BBSRC Animal Health Research Club

BBSRC established the Animal Health Research Club (ARC) in 2012. Tasked with bringing together industrial stakeholders and the academic community, ARC supports industrially relevant research that provides new understanding, methods, and breeding tools, to increase the resistance and resilience of farmed animals to pests and diseases. Further details can be found on the BBSRC website.

The Problem:

Animal health is a key element of the EBLEX R&D strategy.  The R&D funded by EBLEX normally falls at the applied end of the spectrum.  Nevertheless there is a need for underpinning research.  The BBSRC club has been established to link BBSRC and industry to fund relevant research on animal health.

Project Aims:

The club will fund research projects to meet four challenges:

• Understanding the basis of resistance/resilience to pests and diseases in livestock and aquaculture species
• Developing novel tools for defining disease biomarkers and phenotypes to inform breeding strategies for subclinical diseases and increased disease resistance
• Understanding variation in vaccine responsiveness, immuno-competence at different developmental stages and disease outcomes
• Determining the effects of selection for production traits on immune function.

Approach:

The scope of individual calls for proposals will be decided by the Club’s Steering Group in consultation with all Industry Members. The aim will be to cover the breadth of the Club’s remit through 2 or 3 calls for proposals.

Deliverables:

The individual research projects will have specific deliverables.  Overall the Club will deliver a suite of research aimed at meeting industry need for animal health research.