Agriculture, New Scientist Live |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A panel discussion and interaction through questions of the public on the future of genome-edited animals in the food sector and in the worldwide development of agriculture. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Institute of Animal Pathogology, University of Bern. "Bringing high throughput approaches to livestock species". Invited talk. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Was invited to Bern to present on our work on developing CRISPR/Cas9 and ISG libraries for pig and chicken. Collaborations and sharing of resources were discussed and are being put into action. Additionally the visit was organised to increase links with an institute with aligned scientific interests. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Invited Speaker - 33rd ENGL Plenary Meeting - European Commission |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on novel breeding technologies in animals and how advances can help us face global challenges. Attendees from the European Commission, Ministries from European member states, researchers and the overall audience showed a keen interest in the advances recently made in the animal biotechnology sectors. There is a clear interest in regulating and thereby opening the pathway to integration of novel breeding technologies from member states. The discussion was very engaged and has since lead to more specific interactions with the ministries of individual member states. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Invited Talk at the Wellcome Animal Genetics and Diseases conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | As part of the Wellcome Animal Genetics and Diseases conference I presented our and other peoples work on genome editing for disease resistance and production traits in livestock. The audience was a conglomerate of national and international scientists at all career stages and highly engaged in debating both scientific as well as policy questions surrounding genome editing technology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Invited participation - 2nd Albrecht Mueller ARRIGE Seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Important discussion around the Social and Ethical Implications of Genome Editing in Animals. Particularly impactful in the context of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) bill in the UK and linked responses from interested parties. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.arrige.org/portfolio/2nd-albrecht-muller-arrige-seminar/ |
| Description | Invited presentation - 4th International Workshop on Regulatory Approaches for Agricultural Applications of Animal Biotechnologies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Workshop discussions on international trade and regulation of novel breeding technologies in animal biotechnology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Invited round table lead World Vaccine Congress 2018, Lisbon |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | In a session looking out to new developments in the world-wide vaccine sector I was asked to lead a round table on genome editing (for disease resistance) in livestock and how that may affect the sector but also whether the biopharma industry should invest in genome editing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Invited speaker Heinrich Pette Institute |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk about using genome editing in livestock for disease resistance and why understanding protein interactions is essential to this. The audience were primarily staff and students of the HPI and the university of Hamburg. The institute is highly engaged in structural interaction studies and there was a fruitful discussion on how interdisciplinary collaborations can contribute to the larger picture. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Invited speaker Production Diseases in Farm Animals, 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Around 200 people attended my talk at the Production Diseases in Farm Animals conference. I presented on genome editing for disease resistance in livestock species, implications on breeding, and the regulatory framework and policies. This sparked a wide and interesting discussion with many follow-up questions primarily from members of industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Invited speaker summer school Leiden University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Lecture on genome editing in livestock for production traits and disease resistance, the technology behind it, and the policy changes happening around the world. Around 25 students (both under- and postgraduate) attended the lecture and were engaged in a very broad discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Invited talk European Veterinary Vaccinology Workshop 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk on career opportunities in academia for young scientists |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTujbImUCcI |
| Description | Invited talk FU Berlin - Genome editing in livestock |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on genome editing in livestock in general (and the opportunities that creates) as well as specifics on genome editing in pigs for disease resistance. Both fellow scholars from different universities in Berlin as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students were attending the talk. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Invited talk at the Swiss Virology Meeting 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A talk presenting an overview or our research activities from genome editing, primary cell models (including organoids, iPSCs, primary cells, complex cell models) with a primary focus on genome editing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | http://swissvirology.ch/ |
| Description | Invited talk on Enabling Collaboration in Livestock Research. BBSRC Session. BSAS Annual Conference 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at the annual conference of the British Society of animal Science 2018 on "Gene edited pigs are resistant to PRRSV infection whilst maintaining biological function of the editing target gene CD163" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Keynote Lecture IPRRSS / IPVS 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on "Gene edited pigs are resistant to PRRSV infection whilst maintaining biological function of the editing target gene CD163" at the international PRRSV symposium and the International Pig Veterinary Society meeting 2018 in Chonqing, China. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Laboratory based workshop for High school students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | As part of the funding of BB/P003966/1 we developed a hands on , full day, workshop, cows, coughs and CRIPSR, for High school pupils based on genome editing. This approach aligned with the Biology curriculum and was designed to a) give pupils hands on experience of common laboratory techniques, b) to introduce them to scientific method and the approach to developing a research project, c) to introduce them to the work done in the Institute and in this grant in particular and d) to increase there understanding of the life of a scientist and the opportunities available to them. 16 Pupils and3 staff from schools in North Lanarkshire , all from areas of social deprivation, attended the course. The pupils enjoyed the course and all felt that they had gained a better understanding of the science we do and of the potential careers open to them. Likewise the staff were very positive about the workshop and the effect on their pupils. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Lothian Agricultural Discussion Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Visit by the Lothian Agricultural Discussion group to the Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility. Primarily from a farming or veterinarian background the audience was engaged in listening to the talks and asking further questions around biotechnology and animal research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | New Scientist Future of Food Webinar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Ross Houston took part in the New Scientist Future of Food and Agriculture workshop by taking part in a panel discussion on genome editing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.newscientist.com/science-events/future-food-agriculture/ |
| Description | One Health Models of Infectious Disease. University of Edinburgh. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presenting our work on generation of genome wide CRISPR Cas9 libraries for pig and chicken. The meeting was aimed at establishing a Wellcome Trust studentship program at the Roslin Institute. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Organised a British Council Researcher Links conference in Mexico |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Co-organised a Researcher Links conference about Genomics in Aquaculture in Merida, Mexico in January 2017. This 5 day event featured around 40 scientists, with a mix of young researchers and mentors from both the UK and Mexico. This has already led to several collaborative links between UK and Mexico in this field. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://sites.google.com/site/genomicsinaquaculturemxuk/home |
| Description | Peebles Brownies Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | 80 brownies attended a hands on workshop aimed at educating girls in the career opportunity's available in science |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Presentation to the BBSRC executive committee "Bringing high throughput approaches to livestock species" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The BBSRC executive were visiting Roslin Institute to review on going research programs as part of the ISP funding. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation to the Slovenian ministries of agriculture, economy, and higher education on genome editing in animals |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | An presentation on the use of new breeding technologies in animals to tackle global challenges. Engaged discussion with the participants on how these technologies can be regulated and integrated in international livestock production. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Press interviews on PRRSV-resistant pigs press release |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In connection with the publication of our research paper "Pigs Lacking the Scavenger Receptor Cysteine-Rich Domain 5 of CD163 Are Resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus 1 Infection" (doi: 10.1128/JVI.00415-18) numerous press interviews were held and inquiries from the public responded to. Media broadcast interviews (Radio or TV) UK: • BBC Scotland • BBC National • BBC International • BBC Farming Today • BBC Sunday Morning Live Print media interviews UK: • The Guardian • The Times • Veterinary Times • Vet Record • The Scientist International print and broadcast interviews: • Swiss Radio & TV (SRF) • NTN24 (CST Science, Health & Technology Magazine, Latin Americas) • Country Today (Victoria, Australia, Radio) • Country Life (Agricultural Newspaper, BC, Canada) • Agri-Pulse (Agri Newspaper, Washington DC, USA) • Bloomberg / Newsroom (Hong Kong) • Rabobank / Raboworld (The Netherlands / Worldwide, Finance) Requests from the general public / public organisations: • Quality Meat Scotland |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| Description | Press reports on PRRSV-resistant pigs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In connection with the publication of our research paper "Pigs Lacking the Scavenger Receptor Cysteine-Rich Domain 5 of CD163 Are Resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus 1 Infection" (doi: 10.1128/JVI.00415-18) we published a press package and answered interview request from many broadcasting and media agencies. As a result the following print and broadcast pieces were released: International Broadcast: BBC Scotland, BBC News at Six, BBC News at Ten, BBC World, BBC Sunday Morning Live, BBC Radio 4 Farming Today, BBC Radio Five Live, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC World Service, Guardian Podcast, BBC Radio Shetland, Swiss Radio & TV (SRF), Country Today (Victoria, Australia, Radio), Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, France 24 Print UK: The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian, Scottish Daily Mail, The i, Scottish Daily Express, The Sun, Scottish Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, Metro, The Herald, Scotsman, Daily Record, Dundee Courier, Edinburgh Evening News, Aberdeen Evening Express, The Week, Press & Journal, Yorkshire Post Online UK BBC Online, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, The Times, The Guardian, Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Scotsman, Irish News, Irish Examiner, Shropshire Star, Express & Star, Hastings Observer, Scarborough News, Eastbourne Herald, Shoreham Herald, West Sussex County Times, Yorkshire Evening Post, Glasgow South & Eastwood Extra, Rye & Battle Observer, Crawley Observer, Bognor Regis Observer, Mid Sussex Times, Worthing Herald, Littlehampton Gazette, Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, Portsmouth News, Chichester Observer, Midhurst & Petworth Observer, Dundee Evening Telegraph, Aberdeen Evening Express, Independent Recorder, TDNews, BT.com, BreakingNews.ie, The London Economic, The Weekly Observer, The Scientist, The London Economic, Science Magazine, Earth.Com, Independent Recorder, BT.com, Breakingnews.IE, I4U News, Press & Journal, Livekindly.co, Tech Times, IFLScience, Technology Networks Online / Print International: NTN24 (CST Science, Health & Technology Magazine, Latin Americas), Infosurhoy, The Economic Times (India), First Post (India), Eurasia Review, HealthEuropa, Jstor Daily, Times Of India, St Lucia News Online, Times Now (India), Business Standard (India), CanIndia.com (India), Green Report (Italy), New Kerala.com, Fanpage.It (Italy), Le Monde Veterinaire (France) Veterinary / Science-related press: Agri-Pulse, Veterinary Times, Vet Record, Pig World, Feedstuffs, Laboratory Equipment, GlobalMeatNews.com, Animal Pharm, Ag Daily, Agribusiness Intelligence, Laboratory Equipment, Pig Progress, Pig World, Labiotech.EU, MRCVS, Farmweek, National Hog Farmer, Farming UK, Frontline Genomics, Farmers Weekly, Food Weekly News |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| URL | https://www.ed.ac.uk/roslin/news-events/latest-news/gene-edited-pigs-resistant-billion-dollar-virus |
| Description | Regulation of splicing by the host ubiquitin segregase, VCP/p97, is essential for human cytomegalovirus replication |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | invited seminar at Glasgow Virology Workshop, University of Glasgow . |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Research Insights: Science after Dolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Research Insights podcast on Science after Dolly. Interdisciplinary presentation on genome editing (for PRRSV resistance) and the ethics around it. Sparking a good discussion on regulation, dysregulation, and ethics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.ed.ac.uk/medicine-vet-medicine/news-events/college-events/research-insights/winter-21-22... |
| Description | School workshop at The Roslin Institute |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | "Cows, coughs and CRISPRs" full day practical workshop introducing 15 pupils from High Schools on the Scottish Mobility Foundation list to the concepts of genome editing and practical aspects molecular biology. The pupils reported not only that they had learned from, and enjoyed the session but that they had also gained an insight into the possibilities open to them in Higher education. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Seminar on genome editing for PRRSV resistance at CLSU, Munoz, The Philippines |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Genome editing for disease resistance in livestock in general and in pigs for PRRSV resistance was presented to all veterinary students and other department students at Central Luzon State University in the Philippines. Students could inquire the techniques and developments in this field and assess identify new approaches to disease treatments / prevention in animals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Swine Practitioner workshop - Germany |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | 3--40 veterinarians/industry representatives discussed other approached to diagnose and treat infectious disease in pigs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Swine Practitioner workshop - Korea |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We discussed novel approaches to diagnose and treat infectious disease in pigs. We also discussed to make a workshop in China which will occur in November 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Talk at the American Society for Virology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on "Using precision editing tools and novel pig stem cell technology to generate PRRSV-resistant pigs". Attended primarily by international researchers, but also media, industry, and third sector organisations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Talk on genome editing at Newcastle University Animal Science Conference 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk on genome editing at the Newcastle University Animal Science Conference 2021. Fantastic discussion on regulation and great interaction with students on the subject. Great feedback and interest in the area. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | TedX Glasgow "Why do we need GM chickens?" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | TedX Glasgow is a volunteer-run event attended by a an audience from school children to people supported by their employers to attend for personal development. The talks are very varied addressing a wide range of topics and so this was an opportunity to talk about GM technology in a Scottish context and in the context of sustainable agriculture. There was an oportunity at the end of the day to meet members of the audience freely and I had a lot of interesting discussions. The Youtube video has ~1390 views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUbqrh5otWs |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUbqrh5otWs |
| Description | Transgenic Animal Research Conference XI 2017 - Invited talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk at the Transgenic Animal Research Conference XI 2017 at Lake Tahoe, CA, USA on "Precision engineering for PRRSV resistance in pigs: Macrophages from pigs lacking CD163 SRCR domain 5 are PRRSV resistant" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | VGTI, Portland Oregon. ""Discovering novel host-pathogen interactions using systematic approaches" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Was invited to give a presentation at Portland VGTI on our work on Human cytomegalovirus. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Visit by a group of Co-operative managers from Switzerland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A group of local area managers from the fenaco group, one of the biggest feed producers and distributers in Switzerland, were visiting the institute to learn about genome editing. Being faced with new breeding technologies they wanted to learn about the advances, the impact, and the future of these technologies in plants and livestock. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Which little piggy? goes to schools |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Within our EBSOC outreach centre we had developed an engagement activity for upper secondary school, called "which little piggy?". This allows school children to learn about genome editing, whilst developing basic techniques, such as PCR and agarose DNA gel electrophoresis. Due to COVID we could not follow our usual engagement activities, such as the Royal Highland or other farm shows, which meant we had to reconsider our engagement program for this grant. As we could also not run our school-engagement courses on site, we decided to develop PCR toolkits that could be sent out to schools with instructions and online education for teachers to perform the activities, such as "which little piggy?" with their pupils. This allowed us to engage, even though remote, with pupils and teachers and engage them in genome editing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| URL | https://www.ed.ac.uk/easter-bush-campus/science-outreach-centre/schools/international/genome-editing... |
| Description | dissecting the interferon response to human cytomegalovirus |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited seminar to the Edinburgh infectious disease symposium. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |