Researchers earn RDAR support to find viable solutions to mitigate Bovine Respiratory Disease

trevor.kenney — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 20:49:19 +0000

Researchers in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Southern Alberta Genome Science Centre (SAGSC) and its bioinformatics core are collaborating with scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to find viable solutions to mitigate Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) — the most prominent feedlot cattle disease in North America — that is responsible for an estimated financial burden of $3 billion annually.

BRD is responsible for an estimated financial burden of $3 billion annually.

The supported project is led by ULethbridge associate professor Dr. Athan Zovoilis and Dr. Tim McAllister, a principal research scientist at AAFC. Zovoilis, SAGSC director and Canada Research Chair in RNA Bioinformatics and Genomics, Dr. Angeliki Pantazi (SAGSC scientific officer) and Dr. Eric Merzetti (BioNet program manager) are working with McAllister’s team and other scientists at AAFC to advance a genomic-based diagnostic pipeline for BRD, based on Alberta herd-specific pathogens, that will increase the precision of antimicrobial use in the provincial cattle industry.

“To date, no tool exists for the identification of BRD pathogens on a broad scale for Alberta cattle producers and there is a need for province-wide architecture to detect and characterize pathogens of interest in BRD — both in terms of virulence and antimicrobial resistance,” says Zovoilis. “Our labs at SAGSC and AAFC in Lethbridge have already sequenced, analyzed, and characterized a significant number of BRD bacterial isolates.”

Alberta is home to more than 18,000 cattle producers with an estimated 4.5 million cattle, making up 40.4 per cent of Canada’s herd (estimated July 2020). With the highest cattle population in the country and a heavy reliance of Alberta’s economy on exported beef, cattle mortalities pose a significant economic and financial hardship to the province. BRD is responsible for 65-80 per cent of total feedlot morbidities and 45-75 per cent of mortalities.

BRD pathogens are varied with potential origins in multiple bacterial families. Proper treatment of BRD requires pathogen identification. To further add to the difficulty of treatment, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is of significant concern in these cattle and many of the identified BRD pathogens house resistance to traditional antimicrobial agents used in livestock settings.

“We will take input data from samples sequenced by our next generation sequencing platforms and be able to produce detailed information on BRD pathogens, including relevant AMR,” says Zovoilis. “This data will then allow for the precision use of antimicrobial agents, providing better outcomes for cattle and less likelihood of AMR development in the present bacteria.”

The project, A Comprehensive Sequencing and Bioinformatics analysis Pipeline for Bovine Respiratory Disease Pathogens in Alberta Beef Cattle, is supported by a $352,000 Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) grant. RDAR and Genome Alberta, with the Government of Canada and Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development, announced $5.1 million in funding through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) for agriculture genomics projects earlier this month.

“Genomics research has practical real-world application that is contributing to building a more sustainable agriculture sector in Canada,” says Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “From developing new tools, improving the quality of food we eat, to breeding more resilient crops — our genomic researchers are the heart of advancing science and innovation so that our farmers in Alberta have the tools they need to be successful.”

Dr. Athan Zovoilis has Canada Research Chair renewed for five-year term

trevor.kenney — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 19:56:49 +0000

Dr. Athan Zovoilis, professor in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, will continue his cutting-edge research with the renewal of his Tier 2 Canada Research Chair funding.

Zovoilis, a Canada Research Chair in RNA Bioinformatics and Genomics, will receive $500,000 over five years, part of Thursday’s Government of Canada announcement of more than $102 million in support of 119 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 35 Canadian research institutions.

Dr. Athan Zovoilis, a Canada Research Chair in RNA Bioinformatics and Genomics, will receive $500,000 over five years.

“Our government recognizes that investing in researchers and scientists results in breakthroughs to advance our society and benefits all Canadians,” says François-Phillipe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry. “The Canada Research Chairs Program provides a unique opportunity for researchers to push boundaries and make cutting-edge discoveries with lasting impacts across the health, environment, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities disciplines.”

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), a CRCP partner, also commits to supporting nine of the chairs, at eight institutions, with an investment of close to $1.8 million through its John R. Evans Leaders Fund.

The renewal of his CRC funding will allow Zovoilis, director of the Southern Alberta Genome Sciences Centre (SAGSC) and a member of the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) and the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI), to continue his work on elucidating the role of a class of biomolecules called non-coding RNAs in health and disease. Often described as the “dark matter” of our genome, these RNAs are connected with human and animal health and disease. Supported by this funding, the Zovoilis lab will work on developing new next generation sequencing and bioinformatics approaches to study the transcriptome and epi-transcriptome of non-coding RNAs in various biological contexts such as aging associated diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, cellular response to stress, neurotoxicity and human and animal infections.

“This funding will advance further our capacity on genome sciences and bioinformatics built within SAGSC, CCBN and ARRTI,” says Zovoilis. “RNA is becoming increasingly an important player in aging research, neurodegenerative diseases and agriculture research, and developing the genomics tools to study it will enable the generation of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is home to 13 Canada Research Chairs, in fields ranging from RNA genomics and hydrodynamics to child and youth studies, Indigenous arts, experimental astrophysics and more.

“The depth and breadth of our research chairs is reflective of the excellence of the faculty members throughout the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, vice-president (research). “Whatever faculty or school our students choose to study and do research in, it’s likely they will have the opportunity to learn and work with some of the best researchers in their respective fields. Dr. Zovoilis’ research and team, in particular, are leading Canadian innovation in RNA bioinformatics which expands scientific knowledge while also benefiting agri-food, health, and environmental development and sustainability.”

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Researchers earn RDAR support to find viable solutions to mitigate Bovine Respiratory Disease

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Dr. Athan Zovoilis has Canada Research Chair renewed for five-year term

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