Aetiopathogenesis and genomic architecture of resistance to claw horn disruption lesions in dairy cattle
Lead Research Organisation:
Royal Veterinary College
Department Name: Clinical Sciences and Services
Abstract
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Technical Summary
The project will (i) determine and evaluate factors affecting the development of claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL) in dairy cattle; (ii) identify genomic markers (SNPs) and regions associated with animal resistance to CHDL development; (iii) identify and characterise causal genes and regulatory regions underlying pathways and networks associated with CHDL; (iv) develop and evaluate breeding tools and strategies for enhanced animal resistance to CHDL while at the same time improving other important dairy cattle traits. The study will involve 3,000 pedigree Holstein cows. Animals will be repeatedly examined by a qualified veterinarian for CHDL. In addition, mobility and foot conformation scores, digital cushion thickness, body condition score, claw temperature and backfat thickness will be recorded along with environmental temperature and animal activity and resting patterns. Blood levels of hormones, immuno-modulating cytokines, non-esterified fatty acids and beta-hydroxybutyric acid will also be measured. Statistical analysis of all these data, using mixed models, will reveal the impact of foot structure and anatomy, periparturient hormonal profile and inflammatory status, fat mobilisation and metabolic stress, and environmental and management conditions on CHDL. Interactions among factors will be also assessed. All animals will have genome-wide genotypes generated to identify SNPs and genomic regions associated with CHDL. Additive and dominance effects of significant SNPs and genomic heritabilities will be derived. Whole-genome sequencing and RNA-sequencing results on a subset of animals with extreme phenotypes and genotypes will be combined with pathways analyses and functional interpretation to reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms of CHDL development. All results will inform simulation studies to assess breeding strategies and tools (including a trait-specific SNP array) to enable breeding for resistance to CHDL development.
Planned Impact
Compromised foot health leads to pain, reduced cow mobility and lameness, and constitutes a major welfare issue in dairy cattle. Painful lesions such as those disrupting the claw horn of the foot account for 90% of cases, represent the primary reason for veterinary interventions and lead to involuntary culling of affected animals, thereby posing serious threats to the sustainability and profitability of dairy farms. Many consider that lameness is currently the most significant welfare issue affecting dairy cattle in the UK because of the level of discomfort caused, the number of animals affected and the average duration of clinical episodes. Furthermore, studies have shown a significant adverse effect of lameness on milk yield both before and after a cow is diagnosed as lame that can last up to nine months. The total current cost to the UK dairy sector is estimated at £250 million or higher annually.
This project proposes a holistic approach to identify the key factors leading to the development of claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL). The project will develop a unique veterinary database and will combine complementary scientific expertise in order to develop a thorough understanding of the aetiopathogenesis of CHDL, while also developing practical knowledge and tools that can be used in genetic improvement programmes. Envisaged benefits from the outcomes are expected to apply at multiple levels:
1. Early identification of animals prone to development of CHDL will assist selection and replacement strategies, and minimise animal suffering.
2. Dairy farmers will directly benefit from reduced incidence of CHDL leading to decreased cost of involuntary culling. More animals will then be available for selection to improve productivity and other important traits. Fewer foot health problems will also signify enhanced animal welfare.
3. The dairy industry will benefit from advances and optimisation of genetic improvement programmes brought about by outcomes of the project. Currently, the economic benefits of genetic improvement in the UK exceed £100 million/year; about half of this is being realised by improvements in cow health and longevity. Project results will enhance animal health and welfare, and underpin the sustainability of the sector.
4. Improved health and welfare of the milking cows will enhance the public profile of dairy products and, eventually, the image of the sector and acceptability by consumers.
5. Benefits in the dairy industry will permeate the entire food producing animal sector, where outcomes from this project could be used as models for other relevant activities.
6. Environmental benefits are expected to accrue because of the reduced number of on-farm replacements necessary to replace cows culled due to poor foot health. On-farm replacements currently account for nearly one third of the methane produced by dairy cattle.
7. Policy makers and government could use outcomes and evidence from this project in the formulation and regulation of actions aiming at enhancing animal welfare and the social acceptability and environmental image of the livestock sector.
8. Identification of key mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of CHDL may lead to specific targeting of inflammatory mechanisms to improve foot health and be of interest to the pharmaceutical industry.
9. Scientific benefits in the form of publications, presentations and collaborations are anticipated. Staff involved in the project will receive training and develop scientific and professional skills in laboratory, computational and numerical analyses.
10. The UK economy as a whole will benefit through the links between the scientific partners in the project and industry, ensuring quick uptake and implementation of the research results, contributing to enhanced farm output, health and living standards.
This is a 3-year grant but benefits from the outcomes are expected to continue long after the completion of the project.
This project proposes a holistic approach to identify the key factors leading to the development of claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL). The project will develop a unique veterinary database and will combine complementary scientific expertise in order to develop a thorough understanding of the aetiopathogenesis of CHDL, while also developing practical knowledge and tools that can be used in genetic improvement programmes. Envisaged benefits from the outcomes are expected to apply at multiple levels:
1. Early identification of animals prone to development of CHDL will assist selection and replacement strategies, and minimise animal suffering.
2. Dairy farmers will directly benefit from reduced incidence of CHDL leading to decreased cost of involuntary culling. More animals will then be available for selection to improve productivity and other important traits. Fewer foot health problems will also signify enhanced animal welfare.
3. The dairy industry will benefit from advances and optimisation of genetic improvement programmes brought about by outcomes of the project. Currently, the economic benefits of genetic improvement in the UK exceed £100 million/year; about half of this is being realised by improvements in cow health and longevity. Project results will enhance animal health and welfare, and underpin the sustainability of the sector.
4. Improved health and welfare of the milking cows will enhance the public profile of dairy products and, eventually, the image of the sector and acceptability by consumers.
5. Benefits in the dairy industry will permeate the entire food producing animal sector, where outcomes from this project could be used as models for other relevant activities.
6. Environmental benefits are expected to accrue because of the reduced number of on-farm replacements necessary to replace cows culled due to poor foot health. On-farm replacements currently account for nearly one third of the methane produced by dairy cattle.
7. Policy makers and government could use outcomes and evidence from this project in the formulation and regulation of actions aiming at enhancing animal welfare and the social acceptability and environmental image of the livestock sector.
8. Identification of key mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of CHDL may lead to specific targeting of inflammatory mechanisms to improve foot health and be of interest to the pharmaceutical industry.
9. Scientific benefits in the form of publications, presentations and collaborations are anticipated. Staff involved in the project will receive training and develop scientific and professional skills in laboratory, computational and numerical analyses.
10. The UK economy as a whole will benefit through the links between the scientific partners in the project and industry, ensuring quick uptake and implementation of the research results, contributing to enhanced farm output, health and living standards.
This is a 3-year grant but benefits from the outcomes are expected to continue long after the completion of the project.
Publications
Anagnostopoulos A
(2021)
A study on the use of thermal imaging as a diagnostic tool for the detection of digital dermatitis in dairy cattle.
in Journal of dairy science
Barden M
(2022)
Association between a genetic index for lameness resistance and the incidence of claw horn lesions in Holstein cows.
in The Veterinary record
Barden M
(2022)
Genetic parameters and genome-wide association study of digital cushion thickness in Holstein cows.
in Journal of dairy science
Barden M
(2023)
Serum 1H nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics of sole lesion development in Holstein cows.
in Journal of dairy science
Barden M
(2023)
Genetic parameters of sole lesion recovery in Holstein cows.
in Journal of dairy science
Bingjie Li
(2023)
Single-step genome-wide association analyses of claw horn lesions in Holstein cattle using linear and threshold models
in Genetics Selection Evolution (GSE)
Elizabeth Attree
(2023)
Understanding the genetic basis of claw horn disruption lesions in dairy cattle
Li B
(2023)
Single-step genome-wide association analyses of claw horn lesions in Holstein cattle using linear and threshold models.
in Genetics, selection, evolution : GSE
| Description | Individual cow phenotypic, genotypic and pedigree data were collected on approximately. 2,500 cows in four herds. Multiple records were collected at different time-points in the cows' life and at the end the database included more than 10,000 phenotypic records. All animals were genotyped with a genome-wide DNA array. After imputation, 80,000 informative Single Nucleotide Polymorphism markers were retained in each genotype. Data were analysed to examine the genomic background of claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL) development and severity, as well as of digital cushion thickness, a foot structure trait. Analyses conducted have attested to the presence of considerable genetic variation in the studied CHDL traits. Depending on the lesion and time-point of measurement, trait heritability estimates ranged from 0.06 to 0.21 for susceptibility, 0.04-0.26 for severity, and around 0.24 for recovery. The range and magnitude of these estimates are as expected for health-related traits. The low to moderate heritability values reflect substantial environmental variance, which is expected in the commercial dairy cattle population. Nevertheless, genetic variance, reflecting inherent differences among individual animals, was present and significant suggesting that there is potential to identify and select breeding animals with an enhanced capacity to withstand and/or successfully cope with CHDL. This was corroborated by the examination of estimated Genomic Breeding Values of individual cows and their sires that illustrated the differences between desirable (resistant) and undesirable (susceptible) animal genotypes. All these results were published in the scientific literature. Heritability of digital cushion thickness was between 0.12 and 0.31, and its estimated genetic correlation with lesion severity was moderate and significant (between -0.21 and -0.25) suggesting that no or milder lesions may be expected for animal with genetically thick and robust digital cushion. This result has also been published. In addition, the current genetic evaluation for foot health, termed by the industry as the lameness advantage index, was analysed jointly with project data, and found to be associated with CHDL. Therefore, this index is recommended to be considered in herds aiming to reduce lameness. These results were published. Genomic association analyses also took place to examine the association of genomic markers and regions with CHDL phenotypes. In general, these analyses revealed a largely complex, polygenic architecture of the studied traits. Nevertheless, there were certain markers and genomic regions with potentially larger effects on CHDL than others. Mapping results on the most recent bovine reference genome suggested that some of these regions harbour annotated genes known to be associated with the cows' innate immune function, inflammation, energy metabolism, and nervous system. Relevant results have been published in the scientific literature. Furthermore, whole-genome sequencing, total RNA-seq and reduced representation bisulfite sequencing were performed on blood and foot biopsy samples on a subset of 24 animals with extreme phenotypes and genotypes, i.e., totally healthy vs. severely affected individuals. Twenty-five differentially expressed genes associated with CHDL were identified including genes involved in immune and keratin pathways. These results provide deep insights into the genetic architecture underlying CHDL and inform genetic improvement of CHDL resistance in dairy cattle. Results have been published. Moreover, 30 differentially expressed long-non coding RNAs and 9896 differentially methylated genes associated with CHDL were identified providing further insights. Interestingly, 5 of the differentially expressed genes were also differentially methylated in CHDL cases and controls. Moreover, a subset of cows have had serum biomarkers for fat mobilisation (bhb and NEFAs) and hormonal profiles (relaxin and insulin) measured from stored serum samples. The inflammatory status, using serum concentrations of Interleukin 1-alpha, Interlukin-6 and Interleukin-10, has also been assessed in these cows. Blood Lipopolysaccharide has also been assayed. Analysis of this dataset together with measurements of foot structure and anatomy is ongoing and will lead to an improved understanding of CHDL aetiopathogenesis. Finally, simulation studies were conducted to assess breeding strategies to include results in genetic improvement programmes. Different scenarios were examined, with emphasis on CHDL in selective breeding ranging from 0 to 75% of the breeding goal. A useful balance of emphasis of 75% on cow productivity and 25% on CHDL resistance was revealed where the overall benefit is maximised. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes of this project could be used in breeding programmes aiming to improve cattle resistance to CHDL as well as in the identification of novel drug and vaccine targets discovery to control cattle lameness |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Description | Integrating clinical, data-driven and in-vitro approaches to the study of host-pathogen interactions in bovine digital dermatitis |
| Amount | £457,510 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/X008878/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 03/2026 |
| Title | Generation and analysis of Whole Genome Sequence data from animals with claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL) and healthy controls |
| Description | Total DNA was extracted from PBL cells using the DNeasy Blood & Tissue kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) with a few modifications. Library preparation was performed using Novogene's NGS DNA Library Prep Set. Whole Genome Sequencing (150bp paired-end reads and average coverage of 30X reads) using Illumina Technology was performed on the Novaseq6000 instrument and S4 (NovaSeq PE150) flow cell. The sequencing reads were mapped to the ARS-UCD1.2 using BWA-MEM and variant calling was performed using GATK4 tools according to Best Practices. The WGS analysis is on going. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The WGS analysis is on going. The aim of this analysis is to identify putative candidate genes and mutations located within the candidate regions for CHDL susceptibility identified by a GWAS study performed in 3,000 cows. Hopefully, this analysis will shed more light in the genetic background of CHDL susceptibility in dairy cattle. |
| Title | Generation and analysis of mRNA Sequence data from Peripheral Blood Leucocytes (PBL) collected from animals with claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL) and healthy controls |
| Description | Total RNA from PBL was extracted using the RNeasy Mini kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). Total RNA-Sequencing library preparation was performed using Illumina TruSeq ribo-zero gold kit (Illumina, San Diego, USA). Paired-end, 2 x150bp, reads were obtained using the NovaSeq 6000 instrument with NovaSeq 6000 S4 reagent kit v1.5. Total coverage was 50M reads per sample. The generated sequence reads were QC using FastQC and further trimmed using Trimmomatic v0.39. Then sequence reads that passed QC were mapped to the ARS-UCD1.2 bovine genome assembly using STAR v2.7.0 with default parameters. Read counts per gene were obtained using the gene annotation file corresponding to the ARS-UCD1.2 bovine genome assembly (Ensemble release 104) and the featureCounts v2.0.2. Differentially expressed genes between cases and controls were identified using DESeq2 v1.35.0. Results of mRNA seq analysis: Ten DEG genes were found between CHDL cases and controls. We found enrichment for molecular function regulation, calcium ion binding, hormone activity, endopeptase activvity and regulation and signaling receptor activity and regulation. In addition, the mineralisation associated genes SPARC and CLEC3B were downregulated and upregulated in CHDL cases, respectively. Moreover, three genes (YAP1, DSP and PALLD) associated with keratinocyte development were upregulated in the CHDL cases, which may suggest the presence of a reparative mechanism in the CHDL cases. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The results of this study have been included in a conference paper which has been submitted in the World Congress of Applied Livestock Genomics which will take place this June 2022. These results give new insights in the underlying pathways related to CHDL susceptibility in dairy cattle. The conference paper will be published when accepted. |
| Title | Generation and analysis of Long non-coding (lnc) RNA Sequencing data from Peripheral Blood Leucocytes (PBL) and foot biopsy tissue samples from cows with claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL) and healthy controls |
| Description | The quality of sequence reads was assessed using FastQC before and after quality control, which included quality-based read trimming and adapter removal using Trimmomatic v0.39. Reads longer than 32 bp and with a Phred score =33 were retained. Quality-controlled reads were mapped to the ARS-UCD1.2 bovine genome assembly using STAR v2.7.0, and transcripts were assembled using StringTie v2.1.0. Assembled transcripts were merged using the merge option of StringTie, resulting in non-redundant assembled transcripts. Transcripts were then compared with Ensembl bovine gene annotation (release 104) using Cuffcompare from Cufflink v2.2.0 to identify transcripts overlapping with known protein-coding and non-coding regions (lncRNA) and transcripts non-overlapping with any known protein-coding and non-coding regions (lincRNA). We used the transcript classification codes of Cuffcompare to select transcripts categorized as "u", "x", "i", "u", "j", "s" and "e" with a length of =200 nt to identify lncRNA. Transcripts categorized as "u" with a length of =200 nt were considered lincRNA. The coding probability of these transcripts was estimated using three tools, CPC2, CPAT v2.0.0, and CNCI v2.0.0. Only transcripts passing all three tools were considered non-coding potential and used for downstream analysis. Transcripts with high protein-coding potential were removed using two metrics: open reading frames (ORF) encoding a protein >100 amino acids and similarity to the UniProt protein database based on a 1E-5 threshold. This filtering was carried out using Transdecoder, including the BLASTp step. The coding probability cutoff was determined to be 0.38 using 20-fold cross-validation of the outputs of the CPAT models (Figure 1). To quantify expression levels of the identified lncRNA and lincRNA transcripts, we used Kallisto v0.46.2 to generate transcript-level abundance estimates. We indexed the lncRNA and lincRNA transcripts using the default parameters of Kallisto. The trimmed and filtered reads were then aligned to this index using Kallisto with 100 bootstraps. The resulting transcript-level abundance estimates were then imported into R using the tximport package. Then the quantification data were subsequently imported into DESeq2 v1.34.1 for normalization and differential expression analysis. Differentially expressed lncRNAs and lincRNAs were defined as those with an adjusted P-value < 0.05 and an absolute log2 fold change > 1. To explore the functions of significant DE lncRNA, we used bedtools to obtain the genes 100kb of each lncRNA. From analysis of the foot tissue samples, 35 genes were found within 100kb of significantly DE lncRNA and 24 genes from analysis of DE lnc in PBL samples. Specifically, for PBLs 29 lnc correspondito 24 protein coding genes and 16 linc to 15 protein coding genes. For foot tissue 35 lnc correspond to 35 protein coding genes and 35 linc to 35 protein coding genes. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Better understanding of the role of lnc in CHDL susceptibility |
| Title | Generation and analysis of RRBS data from blood samples from cows with claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL) and healthy controls |
| Description | Blood samples from cows with CHDL and healthy controls collected by collaborating veterinarians. Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing was performed on extracted DNA and using Diogene. Methylation was identified usign Bismark and methylation call files were analysed using methylkit. Differentially methylated bases between cases and controls were identified and nearest gene transcription start sites annotated to combine and compare results to identified differentially expressed genes by RNA-seq. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | DNA methylation data collected and differences between control and CHDL animals identified. 9896 genes were found to be differentially methylated with five overlapping with the RNA-seq dataset, having also been identified to be significantly differentially expressed. Thee genes were found to enrich pathways involved in immune system regulation, the innate immune system and in signally pathways |
| Title | Generation and analysis of data collected from PBL samples from cows with CHDL and healthy controls for eQTL analysis |
| Description | Data from the GWAS analysis was used to identify SNPs within GWAS windows and determine animal genotypes. The gene expression from the RNA-seq analysis of PBL samples was combined with the SNP and genotype data for an eQTL analysis. eQTL analysis was performed in R using MatrixEQTL. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Identification of eQTL's with potential importance in the susceptibility/resistance to CHDL |
| Title | Generation and analysis of data collected from foot tissue biopsy samples from cows with CHDL and healthy controls for eQTL analysis |
| Description | Data from the GWAS analysis was used to identify SNPs within GWAS windows and determine animal genotypes. The gene expression from the RNA-seq analysis of foot tissue samples was combined with the SNP and genotype data for an eQTL analysis. eQTL analysis was performed in R using MatrixEQTL. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Identification of eQTL's with potential importance in the susceptibility/resistance to CHDL |
| Title | Generation and analysis of mRNA Sequence data from foot tissue biopsies collected from animals with claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL) and healthy controls |
| Description | Total RNA from foot tissue was extracted using the RNeasy Mini kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). Total RNA-Sequencing library preparation was performed using Illumina TruSeq ribo-zero gold kit (Illumina, San Diego, USA). Paired-end, 2 x150bp, reads were obtained using the NovaSeq 6000 instrument with NovaSeq 6000 S4 reagent kit v1.5. Total coverage was 50M reads per sample. The generated sequence reads were QC using FastQC and further trimmed using Trimmomatic v0.39. Then sequence reads that passed QC were mapped to the ARS-UCD1.2 bovine genome assembly using STAR v2.7.0 with default parameters. Read counts per gene were obtained using the gene annotation file corresponding to the ARS-UCD1.2 bovine genome assembly (Ensemble release 104) and the featureCounts v2.0.2. Differentially expressed genes between cases and controls were identified using DESeq2 v1.35.0. Results of mRNA seq analysis: Fifteen DEG genes were found between CHDL cases and controls. Gene set enrichment showed enrichment of pathways including: defense response, positive regulation of response to stimulus, innate and inflammatory immune response and organic acid metabolic process. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The results of this study were included in a conference paper submitted in the World Congress of Applied Livestock Genomics in June 2022. These results give new insights in the underlying pathways related to CHDL susceptibility in dairy cattle. |
| Title | Generation of a dataset of samples from extreme Holstein cows to characterise CHDL susceptibility |
| Description | Foot biopsy and blood samples were collected from 24 (12 extreme CHDL cases (days in milk (DIM:198 ? 102) and 12 healthy control (DIM: 195 ? 100)) Holstein dairy cows in order to be used in genomic, transcriptomic and functional analysis to characterise CHDL susceptibility in dairy cattle. The animals were selected based on the CHDL score and genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) of CHDL. The CHDL was a combined SH, SU and WLD score. Controls and cases were sampled in pairs within the same herd, ensuring they were of similar age, parity, and lactation stage to minimise any systematic noise. From the blood samples peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) were isolated by lysis of erythrocytes. PBL were counted and stored in liquid nitrogen and -80C until further processing. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This dataset will be used for post-GWAS analyses to identify candidate pathways and gene networks for CHDL susceptibility. When analyses will be completed the relevant data will become publicly available and the results will be presented in international conferences and published. |
| Title | Phenotypic database of closely monitored cows for claw horn disruption lesion |
| Description | A detailed database of 271 closely monitored cows for claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL) has been developed. This database contains all the CHDL records of these cows. Based on these phenotypes we have ranked cows according to their susceptibility in developing CHDL. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This database was developed from our consortium for internal use in order to facilitate the selection of the most appropriate animals-in the extreme of phenotypes- to collect samples for downstream functional analysis including WGS, RNA-Seq and protein work. |
| Description | Collaboration with SRUC and University of Liverpool |
| Organisation | Scotland's Rural College |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This project is a Joint application between SRUC, University of Liverpool and RVC. RVC is responsible for the post-genomic functional work of this project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | This project is a Joint application between SRUC, University of Liverpool and RVC. University of Liverpool and SRUC are responsible for the collection of data, immunological profile of animals and genetic analysis. |
| Impact | Multi-disciplinary collaboration among vet, animal scientists, geneticists, immunologists, computational biologists, molecular biologists. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Collaboration with SRUC and University of Liverpool |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Department | School of Veterinary Science Liverpool |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This project is a Joint application between SRUC, University of Liverpool and RVC. RVC is responsible for the post-genomic functional work of this project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | This project is a Joint application between SRUC, University of Liverpool and RVC. University of Liverpool and SRUC are responsible for the collection of data, immunological profile of animals and genetic analysis. |
| Impact | Multi-disciplinary collaboration among vet, animal scientists, geneticists, immunologists, computational biologists, molecular biologists. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | BSAS "Association between a genetic index for digital dermatitis resistance and the incidence of foot lesions in Holstein cows" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) in 2022 Authors: Alkiviadis Anagnostopoulos1, Matthew Barden1, Bethany E. Griffiths1, Cherril Bedford1, Marco Winters2, Bingjie Li3, Mike Coffey3, Androniki Psifidi4, Georgios Banos3, Georgios Oikonomou1 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | BSAS "The association of serum biomarkers for fat mobilisation and hormonal profiles with sole ulcers in dairy cows." |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation and British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) Authors: Bethany Griffiths1, Alkiviadis Anagnostopoulos1, Matthew Barden1, Cherrill Bedford1, Mollie Rudd1, John Graham- Brown1, Stuart Carter1, Androniki Psifidi2, Georgios Banos3, Georgios Oikonomou1 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Conference presentation in the Animal Genetics and Diseases, Wellcome Genome Campus Conference Centre, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In this conference I presented a lightening talk and a poster entitled: "Aetiopathogenesis and genomic architecture of resistance to lameness in dairy cattle". This presentation sparked questions and discussions afterwards and attracted a lot of interest. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Invited seminar at The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh entitled: : "Integrating genetics and omics data to dissect host resistance to disease". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I presented in this scientific seminar the different research projects I am currently involved in with an emphasis on the work we are doing in the "One Health Poultry Hub" and the "Aetiopathogenesis and genomic architecture of resistance to claw horn disruption lesions in dairy cattle" project. This was a well attended seminar, with lots of questions and discussion afterwards. Interest expressed for future collaborative work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | PAG "Understanding the Genomic Architecture of Claw Horn Disruption Lesions in Dairy Cattle" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation at PAG 2023 Authors: Elizabeth Attree1, Xiaoxia Dai1, Bingjie Li2, Dong Xia1, Matthew Barden3, Bethany Eloise Griffiths3, Dirk Werling4, George Oikonomou3, Georgios Banos2 and Androniki Psifidi1 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Proceedings of 12th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP) " Understanding the genetic architecture of claw horn lesions in different lactation stages in Holstein cattle" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation: " Understanding the genetic architecture of claw horn lesions in different lactation stages in Holstein cattle" scientific debate of results with researchers from around the world |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/abs/10.3920/978-90-8686-940-4_674 |
| Description | Proceedings of 12th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP) "Transcriptomic characterisation of claw horn disruption lesions in the peripheral blood leucocytes of dairy cattle" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation : Transcriptomic characterisation of claw horn disruption lesions in the peripheral blood leucocytes of dairy cattle" Scientific debate of results and impact with researchers from around the world |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/abs/10.3920/978-90-8686-940-4_555 |
| Description | 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 | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Press release from the RVC, the University of Liverpool and the SRUC on the new award related to cattle lameness (https://www.vettimes.co.uk/news/cash-boost-for-cattle-lameness/https://www.feedstuffs.com/nutrition-health/uk-study-seeks-root-cause-dairy-cow-lameness ) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.rvc.ac.uk/news-and-events/rvc-news/new-research-into-250-million-problem-of-lameness-in-... |