Projects
Past and current projects that have been funded through the AHNC
Fifteen grants have been awarded to date for over $750,000 total, including overhead. Three were recently awarded in the 2023 cycle.
| PI | Grant Title | Department | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Beckstead | Development and testing of biomarker assays for gut in poultry | Poultry Science (CALS) | Seven blood parameters and one visual marker were identified as potential biomarkers for poultry health and feed additive efficacy. Biomarkers associated with gut health could be used to identify flocks that are in distress. These data provide the groundwork for future studies to determine the effect of feed additives on gut health. |
| Marissa Herchler | Use of neural network deep learning algorithm analysis to identify significant indicators of gut health in turkeys fed antibiotic-free diets with supplemental enzymes | Poultry Science (CALS) | Machine Learning shows the improved performance parameters that result from high level phytase inclusion in coarse or fine corn diets. This project creates a baseline to generate reliable models through deep learning. |
| Sung Woo Kim | Characterization of biomarkers for intestinal health of nursery pigs: Meta-analysis with multi-nutritional factors | Animal Science (CALS) | A meta analysis of intestinal health status in nursery pigs identified ten biomarkers that were highly correlated to growth. |
| Matthew Koci | Novel multiplex assays for the assessment of gut health, immune function, and stress in poultry (original and revised) | Poultry Science (CALS) | The 2019 AHNC award led to the development of a novel multiplex gene expression assay to be used by the poultry health community. Several technical barriers that limited widespread adoption led to a second and currently active project to make the assay more flexible and scalable. The new assay will be more compatible with gene expression equipment found in most research and diagnostic laboratories, making it of greater use to the community. |
| Raveendra Rangarao Kulkarni | Vaccine-based control of clostridial dermatitis in turkeys | Population Health and Pathobiology (CVM) | A novel vaccine against Chlostridium dermatitis in poultry was developed and the intellectual property is currently being reviewed by AHNC member companies for licensing. |
| Sung Woo Kim | Characterization of intestinal health biomarkers for the interaction with gut mucosa-associated microbiota in nursery pigs: Meta-analysis to correlation biomarkers with growth performance | Animal Science (CALS) | A second study of mucosa associated microbiota in the jejunum identified several microorganisms that directly impact the growth of nursery pigs. |
| Peter Ferket | Use of machine learning applications to mine commercial poultry industry data to identify variables of interest | Poultry Science (CALS) | Machine Learning methods were developed to identify the most important variables and create good predictions for the European Broiler Index. |
| Lin Li Walker | Whether campylobacter invade the avian ovum, and if so, where within the hen’s reproductive tract does it occur? | Poultry Science (CALS) | Commercial laying hen reproductive tracts may be naturally colonized by Campylobacter which can also invade the developing egg. Enhanced understanding the transmission of Campylobacter during production will enable targeted control measures. |
| Aaron Kiess | Assessing the well-being of laying hens through stress and behavioral parameters when raised under conventional or cage-free environments | Poultry Science (CALS) | White egg and brown egg laying hens were assessed for egg production in a cage-free environment. Commercial brown egg strains produced more eggs of higher quality than commercial white egg producing strains under cage-free conditions. |
| Raveendra Rangarao Kulkarni | Identification of biomarkers for early detection of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens | Population Health and Pathobiology (CVM) | In Progress |
| Peter Ferket | Mitigation of coccidiosis by in-ovo feeding of CpG-ODN via innovative colloidal delivery systems | Poultry Science (CALS) | In Progress |
| Frank Edens | Identification of immune markers in commercial broilers and lines of chickens selected for high and low antibody responsiveness and how those markers influence innate and acquired immunity | Poultry Science (CALS) | In Progress |
| Minliang Yang | Strategies to improve environmental sustainability in animal-source foods via nutrition-based life-cycle assessment (nL-CA) | Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences; Biological and Agricultural Engineering (CALS) | In Progress |
| Monique Pairis-Garcia | Evaluating the efficacy of intranasal non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain mitigation in piglets using a novel, needle-less drug delivery device | Population Health and Pathobiology (CVM) | In Progress |
| Matt Koci | Revised multiplex assays for the assessment of gut health, immune function, and stress in poultry | Poultry Science (CALS) | In Progress |
| Minliang Yang | Strategies to improve environmental sustainability in animal-source foods via nutrition-based life-cycle assessment (nLCA) | Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences (CALS) | In Progress |
| Monique Pairis-Garcia | Evaluating the efficacy of intranasal nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain mitigation in piglets using a novel, needleless drug delivery device | Population Health and Pathobiology (CVM) | In Progress |
| Zhe (Joe) Lyu | Do microbes capable of propionate respiration exist to achieve low methane emission and high rumen productivity? | Plant and Microbial Biology (CALS) | In Progress |
| Amay Bandodkar | SmartCap: Ingestible capsules for precise, on-demand sampling of GI tract in live animals | Electrical and Computer Engineering (COE) | In Progress |
| Lin Li Walker | Developing a PCR Detection Method for Cochlosoma anatis in Turkeys and Turkey Farms | Poultry Science (CALS) | In Progress |
| Yea Ji Jeong | The genomic landscape of feline pancreatic carcinoma and detection of oncogenic signatures in pancreatitis | Population Health and Pathobiology (CVM) | In Progress |
| Caroline McKinney-Aguirre | Evaluation of the Impact of Prebiotics and Bioactive Peptides on Intestinal Inflammation using an Ex Vivo Intestinal Perfusion Platform | Clinical Sciences (CVM) | In Progress |
COE (College of Engineering)
CVM (College of Veterinary Medicine)