Arming food production animals with a novel antiviral defence

Viral outbreaks in livestock and aquaculture species can cause a significant economic burden and are a threat to animal welfare.

Despite therapeutic intervention, biosecurity measures, and good on-farm hygiene practises, viral outbreaks remain a significant ongoing issue during production cycles.

Given the limited efficacy and high cost of current management strategies, new and innovative control measures are required to mitigate the potentially devastating impact of recurring viral outbreaks in food production animals.

This project is part of a larger research project which incorporates two other subprojects, B: ‘Studying genetic sequences for anti-viral biocontrol in food production animals’ and C: ‘Developing models to guide selection of genetic sequences with anti-viral properties’.

In this component, I will be developing our fundamental knowledge of the immune response against agriculturally relevant viruses in production animals.

I will be investigating the potential incorporation of an anti-viral mechanism derived from bacteria into the immune system of production animals, with the initial aim of designing an immune-inducible antiviral defence in fish and chicken cell lines.

This immune-induced antiviral defence will be studied in chicken and fish cell lines being developed as part of the larger project.

Further research will then aim to adapt this antiviral platform to agricultural species to enhance the resilience of production animals to viral pathogens.

Project Lead: Dr Aaron Smith