www.moredun.org.uk
Moredunm a g a z i n eI S S U E 9 | S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5
Launch of Barbervax®
Aquaculture Research Group
Crown Estate Partnership
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015
In this Issue:
p1 Edinburgh Napier andMoredun sign MOU
p2-3 New diagnostic tests for sheepscab and Chlamydial abortionnow available
p4 New Aquaculture Research Group
p6 Moredun launches Barbervax® - a vaccine forBarbers Pole Worm
p8 Edinburgh InternationalScience Festival
p10 Moredun scientists awardednew grants
p12 Focus On…Regional Advisors Workshop
p13 Crown Estate PartnershipMoredun Scholarship
Moredun magazine is produced twice a year and is available free of charge.
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Cover image: Sheep and lamb by Jim Mackintosh
Moredun Magazine
ContentsThe incidence of disease outbreaks has
significantly hampered the aquaculture
industry and pathogens and parasites are
estimated to cost the global industry £4-5
billion annually in lost revenue. Vaccination is a
preferable option to prevent disease in fish
compared to using anti-microbials.
Our scientists have been very successful in
winning new research funding for a range of
different projects looking at: development of
new parasite vaccines; understanding
resistance of cattle to cryptosporidiosis;
testing variation of host responsiveness to
recombinant worm vaccines; determining the
inflammatory processes involved in ovine
footrot and looking at the efficacy of different
worming regimes in horses (pages 10-11).
These projects involve collaborations with
other scientific organisations and industry
partners both in the UK and Europe and
emphasise the importance Moredun places on
partnership working.
I would like to add my personal thanks to
all our staff for their significant contributions
and in particular our fantastic Regional
Advisors who give their valuable time to work
with us to ensure that our research outputs
and outreach work remain useful to those
working in the livestock industry (page 12).
We do hope that you enjoy this issue of the
magazine and thank you for your continued
interest in and support of our work.
A very warm welcome to the Summeredition of the Moredun Magazine. Weare particularly pleased to report thelaunch of Barbervax®, the firstcommercially available vaccineagainst Haemonchus contortus, themost important roundworm parasiteof sheep and goats worldwide. Thishas been a major achievement for ourscientists and the culmination of over25 years research (pages 6-7).
Two of our diagnostic tests, against sheep scab
and chlamydial abortion, are also now
commercially available (pages 2-3) and we
hope these will make a significant impact to
improve the prevention and control of
livestock disease.
We are delighted to welcome the new
Aquaculture Research Group to Moredun
which is an exciting collaboration with
Benchmark Animal Health to produce vaccines
for the global aquaculture industry (page 4).
Director’s comment
Julie Fitzpatrick
Scientific Director and Chief Executive
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Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 1
NEWS
The Veterinary Vaccinology Network aims
to address the unmet needs in veterinary
vaccinology, continuing in the fight against
animal diseases and consequently those that
have the potential to spread to humans.
The network aims to enhance
collaborations between scientific researchers,
industry, policy makers and regulators to
design, develop and deliver safe and effective
next-generation vaccines against new and
(re)-emerging diseases.
The collaborative approach of the network
will facilitate sharing of existing knowledge
and resources in relation to veterinary
vaccinology as well as provide a forum for
innovative thinking.
Moredun is represented on the network’s
Coordination Group by Professor Gary Entrican.
www.vetvaccnet.ac.uk
Professor Lee Innes awarded an MBEMoredun is very proud to announcethat Professor Lee Innes, Director ofCommunications and a PrincipalScientist at Moredun, was awarded anMBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honoursfor services to scientific research andcommunication.
Lee has made a significant contribution to
improve livestock health and welfare both in
the UK and internationally and she is
particularly interested in science
communication and education.
Professor Innes commented, “This is an
extraordinary honour, which I am delighted to
accept in recognition of our brilliant research
and communications teams here at Moredun. I
have been fortunate to have worked with
some very talented people throughout my
career”.
Veterinary Vaccinology Network launch website A new website has been launchedfollowing the creation of amultidisciplinary network ofveterinary vaccinology experts. The network will provideopportunities for researchers andindustry alike to produce newveterinary vaccines and createefficient development pathways.
Edinburgh Napier and Moredun sign MOUMoredun has signed a Memorandumof Understanding with EdinburghNapier University that will seegreater collaboration between theinstitutions’ researchers. The twoorganisations have already workedtogether on a number of projects –from examining farmers’ attitudes toemerging livestock diseases such asthe Schmallenberg virus to testingvaccines to combat parasites.
New strands of research will also focus on land
management issues, specifically with regard to
livestock health and long term food security,
and understanding the sociological implications
of new policy and uptake of new interventions.
Professor Julie Fitzpatrick, Moredun
Research Institute Scientific Director & Group
CEO, said: “We are delighted to be working
more closely with Edinburgh Napier University
and can see real benefits from the opportunities
provided by interdisciplinary collaboration to
enable both organisations to make a real
impact in enabling new technologies and
developments to be used effectively where they
are most needed.”
Professor Lee Innes MBE
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 2
News
MoredunGroup winsBest GreenBusinessAwardThe Moredun Group won the awardfor Best Green Business for 2014 atThe Midlothian and East LothianChamber of Commerce’s AnnualBusiness Partnership Exhibition andAwards held at the end of October.
Best Green Business is awarded to a business
that has made significant environmental
improvements and has committed to improving
and demonstrating their green credentials.
Pentlands Science Park Manager, George
Walker commented, "The Moredun Group was
delighted to win the Best Green Business Award
ahead of the other excellent nominees. It is
fantastic that the hard work that has been put
in by many people across the Group in
developing and implementing our
Environmental Management System has been
recognised in this way”.
By developing a formal Environmental
Management System, Moredun has been able
to deliver a wide variety of improvements to its
business conduct. This has delivered
environmental, financial and corporate
responsibility benefits to the organisation, and
has enhanced Moredun’s reputation as a world
leading organisation with quality at the heart of
its operations.
The award sponsors Anderson Strathearn
commented, “It’s important that local
environmentally-focused, sustainable businesses
are celebrated and recognised for their
achievements. A green approach to growth is
crucial for the future of the Scottish economy”.
Our congratulations to all those involved at
Pentlands Science Park especially our colleagues
in the Environmental Policy Advisory Group.
New Moredun Sheep ScabTest now available at APHA Scientists at Moredun have developeda novel diagnostic blood test forsheep scab infestation, which is nowbeing used by the Animal and PlantHealth Agency (APHA).
Sheep scab, caused by the mite Psoroptes ovis, is
one of the most important parasitic diseases of
sheep in the UK and is a notifiable disease in
Scotland. During the early stages of sheep scab,
infestations are not obvious and animals often
appear clinically normal. This sub-clinical stage
can last for several weeks during which animals
can act as a source of infection for other sheep.
For control or eradication programs to be
successful, it is crucial that all infested animals
are identified as quickly as possible, including
sub-clinical cases and this is now possible using
the new Moredun blood test.
The test detects host antibodies to a specific
protein found only in the sheep scab mite,
which means that the test can accurately
detect that an infestation is due to the scab
mite and not another ectoparasite. The test
can detect infested animals at an early stage
and before the onset of clinical symptoms,
which will be important in the effective control
of the parasite.
APHA currently offers veterinary surgeons
ectoparasitic examinations of skin scrapings
taken from sheep. It is hoped that integrating
the results of the skin scrapings with this new
blood test will provide a more powerful and
reliable diagnostic service for sheep scab. The
blood test will be offered free of charge for an
initial period.
For this enhanced diagnosis, veterinary
surgeons are asked to submit clotted blood
samples (Vacutainer®, red top) along with skin
scraping samples from the same sheep to
APHA’s Centre in Shrewsbury. APHA will then
report the results of the diagnostic tests to the
veterinary surgeon.
Dr Stewart Burgess who leads the sheep
scab research group at Moredun commented:
“The development of a sensitive and specific
blood test provides an important tool to aid
control strategies for sheep scab and crucially,
by using this new test it is now possible to
detect the infection much earlier, at the sub-
clinical stage. We are very pleased to
collaborate with APHA to make the test
available to support farmers and vets in the
control of the disease.”
Amanda Carson, Veterinary Lead Small
Ruminant Expert Group at APHA said: “We
support the efforts of the sheep industry to
control sheep scab through effective diagnosis
of the disease. We welcome new diagnostic
developments such as the Moredun test which
will provide a vital tool to improve our
diagnostic efforts.”
We are very sad to report the passing in
April of Robby Lennox after a short illness.
A farmer from Luss, Robby joined ADRA
early in his farming career, and then as a
strong supporter of Moredun, he chaired
the North of Scotland Regional Board, and
contributed to the Moredun Foundation
Board for many years, in his own quiet but
effective way. He was widely respected in
Robby Lennox Obituary
the wider farming fraternity being a
respected valuer and arbiter, a leading light
in the ATB for a number of years, for which
he was awarded his OBE. He also spent
some time on the Agricultural Wages Board
and the Home Grown Timber Authority,
as well as being a Director of the
Caledonian Mart.
His son Bobby became a Moredun
Regional Advisor last year continuing the
family connection. We would like to express
our heartfelt condolences to Bobby and the
rest of the family.
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 3
NEWS
Chlamydial abortion test kit now available
New diagnostic test launched to combatchlamydial abortion in sheep. Scientists at Moredun havesuccessfully developed a newdiagnostic test for Chlamydia abortusthe causative agent of ovine enzooticabortion (OEA).
OEA, also known as enzootic abortion of ewes
(EAE) or ovine chlamydiosis, is a major cause of
lamb mortality across the world and accounts
for 44% of diagnosed infectious abortions in UK
sheep. C. abortus invades the placenta during
pregnancy which can lead to abortion or the
birth of weak lambs.
The new test will allow for more accurate
diagnosis of the disease by offering higher
specificity and sensitivity of detection in
comparison to other serological tests. It works
by detecting the presence of antibodies to
C. abortus in blood samples from infected sheep
using an indirect ELISA technique.
Launched in April, this new diagnostic is
being marketed to veterinary diagnostic
laboratories by MV Diagnostics Ltd. The product
is manufactured by Enfer Scientific.
Dr David Longbottom, the principal scientist
who led the development of the test at
Professor Julie Fitzpatrick announced as Vice Chair of the new Scottish Food Commission We are delighted that Professor Julie Fitzpatrick, Moredun’s ScientificDirector and Chief Executive, will bethe vice-chair of the new ScottishFood Commission following anannouncement by Richard Lochhead,Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs,Food and Environment, earlier this year.
The Scottish Food Commission will address the
existing, and potential future, challenges facing
Scotland’s food culture. The group will
establish a network to champion good food
issues locally and will work in close partnership
with key stakeholders to advocate the
importance of good food to Scotland’s health
and wellbeing, environment and quality of life.
The Commission is made up of industry
experts from various areas, including
environment, food security, retail, food
production, education, public health and food
safety, and will be led by Shirley Spear.
Shirley, the founder, co-owner and former
head chef of Michelin-starred restaurant the
Three Chimneys, on the Isle of Skye, will guide
the group in its deliberations and efforts in
improving the country’s attitude to eating
fresh and healthy produce.
Mr Lochhead said, “I’m delighted to be able
to announce Shirley Spear as Chair and
Julie Fitzpatrick as Vice-Chair, alongside 14
other extremely knowledgeable and influential
industry experts, who will help pave the way
to Scotland becoming a Good Food Nation.
By 2025 we want people from every walk of
life to take pride and pleasure in the food
served day by day in Scotland.”
Moredun, commented: “I am delighted that the
test is now commercially available providing
farmers, vets and diagnostic laboratories with
access to an improved tool that allows a more
accurate diagnosis of this devastating
sheep disease.”
Professor Gordon Harkiss and Dr Neil Watt,
directors of MV Diagnostics said: “We are very
pleased to have collaborated with Moredun to
bring the new test to the market supporting
the diagnosis and management of OEA in
sheep flocks.”
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 4
Research
New Aquaculture Research GroupThe Aquaculture Research Group wascreated in 2013 as a collaborationbetween Moredun Research Institute(MRI) and Benchmark Animal Health(BMAH) to produce vaccines for theglobal aquaculture industry. BMAH ispart of the Benchmark HoldingsGroup, developing solutions for theanimal health, food, agriculture,aquaculture and sustainabilitybusiness sectors. They are an ethicalcompany with an explicit policy basedon the “3E’s” definition ofsustainability – ethics, environmentand economics.
Fish are an important source of protein,
contributing around 6% of the protein
consumed globally, and with the world
population expected to increase to 9 billion by
the end of 2050, aquaculture has the potential
to meet increasing demands for protein. The
aquaculture industry is growing rapidly, and it is
estimated to produce around 85 million tonnes
of farmed produce by 2030. Atlantic salmon is a
major aquaculture species farmed in Europe
(particularly Norway and Scotland), Chile and
Northern America. It is the number one food
export for Scotland, with a retail value of over
£1 billion, making it a major player to the
Scottish economy.
The incidence of disease outbreaks has
hampered the expansion of the aquaculture
industry. As well as reducing the supply of
marketable produce, it can result in substantial
economic losses to the farmer. Pathogens and
parasites are estimated to be responsible for 5-
7% annual losses in finfish aquaculture,
representing somewhere in the region of £4-5
billion in lost revenue, globally. Although
antibiotics and chemotherapeutants are used to
control disease outbreaks, there is concern
about their use because of drug residues in
food, the development of antimicrobial drug
resistance, and their detrimental effect on
water microbial ecosystems and populations.
Attention is now being given to disease
prevention as a means of controlling disease
outbreaks based on improved fish husbandry
and biological control methods such as
vaccination and immunostimulation.
The first commercial vaccines for
aquaculture were licensed in the USA in the
1970’s, while the introduction of vaccines to
aquaculture in Scotland and Scandinavia,
followed later in the mid 1980’s. Vaccination is
now a routine part of disease management in
many aquaculture systems. Atlantic salmon are
often vaccinated against three to five diseases
during their production cycle, often with a
multivalent vaccine, and in 2011 nearly 50
million fish were vaccinated in Scotland alone.
The strategy of vaccination has been so
successful that the use of antibiotics in
aquaculture has fallen dramatically.
Early vaccines were based on formalin-killed
preparations of bacteria, administered by
immersion. The furunculosis vaccine, offering
protection against Aeromonas salmonicida,
proved less effective than the bacterin vaccines
produced for enteric redmouth or vibriosis, and
was therefore mixed with an adjuvant and
administered by injection to improve its
immunogenicity. Since then, fish vaccine
development has become more sophisticated
with an increasing trend for the development of
sub-unit recombinant vaccines. This has been
necessary for some diseases, because the
simpler bacterin approach has been
unsuccessful, and until recently attenuated
vaccines were generally not encouraged from a
safety point of view. Technologies such as
recombinant and DNA vaccines, reverse
vaccinology, RNA silencing, proteomics and
epitope mapping are powerful tools for future
vaccine development as these enable the
identification and isolation of potential
protective antigens.
The Aquaculture Research Group is focusing
on the development of new generation vaccines
for BMAH, through the support of MRI and
where possible using MRI technology in their
vaccine development.
Two different aquaculture systems:
(a) a pangasius farm in Vietnam (photograph courtesy of Wanna Sirimanapong, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand);
(b) Atlantic salmon farm site in Scotland (photograph courtesy of Benchmark Animal Health).
Atlantic salmon being injection vaccinated in Chile
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 5
Pentlands Science Park/Moredun Scientific
PSP getting back to full occupancy One of the challenges for PentlandsScience Park, and indeed all scienceparks with wet labs, is the cost of re-fitting laboratories when a changeof tenancy occurs. Laboratories areoften bespoke designed for theoccupier and you are fortunateindeed if the incoming tenant doesnot require any modifications.
This has been true of PSP’s Doherty Innovation
Centre, the largest multi-occupancy buildings `
on site.
The building was, originally, funded by
Scottish Enterprise when built in 1996 and was
acquired by The Moredun Foundation four
years later. The ground floor area on one half
of the building, extending to some 7,000 sq ft
was bespoke designed and fitted out for
Viragen who occupied the premises from 1996
until 2007. In the intervening period, Alba
Bioscience occupied a large part of the space
before moving into Douglas House, Genecom
occupied the offices for a while and Edinburgh
Laser Optics occupy a small lab. It has been a
challenge to find a major occupier given the
difficulties of the current fit-out and layout.
However, we are now in discussions with
one of our existing tenants to consolidate into
this area from the four areas it currently
occupies. This will be of significant advantage to
the company in being together in one space. To
achieve this, a substantial fit-out and change of
layout is underway costing in the region of
£100,000 but this will secure occupation of a
space which has been vacant for too long and
the four smaller units freed up will be easier to
let. Indeed, we are already in discussions with
a potential tenant to take on some of the
new space.
The end aim is to assist our tenants and
increase overall occupancy of the Park which
will generate improved revenues to the
Foundation. Win, win all round.
Biosafety Testing Over the last few years MoredunScientific has developed a businessunit focussed on contract biosafetytesting for the biopharmaceuticalindustry. This involves testing a rangeof biological materials including celllines used in the manufacturing ofbiological medicinal products. Inaddition to vaccines we are now alsotesting advanced therapy medicinalproducts such as gene and stem cellbased treatments.
The testing is essential to ensure that the
biopharmaceuticals are free from any
contaminating materials and infectious agents
(e.g. bacteria or viruses) that may be carried
over from the cells used to produce them or
during the manufacturing process. The tests are
carried out under tightly controlled conditions
regulated in the UK by the Medicines and
Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA).
The business requires our long established
skills in microbiology, animal studies and
regulatory studies and tests.
This is a rapidly growing area for us as an
increasing number of biopharmaceuticals are
launched onto the market with the
manufacturers outsourcing this specialised
testing to companies such as ourselves. There is
also a growing demand for testing of vaccine
products. We work with clients across the globe
including companies based in the Far East.
To learn more please contact us:
[email protected] or visit our
website: www.moredun.org.uk/moredun-
scientific-homepage/biosafety-testing
Pentlands Science Park
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 6
Research
Moredun launches Barbervax® - a vaccine for Barber’s Pole Worm
Scientists at Moredun, led by Dr David Smith, have successfullydeveloped the first vaccine for theBarber's Pole Worm (Haemonchuscontortus), the most importantroundworm parasite of sheep andgoats in the world.
Barber’s Pole Worm is a voracious blood
sucker causing anaemia which can readily
become fatal. Fortunately for UK farmers it
prefers warmer conditions and so is only a
sporadic problem, but in parts of Australia,
South Africa and South America it presents a
real difficulty for commercial sheep farmers,
compounded by the fact that worms resistant
to anthelmintic drugs are common
and widespread.
Barbervax®, the first vaccine in the world
for a worm parasite of sheep and a
revolutionary new tool for farmers to combat
Barber’s Pole was registered for use in
Australia in October 2014. The first batch of
vaccine, consisting of 300,000 doses, sold out
within 10 days just by word of mouth.
The vaccine contains tiny amounts of
protein purified from the lining of worm
intestines. Like all vaccines, Barbervax® works
by stimulating the natural immune response in
the animal after injection. The antibodies
produced circulate in the sheep’s blood, so
that the parasites drink antibodies with their
blood meal. These antibodies attach to the
lining of the worm intestine, blocking
digestion and starving the worm so that it
produces far fewer eggs and dies.
The basis for Barbervax® was devised
after many years of research at Moredun and
commercialised during the last five years
through a collaboration with the Albany
laboratory of the Department of Agriculture
and Food, Western Australia, where it is
made by Wormvax Australia, a subsidiary
of Moredun.
Please visit www.barbervax.com.au
for further information.
Dr David Smith (MRI) producing Barbervax®
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 7
RESEARCH
In response to a recommendation inthe 'Doing Better Initiative toReduce Red Tape in Agriculture'report, by Brian Pack the livestocksector is working with the ScottishGovernment to review currentpractice regarding CTS linkedholdings.
As part of an ongoing consultation with the
industry, farmers are being encouraged to
respond to an online survey which aims to
elicit farmer opinion and better understand
current use of CTS links. The survey has been
designed by EPIC, in partnership with NFUS.
EPIC (www.epicscotland.org) is a Scottish
Government-funded initiative that brings
together expertise on animal diseases from
Scottish Universities (Edinburgh and
Glasgow) and Institutes (Moredun Research,
SRUC and the James Hutton).
The survey should take a maximum of 10
minutes to complete and all Scottish cattle
farmers are encouraged to respond, whether
or not they have experience with CTS links.
All responses will be anonymous and the data
you give will be of immense value to NFUS
and the Scottish Government. Please follow
the link below to add your opinions and
experience to the consultation.
https://eh.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/cts-links-2
If you would like any further information
on the survey, please contact
Dr Emily Hotchkiss on
Cattle Tracing System (CTS) Links – your opinions matter
Sections of Barber’s Pole worm obtained from a sheep
vaccinated with Barbervax®. Antibodies stained yellowish
green have attached to the lining of the worm intestines
Haemonchus contortus (Barber’s Pole Worm) Producing the vaccine in Australia
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 8
Out and About
Tuesday 19th May
NSA Welsh Sheep, Newtown
Thursday 21st May
Beef Expo, York
Wednesday 27th May
Scottish Beef Event, Blairgowrie
Wednesday 3rd June
NSA North Sheep, Cockermouth
Tuesday 9th June
NSA Highland Sheep, Fearn
Thursday 18th to Sunday 21st June
Royal Highland Show, Edinburgh
Forthcoming Shows& Events 2015
AHDAConferenceIn January, as part of our partnership with
AHDA, we were pleased to attend their 30th
Annual Conference in Birmingham. This two
day event saw over 300 SQPs and
pharmaceutical representatives participate in
a programme of presentations including an
update of Moredun’s parasitological research
from Professor Jacqui Matthews.
Edinburgh InternationalScience Festival 2015Moredun were delighted to take part in the
Edinburgh International Science Festival in April.
‘Disease Explorers’ at the Royal Botanic Garden
Edinburgh was an interactive exhibition for
children with hands on activities about
detecting and diagnosing disease. The children
helped our very own Farmer Fred to diagnose
what was wrong with his flock by collecting and
testing samples in the lab. It proved to be a
highly popular event with children and adults
alike and received some excellent feedback.
Student VisitIn April, Moredun were delighted to welcome
Agriculture students from Bishop Burton
College, East Yorkshire.
The students enjoyed a tour of Moredun’s
facilities and a practical lab session on intestinal
parasites. All the staff involved welcomed the
opportunity to engage with the industry’s next
generation.
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Young participants at Moredun’s event at the EISF
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 9
OUT AND ABOUT
Help wanted with EquineQuestionnaireThe Horse Trust have recently fundeda research project which focuses onanthelmintic (dewormer) resistanceand the distribution of worms inhorses across the UK. This project,being carried out by Moredun inpartnership with Liverpool andBristol Universities and Bell EquineClinic, aims to identify if any long-term issues arise from using targetedworming versus traditional intervaldeworming treatments.
Do you have a spare 15 minutes to help with a
survey? The project requires horse owners and
those that manage horses to complete a
questionnaire that will help us explore the use
of dewormers in horses and their potential
impact on the worms that are present.
Many thanks in advance
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/horseworms
Go Jo!Jo Watts of the Moredun Comms
Team is taking part in 12 challenges
in 12 months to raise both awareness
of Motor Neurone Disease and as
much money as possible for the
MND Association.
Jo says that when a family member was
recently diagnosed with the disease, she needed
to do something to help.
Despite a severely twisted ankle in February,
Jo has battled on and has already raised more
than £4,000.
If you would like to support this wonderful
fund raising effort, please go to :
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team-watts
Here is a list of the 12 challenges:
10th January: Great Winter Run, Edinburgh
15th February: Half Marathon, Barcelona
29th March: Kilomathon, Edinburgh
26th April: London Marathon
23rd to 24th May: London2Brighton
100 km Challenge
14th June: 2 Mile Great Swim, Lake Windermere
18th to 19th July: Three Peaks Challenge
8th August: London Triathlon
19th to 20th September: Equinox 24 – 24 hour
Relay, Leicestershire
18th October: Survival of the Fittest, Edinburgh
November: 10 km, Leeds
December: Santa Run, Edinburgh
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 10
Research
Moredun scientists awarded five newgrants to help improve the health andwelfare of livestock and horses
Moredun scientists have recently wonfive new externally funded projectsto help improve the health andwelfare of livestock and horses.These have been funded from theEuropean Union Horizon 2020programme, the BBSRC’s AnimalHealth Research Club in collaborationwith the Scottish Government andThe Horse Trust.
Professor Julie Fitzpatrick, Scientific Director
of Moredun Research Institute said, “We are
delighted to have won these competitive
grants to help support our work to prevent
and control endemic diseases and we are
particularly pleased that the projects are
involving so many scientific and industry
partners both in the UK and across the world.”
Three of the grants were awarded through
the BBSRC’s Animal Health Research Club
(ARC) initiative which aims to understand and
combat endemic disease in farmed cattle,
sheep, pigs, poultry and fish. The ARC initiative
is a consortium between the BBSRC, the
Scottish Government and leading companies
from the animal health, breeding and farming
sectors to encourage research approaches that
are relevant to industry needs. The three
Moredun projects are focusing on: resistance
to cryptosporidiosis in cattle where the team
are looking at the immune responses to this
important protozoan parasite and developing
some innovative in-vitro systems to enable
detailed studies on host-pathogen interactions;
diversity in immune responses to a
recombinant worm vaccine in sheep where
scientists will investigate individual variation in
immune responsiveness and the effect on
vaccine efficacy; and improving our
understanding of inflammatory responses in
sheep footrot involving a study of how the
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 11
RESEARCHP
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Cryptosporidiosis oocysts (small spheres) on the surface of cattle gut villi
bacteria causing footrot are recognised by the
immune system of the sheep to enable a
better understanding of disease pathogenesis.
The three projects are being conducted in
collaboration with the Roslin Institute,
Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, the
University of Glasgow and the University of
Nottingham. These endemic diseases are of
significant economic and welfare concern to
the livestock industry.
The European Union project involves 17
scientific and industrial partners from around
the world working to develop novel vaccines
to help prevent and control helminth and
ectoparasite infections of ruminant and poultry
production systems. The 9 million euro
PARAGONE project aims to provide sustainable
and environmentally friendly forms of disease
control through vaccination and thus reduce
reliance on anti-parasitic drugs, where there
are increasing reports of drug resistance and
reduced efficacy.
The Horse Trust have recently funded a
project to enable Moredun scientists to
conduct a study to look at the efficacy of using
a targeted worming strategy versus a
traditional interval worming treatment in
horses. The project will focus on the
distribution of worms in horses across the UK
and the extent of resistance to common
treatments.
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 12
Focus On...
“
A valuable asset : Our Regional Advisors
The Moredun Foundation has fiveregional boards covering: South ofEngland, North of England, Wales,South of Scotland and North ofScotland. On each regional board,farmers, veterinarians, SQPs,industry representatives, youngfarmers and students collectivelyrepresent a wide cross section ofstakeholders within the livestockindustry. The chairs of each regionalboard sit on the main MoredunFoundation Board.
In December last year, we held our first
Regional Advisors Workshop here at Moredun
and looked at how we might improve our
collaborative working and tried out some new
engagement and outreach activities. The
workshop was a great success: scientists heard
more about the work of the regional advisors
and the advisors gained a much better
understanding of life at the coal face for the
scientists and of some of the challenges and
opportunities facing Moredun.
One of Moredun’s greatest assets is,
without doubt, it’s secret army of regional
advisors, who are our ambassadors out in the
field and help Moredun retain its roots and
strength within the livestock industry.
”
Moredun can take great pride from the
healthy relationship it has across the
spectrum of the livestock industry ….. Much
of that success, I would say is down to the 2
way street of knowledge passed both ways
between Moredun and its stakeholders.
Scott Brown, farmer and SQP,
South of Scotland Regional Board.
Moredun’s relationship with its core
membership is unique because it was
founded by farmers for farmers ….
The fact that it is farmer owned as well
makes the relationship with the farming
industry so special.
Sandy Tulloch, farmer,
North of Scotland Regional Board.
The independent scientific information from
the Moredun is the most up to date and
unbiased a livestock producer can have
access to in order to make business
decisions in the short or long term.
Frank Langrish, farmer,
South of England Regional Board.
Moredun’s relationship with its stakeholder
community enables end users and
prescribers to have a unique insight to what
happens during the development of new
products in the UK. This flow of information
will help those of us in UK agriculture keep
ahead of the game in an increasingly
global market.
Sally Harmer, SQP, Wales Regional Board
Roddy Dunse, Veterinary Surgeon, South of Scotland Regional Board
Regional Advisors Workshop at Moredun
Regional Advisors Workshop in the labs at Moredun
Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2015 13
NEWS
Crown Estate Partnership
We are delighted to welcome theCrown Estate as associate membersof Moredun. The Crown Estate isleading the way as the first landowning estate to join us and we hopemany more estates and landownerswill follow suit.
The Crown Estate is a diverse portfolio of UK
buildings, shoreline, seabed, forestry,
agriculture and common land that generates
revenue for the government. As an
independent commercial business, created by
an Act of Parliament, The Crown Estate’s rural
portfolio includes 139,000 hectares (343,000
acres) and includes agriculture, forestry,
minerals, tourism, residential and commercial
properties. The agricultural interests include
both livestock and arable farming, including
traditional hill farming in Scotland and Wales
to large-scale commercial operations in the
eastern counties of England. All the
agricultural interests are leased under a variety
of tenure arrangements many of which involve
some form of livestock enterprise. As a
landlord, The Crown Estate supports its
tenants’ businesses wherever possible through
investment, advice and business support,
helping to enhance farming enterprises to
improve business profitability and efficiency.
The Crown Estate associate membership
will allow over 350 of their UK livestock
farming tenants to benefit from livestock
health advice via Moredun's extensive KTE
network and research expertise. We hope
many of the Crown Estate tenants will make
use of this facility to assist increasing
productivity and efficiency on their livestock
enterprises.
Building on existing research links and a
very well attended farmers meeting held in
Craigellachie last November, Moredun and the
Crown Estate are planning more farmer
focused events in other areas of the UK later
this year.
Applications are open for the 2015Moredun Foundation Scholarship.
The scholarship scheme offers a fantastic
opportunity for individuals to pursue a short
term project to broaden their education and
experience in areas relating to livestock health
and welfare and the agricultural industry.
Scholarship awards of up to £1,000 each will
be made in 2015. Projects are open to
Moredun members over the age of 18 living
in the UK and may involve work experience,
travel, or collaborations with science or
the arts.
Ian Duncan Millar, Chairman of the
Moredun Foundation, is delighted by the
quality of the scholarship projects that the
Moredun Foundation has supported so far.
He commented, “These scholarships are a
great way for those in the livestock industry to
pursue a short term project or further develop
their knowledge of livestock health. Recipients
of these awards to date have carried out some
fantastic diverse projects which have
broadened the horizons of the individual
involved, while adding useful knowledge to the
promotion of livestock health and welfare”.
The closing date for applications for a 2015
Moredun Foundation Scholarship is Tuesday 30
June 2015. Successful applicants will be
notified in writing by Monday 31 August 2015
and projects need to be completed by
31 August 2016.
Further information and an application form
are available to download from the Moredun
website www.moredun.org.uk/scholarship
Application forms and guidelines can also be
emailed to prospective applicants on request.
Email [email protected] for further
information.
Moredun FoundationScholarship
Bampton Society
Border Union Agricultural Society
Buckland Charitable Trust
Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales)
Norbrook
Perth Ram Society
Quality Meat Scotland
RHASS
Romsey Agricultural & Horse Show Society
Zoetis
As a registered charity The MoredunFoundation is indebted to itsmembers and supporters fordonations to help ensure that vitalareas of our work can continue.Special thanks must go to thefollowing organisations, all of whomhave made donations to MoredunFoundation in the last twelve months.Their support is greatly appreciated.
Thank You
www.moredun.org.uk
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