Wageningen Animal Sciences

🐘🧬 Mirte Bosse, assistant professor at Wageningen University & Research and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam receives NWO VIDI grant! Bosse: “I’m absolutely thrilled that my VIDI grant about conservation (pan)genomics in Asian elephants has received funding by NWO! Grateful for the opportunity and eager to contribute to conservation efforts through this research.” This is the result of a collaboration with international conservation experts, local institutions and European studbook keeper Diergaarde Blijdorp - Rotterdam Zoo. Congratulations, Mirte! 🎉 #conservation #genomics #research

👨🎓 Leroy Versteeg successfully defended his PhD thesis, titled "Advancing Vaccine Research for Chagas Disease: Mitigating Parasitic Infections Using State-of-the-Art Technology," on October 9 2024. He was awarded his doctorate with honours (cum laude). Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by infection with the protozoan parasite 𝘛𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘻𝘪. The disease currently lacks an effective vaccine. It affects an estimated 6 to 7 million people worldwide, primarily in Central and South America, leading to 10,000 to 50,000 deaths annually. 🦠Leroy's research improved existing techniques to evaluate vaccine-induced immune responses. Furthermore, his work provided new insights into the immune mechanisms by which the vaccine candidate Tc24 offers partial protection against 𝘛. 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘻𝘪. Of the thousands of proteins produced by the parasite, only a select few are displayed on the surface of infected cells. There they can be recognized and targeted by immune cells capable of destroying these infected cells. These parasitic proteins are key targets for vaccine development, yet identifying them has been a challenge. 💉 By employing immunopeptidomics, a method used to analyse peptides presented on the surface of cells, Leroy identified heat shock protein Tcj2 as a promising new vaccine candidate for Chagas disease. When tested as an mRNA vaccine, Tcj2 stimulated the desired immune cell responses, which effectively limited parasite replication in an 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘳𝘰 model, demonstrating its significant potential as a future vaccine candidate for Chagas disease. 📖 👨🔬 👩⚕️  This PhD project was a collaborative effort between the Cell Biology and Immunology group at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

🤩More than 10.000 views! Our researcher marc verdegem published the article ‘The contribution of aquaculture systems to global aquaculture production’ in the journal of the World Aquaculture Society. By now, this article has more than 10.000 views. Since 2000, aquaculture became well-integrated into the global food system. Aquaculture systems are highly diverse, producing globally equal amounts of fed and extractive species. Future development should focus on making aquaculture climate neutral and on reducing environmental impacts, both inland and at sea. More attention must be given to making aquaculture an important part of local food systems on all continents, as is the case in Asia today. Integration of aquaculture into local nutrition-sensitive, circular, and sustainable food systems should become the major driver for future aquaculture system development. Congratulations, Marc! 🎉 #aquaculture #circular #sustainable

💰💶 Het prijskaartje van dierwaardige veehouderij | De maatschappelijke roep om meer dierenwelzijn in de veehouderij is groot, maar wat voor prijskaartje hangt hieraan? Collega’s van Wageningen Economic Research rekenden het uit en komen op 4 tot 5 miljard euro. 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧 Verbetering van dierenwelzijn vraagt forse investeringen in stalaanpassingen, leef- en bewegingsruimte en het verbeteren van het klimaat in de stal. Ook voorzieningen om jonge dieren langer bij de moeder te houden en het bieden van uitloopmogelijkheden kosten veel geld. 𝐖𝐢𝐞 𝐳𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧? Daar doen de onderzoekers geen uitspraken over, maar ze schetsen wel drie opties: ▪️ Producenten die het in hun kostprijs kunnen verrekenen ▪️ De consument ▪️ Subsidies van het Rijk 🔄 𝐀𝐚𝐧𝐛𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧 De Nederlandse veehouderij produceert veelal voor export. Het verhogen van de kostprijs gaat gemakkelijker als andere Europese landen dezelfde standaarden hanteren. Het zou verder ook helpen en eerlijk zijn als we aan wat we importeren dezelfde dierwaardigheidseisen stellen als die we vragen van onze veehouders. 𝐔𝐢𝐭𝐝𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧 Om die dierwaardige veehouderij op poten te zetten, zijn er nog wel struikelblokken, zoals vergunningverlening bij stalaanpassing of nieuwbouw. De onderzoekers adviseren om daar wat aan te doen. Ook hebben nieuwe houderijsystemen altijd te maken met kinderziekten. Die kunnen door middel van pilots opgelost worden. Verder moeten maatregelen op het vlak van dierenwelzijn integraal worden bekeken, samen met de aanpak rondom stikstof, klimaat, water en biodiversiteit. 🤝𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 Het onderzoek is gedaan in opdracht van betrokkenen bij het Convenant Dierwaardige Veehouderij. Dat is een brede groep bestaande uit NGO’s zoals dierenwelzijnsorganisaties, maar ook vertegenwoordigers uit de veehouderij. Onze Wageningse dierwetenschappers voorzien deze groep van kennis.

 🦆⚠️ Our new research shows that birds that are exposed to neonicotinoids (agricultural pesticides) have a lower survival rate. They also suffer from health problems and negative effects on their behaviour and reproduction. Eating food that contains neonicotinoids is harmful on all fronts to birds such as house sparrows, partridges, mallard ducks and many more species.   ☣️ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐬 Our behavioural ecologist Elke Molenaar says: ‘There have been concerns about the negative impact of neonicotinoids on insect populations for some time, but the general consensus for many years was that birds suffered relatively little from their toxicity. This study now shows that direct harmful effects do occur when birds eat food containing neonicotinoids.’   🧭️ 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 One example of these effects is reduced orientation, causing migrating birds to lose their course. Other effects include young chicks with birth defects, birds with abnormal blood levels and birds that lived shorter lives. The study examines the effects of 5 different types of neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, acetamiprid, clothianidin and thiacloprid). Elke states: ‘For all of them, we see negative effects.’   ⛔️ 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 Although neonicotinoids are mostly banned within the EU for use in open agriculture and horticulture, they are still used outside of the region. Meanwhile, new insecticides are also rapidly being developed. Our research partner Vogelbescherming Nederland (Birdlife Netherlands) calls for much more extensive and rigorous testing of pesticides for their possible side effects on humans, animals and the environment. If in doubt, they should not be authorised.   🤝 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 For this study Wageningen researchers Elke Molenaar and Sjouke Anne Kingma collaborated with Wolfgang Viechtbauer (Maastricht University) and Janske van de Crommenacker (Vogelbescherming Nederland). The researchers analysed global data from nearly 50 studies on 12 different bird species. #pesticides #birds #animalhealth

This is a Humans of WUR story of people of the Animal Sciences Group (ASG). With these stories, we aim to spotlight our people. Today we spoke with Pascal Duenk.   “My name is Pascal Duenk and I work as an Assistant Professor at Animal Breeding & Genomics (ABG). I did my studies Animal Sciences and my PhD here at WUR. Now, I live in Aalten with my wife and twins and enjoy sports like running or tennis.”   𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤? “As an assistant professor, I get a lot of energy from supervising and teaching students. Additionally, my research focuses on poultry genetics, applied to breeding. What fascinates me is the relationship between DNA and phenotype. I always want to understand how things work, especially in biology. Genetics is at the core of understanding living organisms, and that is a huge motivation for me.   My goal is to use my knowledge of genetics and breeding to improve the quality of life for the animals we keep. We do this through genomic prediction, which uses measurements from a large group of animals and combines them with their DNA profiles. A model is developed to explain the relationship between a trait, such as egg production, and the DNA profile. This allows us to predict which animals are genetically best suited for breeding, so that the next generation will perform even better. It’s important to focus on animal welfare and health, not just production. I find it incredibly rewarding to apply biological knowledge to real-world solutions, where you can truly make a difference!”   𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐒𝐆 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧? “I’ve noticed that breeding companies are placing more emphasis on animal welfare and health, and less on purely production-focused traits. I want to explore the relationship between genetics and welfare traits, such as behaviour and health. Genetic research plays a crucial role in this, helping us select animals that are better adapted, more robust and resilient. My research also focuses on improving selection models for welfare traits, which is highly relevant for breeding companies looking to apply this knowledge in practice.”   𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐔𝐑/𝐀𝐒𝐆 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟎 𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬' 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞? “There are several reasons! First, WUR is highly regarded, especially in fields like Biology and Animal Science, with ABG playing a significant role. As a teacher, I appreciate the informal interactions between faculty and students. As a researcher, I have a lot of freedom to manage my time and choose my areas of focus. Since August, I’ve been on a tenure track—a long-term career path for scientists focused on developing both research and teaching skills.”   #HumansofWUR #animalscience #animalbreeding #genomics

🥼 Wetenschappers op de markt. Ter gelegenheid van de opening van het academisch jaar stonden verschillende onderzoekers van Wageningen University & Research op de markt in Wageningen. Om hiermee op een praktische manier te laten zien hoe de wetenschap het alledaagse leven van de inwoners van Wageningen raakt. 💡 Ondanks de regenachtige ochtend deelden de onderzoekers enthousiast met geïnteresseerde marktbezoekers waar ze aan werken. Meerdere dieronderzoekers waren aanwezig, zoals Evelien Bos. “Het is heel leuk om op een laagdrempelige en eenvoudige manier over ons werk te praten”

💨 Farts help analyse what is going on in the intestines.   Researcher Evert van Schothorst is collaborating with a team of researchers from Maastricht University on measuring human ‘exhaust fumes’ in real time as an indicator of intestinal health. ‘We use indirect calorimetry — a method for looking at the difference between the composition of the air that is inhaled and the exhaled air — to analyse the energy metabolism,’ explains Van Schothorst. “We have already successfully applied our technique in studies with mice. We know it works in very small spaces. Now we will be testing in Maastricht whether the new sensors can also detect human fermentation gases in larger spaces. Are the sensors sensitive enough to measure low concentrations of fermentation gases? Because the respiration rooms are larger relative to the human subject than the mouse cage relative to the mouse.” Research with animals and sensors has ensured that such a study can now be conducted in humans. This shows how important animal research is for human health. Read all about this topic in our new dossier animal research: usefulness and necessity ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/eA8a-cV2 #animalresearch #microbiome #humanhealth

🏆🦠 Christine Jansen, associate professor at Wageningen University & Research has recently been awarded a NWO ENW-M1 grant to study the role of chicken natural killer cells in the control of avian influenza virus. “As a veterinary immunologist my research focuses on understanding how the cells of the immune system in veterinary species like chickens, pigs and cows are activated and exert their function. This includes studying basic mechanisms and novel concepts, developing assays and reagents and basic research on the characterization of immune cells and their function during infections with viruses and bacteria. On the other hand part of my research is to apply this basic knowledge to design novel strategies to modulate the immune system, with the ultimate aim to improve immune mediated protection and reduce infections in animals.”   “In this project I will focus on the development of novel technology to investigate the role of natural killer cells, important players of the immune system, in the defense against avian influenza virus. Low pathogenic avian influenza viruses are known to cause mild symptoms in chickens, while highly pathogenic viruses are lethal and can also infect humans. Studies in mammals have demonstrated a role of natural killer cells in the control of influenza virus. Chickens also have natural killer cells, but their role in the control of avian influenza virus is not clear. How avian influenza virus activates chicken natural killer cells, and the consequence of this activation on the course of the infection will be investigated in this PhD project.”   “This builds on my previous research and I am very excited to continue exploring this highly relevant topic!”   Congratulations, Christine! 🎈   #cellbiology #immunology #research

🎥🌊 North Sea: nature untamed The North Sea is the busiest shipping route in Europe. It is an area of intensive fishing and a significant energy transition scene. But first and foremost, the North Sea is a vast domain of marine wildlife! It’s a fascinating underwater world that is undiscovered and has never been portrayed before. North Sea Nature Untamed will reveal the many secrets of the North Sea in a spectacular feature film and TV series. Researchers from the Animal Sciences Group contributed indirectly to the making of this film. Watch the trailer below ⤵️ #biodiversity #northsea #marine