Atlantic Veterinary College Universit y of Prince Edward Island
AVC Research Repor t Celebrating
25 years 路 1 9 8 6 -2 01 1
AVC Research Snapshots
Table of Contents Building a Better Future Together
Discovery and innovation drive us to go beyond the known. They push us to create new possibilities. They urge us to make – and do – things better. They remind us that there are questions that need answers and puzzles that need solving. The Atlantic Veterinary College’s research team is passionate about issues that matter to all of us. Our health. The health of our animal friends. The sustainability and well-being of our environment. The needs of society. The quest for new knowledge is our driving force in building a better world. Throughout the pages of this research report, you will find wonderful examples of the Atlantic Veterinary College’s outstanding people and research initiatives. The profiles and information provide a snapshot of our research program and our dynamic, world-class team.
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Dr. Ian Gardner
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Dr. Andrew Tasker
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Dr. Sophie St-Hilaire
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Dr. Sunny Hartwig
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Dr. Mark Fast
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Dr. Crawford Revie
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Dr. Trina Bailey
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Dr. Byeonghwa Jeon
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Dr. María Forzán
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AVC Graduate Students
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AVC Research Snapshots
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Stats / Chairs / Funding
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AVC Research and Service Centres
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Discovery and Innovation
Industry Chair in Swine Research
Dr. Daniel Hurnik is working with private industry to improve the growth of livestock, using non-antibiotic feed additives. Dr. Hurnik’s research with young pigs demonstrates that a low amount of OxC-beta added to regular swine feed helps support immune function, which can result in better overall health, improved growth and feed utilization. OxC-beta is a proprietary, concentrated mixture of fully oxidized carotenoids owned by Chemaphor Inc.
Front cover (l-r): Dr. Byeonghwa Jeon, Dr. Sunny Hartwig, Dr. Ian Gardner, Dr. Trina Bailey
Post-doctoral Fellow, AVC Department of Pathology and Microbiology
Dr. Sarah Stewart-Clark is using science to overcome serious challenges facing the shellfish industry in Atlantic Canada. Through the development of assays that can detect a single tunicate egg or larvae in a water sample, Dr. Stewart-Clark is making possible the identification of invasive tunicates at a very early stage. Earlier detection means increased protection for this cornerstone industry. So far, the assays have been used to confirm the presence of tunicate species in PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec.
Innovation PEI Industry Research Chair in MilkBased Diagnostics and Information Technology Applications, and Director, Maritime Quality Milk
Maritime Quality Milk (MQM) is using innovative technology to help dairy producers improve herd-health management and raw milk quality. Through its online Graphical Analysis Program, MQM provides dairy producers with free access to test data and interpretation that enables them to immediately address milk quality and component issues. MQM has also produced a Mastitis Treatment Detection Kit in partnership with 3M that enables farmers to reduce antibiotic use for mastitis treatment by up to 40 per cent.
more AVC Research Snapshots can be found on pages 22 and 23
Building a Better Future Together
Dr. Alaa S. Abd-El-Aziz President and Vice-Chancellor University of Prince Edward Island
Dr. Donald Reynolds Dean Atlantic Veterinary College
In addition to housing a world-renowned faculty of veterinary medicine, a teaching hospital and a diagnostic services centre, the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is widely recognized as an outstanding research facility committed to experiential education and innovation. AVC researchers are passionate about the quality of their work. With the generous support of our research funders, the opportunity to collaboratively engage students, partners and community – in a level of education and research that will positively impact the health and lives of animals and humans – creates an atmosphere of creativity and discovery.
As both an administrator and a scientist, I am honoured to work with these dedicated researchers, to encourage and witness the outcomes of their efforts, and to celebrate the difference their initiatives make. Research conducted at AVC will continue to improve food health for the population of the planet, and detect, prevent and cure disease. In the following pages, you will be impressed by the examples of research occurring at AVC, and you will understand why the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI has become a chosen educational destination for talented students, faculty and staff from all around the world.
The Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island has a proven track record for delivering world-class results. Our programs are anchored in a commitment to quality and a focus on contributing to society. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are proud of how far we have come in a relatively short time, and we anticipate with excitement the contributions we have yet to make.
ability to build knowledge-based industries. We thank all our supporters for their strategic investments in the AVC’s research capabilities. We also thank Dr. Katherine Schultz, Vice-President, Research and Development, and her office, for supporting our research program.
We are fortunate to be the recipients of research funding from a number of government funding agencies, private companies and public sector organizations. Funding is critical to training our innovation leaders of tomorrow, to attracting the most promising research minds to our team and to accelerating our
We are truly proud of the achievements of our research team at the Atlantic Veterinary College. Our faculty, staff and graduate students are shaping and stimulating new knowledge in research areas such as clinical medicine, public health, aquatic health, biomedical sciences, veterinary epidemiology, and animal health and welfare. These outstanding professionals devote their lives to improving health through science.
Dr. Jeff Wichtel Associate Dean Graduate Studies & Research
Collaboration is at the core of our research program. Research takes place in our labs, in the field, within our Veterinary Teaching Hospital and in partnership with researchers throughout Atlantic Canada and around the world – truly, research without borders.
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
I hope you enjoy learning about the Atlantic Veterinary College, our research strengths and the various ways that we hope to make a difference in the lives of our community members. In this edition of our research report, I am pleased to introduce our new UPEI president and fellow scientist, Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. We look forward to working with him as we strive to build a healthier future for animals and humans.
In our pursuit to educate and train the research leaders of tomorrow, we are fortunate that our graduate students have the opportunity to work alongside globally recognized researchers in modern laboratories and outstanding facilities. Considerable growth in our research revenue over the past 25 years has increased our research capacity as well as our ability to grow our graduate studies program. As we pursue new knowledge and applications that can change our world, the Atlantic Veterinary College is eager to share information about its research activities with the public. Ultimately, it is our communities that benefit from our efforts to improve the quality of life for animals and humans through healthy populations.
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Dr. Ian Gardner
Profile
Healthy food for humanity “This is work that will have a real effect on human health and welfare.” “Pancreas disease is a major economic problem on fish farms in Norway and Scotland, causing increased death loss and illness during the seawater phase,” says Dr. Ian Gardner. “It’s spread easily when fish are in close contact, such as those found in an aquaculture environment. It’s not believed to have migrated yet to this side of the Atlantic, but we need to be ready for it.” Dr. Ian Gardner is UPEI’s Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Aquatic Epidemiology at the Atlantic Veterinary College. This prestigious research chair is one of only 19 CERCs awarded to Canadian universities by the Government of Canada in 2010, each of which is valued at up to $10 million over seven years. An internationally renowned veterinary epidemiologist, Dr. Gardner is examining health interactions between farmed and wild fish populations, and developing cost-effective testing strategies and surveillance programs for the prevention and control of diseases in aquatic food animals. His research will help aquaculture regulators in Canada to make science-based decisions to maintain healthy food production in our marine environments, as well as provide the knowledge needed to help improve nutrition for human populations around the world. “Pancreas disease affects digestion in salmon,” explains Dr. Gardner. “It causes them to lose weight and have a high mortality. It’s often found in salmon affected by sea lice, so at low prevalence of infection, it could be missed. We don’t want that to happen here.” Atlantic Canada currently has limited diagnostic capability for the detection of pancreas disease. Establishing diagnostic and surveillance capacity is just one of the projects Dr. Gardner will undertake in his research, in collaboration with other researchers and faculty at AVC. “I was attracted to the position first because I’ve worked with the members of AVC’s Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research for many years, and we have a similar vision,” says Dr. Gardner. “I am also interested in research into international food production. This is work that will have a real effect on human health and welfare.”
Dr. Ian Gardner Canada Excellence Research Chair in Aquatic Epidemiology Professor, Department of Health Management Hometown Sydney, Australia Education • Bachelor of Veterinary Science, Sydney University • Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis • PhD, University of California, Davis Research Focus/Areas of Expertise • Diagnostic test evaluation • Risk factor analysis • Surveillance of infectious diseases Inspiration The world’s growing population urgently needs healthy and sustainable sources of high-quality food. My research deals with the health of fish populations, but it is also about what goes on our plate at dinnertime.
With the addition of the CERC in Aquatic Epidemiology to its considerable body of expertise, AVC has taken a major leap forward in becoming the world’s leading academic-based aquatics institution and a pioneer in improving nutrition for human populations around the world. As well as expanding AVC’s research capacity, Dr. Gardner’s role at AVC increases graduate student training opportunities for tomorrow’s scientific leaders.
Dr. Ian Gardner and members of the CERC Strategic Advisory Board
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Dr. Andrew Tasker
Profile
A perfect storm of minor events “We can pinpoint in our models an exact event that starts the progression towards compromised brain function.” “We tend to think of disease as a single cause-and-effect event,” says Dr. Andrew Tasker. “For example, ‘I come into contact with a flu virus, I get the flu.’ In neurological diseases such as schizophrenia or epilepsy, it’s much more complicated. A relatively minor event early in life can progress, due to a number of factors, into a major consequence later in life.” Dr. Tasker is Director of the Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research and a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College. His team has developed animal models for research in epilepsy, schizophrenia and stroke. He’s now using these models to help science better understand how these neurological diseases develop over time. “We can pinpoint in our models an exact event that starts the progression towards compromised brain function,” says Dr. Tasker. “And we already know the symptoms that show the disease is fully developed. What we are doing now is backtracking through this progression to see what happens in between.” Dr. Tasker says subsequent traumas or lifestyle events contribute to the progression, as well as factors such as genetics, but science doesn’t fully understand what happens in the brain as these diseases develop. “What we’re looking for,” explains Dr. Tasker, “are bio-markers which identify the different stages of progression. And by that, I mean symptoms or signals that indicate how far the disease has developed, like signposts along a highway.” Dr. Tasker says understanding the process, not just the end-stage disease, means a future where doctors can intervene before a patient develops symptoms. “This understanding will lead to personalized, predictive medicine,” he says. “If we know where a patient is on the downward slide toward disease, we could intervene and slow down the process. That person could live their whole life without ever showing a serious symptom, or experiencing a reduced quality of life. Eventually, we could stop, or even reverse, the progression altogether with a cure.”
Dr. Andrew Tasker Director, Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences Hometown Pembroke, Ontario Education • BSc (Hons), Queen’s University • MSc, Queen’s University • PhD, Queen’s University • Post-doctoral Fellow, McGill University Research Focus/Areas of Expertise • Behavioural Neuroscience/Neuropharmacology • Development of new therapeutants for use in neurodegenerative diseases and stroke • Development and characterization of animal models of neurological disease Inspiration My post-doctoral supervisor, Ron Melzack, awakened in me a passionate need to understand the balance between normal and abnormal brain function and its relationship to the causes of brain disease for development of treatments, cures and preventative strategies to relieve human and animal suffering.
In 2010, Dr. Tasker was honoured for his outstanding achievements as a scientist, researcher and teacher when he was elected a Fellow to the prestigious Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS), which recognizes great accomplishment and achievement in academic health sciences in Canada.
Dr. Andrew Tasker and Dr. Catharine Whiteside (left), President of the CAHS
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Dr. Sophie St-Hilaire
Profile
Striving for sustainability “The ultimate goal of my research is to improve aquaculture systems and make them more economically and environmentally sustainable.” “We cannot just look at coming up with new drugs to control diseases. We need to look at strategies to prevent diseases,” explains Dr. Sophie St-Hilaire, Associate Professor of Health Management at the Atlantic Veterinary College. “We need to consider the environmental sustainability of aquaculture systems if we want to be able to farm these systems long term. We also have to assess the short- and long-term cost benefit of an intensive aquaculture system that is prone to infectious disease outbreaks and treatments.” Dr. St-Hilaire’s research into disease prevention, sustainability and public health in aquaculture settings complements the expertise of the AVC’s Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER) and Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (CAHS), both of which welcome her as a member. Her research has taken her to Chile, the United Kingdom and the British Columbia coast. “And while I’ll continue to work on projects in these areas, I’d like to focus some of my attention closer to my home in Atlantic Canada,” says Dr. St-Hilaire. “Specifically, I’d like to work with shellfish farmers in the waters of Prince Edward Island, and with trout and salmon farmers across the Atlantic provinces.” Besides disease prevention, Dr. St-Hilaire also works on other sustainability issues facing aquaculture systems such as the use of fishmeal in salmonid commercial feed and waste management. The recycling of waste is a hot topic within aquaculture, and is at the heart of her research. “Salmon farms are looking for new ways to handle waste, and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture using filter-feeders could be part of the solution,” says Dr. St-Hilaire. This system may also be useful at reducing pathogens, a question she is hoping to answer with SalmonChile, using field data from Chilean saltwater aquaculture farms.
Dr. Sophie St-Hilaire Associate Professor, Department of Health Management Hometown Montreal, Quebec Education • DVM, Atlantic Veterinary College • MSc, University of Saskatchewan • PhD, University of Guelph Research Focus/Areas of Expertise • Epidemiology of aquatic animal diseases • Disease control and surveillance • Health management strategies to improve the sustainability of aquaculture • Public health Inspiration My inspiration is my children. I strive to improve the sustainability of aquaculture so they can enjoy aquatic ecosystems for many years to come.
“As an epidemiologist, I work on many different problems. The breadth of my research projects enables me to collaborate with many different types of researchers, from microbiologists to agricultural engineers. The ultimate goal of my research is to improve aquaculture systems and make them more economically and environmentally sustainable. “I’m excited to be back at the Atlantic Veterinary College,” says Dr. St-Hilaire. “This is where I received my DVM. I’m now working on research alongside professors who were my teachers. That’s really gratifying.”
Dr. St-Hilaire seeks to develop disease prevention strategies in aquaculture species, like trout.
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Dr. Sunny Hartwig
Profile
No machine can do what the kidneys do “I believe we’ll find a way to help diseased kidneys repair themselves.” “Kidney disease is hard enough for adults,” says Dr. Sunny Hartwig, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College. “But for a kid, it means not being able to play soccer. Or baseball. Instead, you spend your after-school hours sitting in a hospital room hooked up to a dialysis machine that manually filters your blood.” Dr. Hartwig says children with end-stage renal (kidney) failure have two unpleasant options: transplant or dialysis.
Dr. Sunny Hartwig Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences Hometown Toronto, Ontario
“No machine can do what the kidneys do,” she explains. “Kids on dialysis may struggle with obesity and bad skin, and are also more likely to develop diabetes. As a result, many really struggle with self-esteem. It’s a quality of life issue for the patients, and their families.” Dr. Hartwig uses this knowledge as motivation for her work in the lab. She and her team are studying the genetics behind kidney disease. “But before we can understand what genes contribute to kidney disease, we have to first understand the genetic basis of normal kidney development – we need to know the signals that direct kidney formation in utero. “Researchers have identified a gene known as Wilms Tumour Suppressor 1 (WT1),” says Dr. Hartwig. “And what we know now is, if WT1 is faulty, the kidney develops a cancer known as nephroblastoma. If WT1 is absent altogether, the kidney doesn’t develop at all. WT1 is now obviously a very important piece of the puzzle.” Dr. Hartwig says there are still many years of research ahead, but she remains hopeful for the future.
Education • BSc (Hons), University of Toronto • MSc, University of Toronto • PhD, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto • Post-doctoral Fellow, Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School Research Focus/Areas of Expertise • Kidney stem cells • Kidney development and applications to human kidney disease • Genome-wide transcription factor profiling Inspiration Someday patients with end-stage kidney disease will have more treatment options than just dialysis and transplant, that someday we will be able to reverse progression of disease or prevent disease onset altogether.
“I believe we will see a cure for some forms of kidney disease within our lifetime,” she says. “And in addition to preventing kidney disease from developing, there will be strategies for regeneration. I believe we’ll find a way to help diseased kidneys repair themselves. It’s an exciting time to be involved in this research.” In 2010, Dr. Hartwig received significant funding for her research from the Kidney Foundation of Canada. She was ranked first in the country in the Foundation’s New Investigator Award competition. “I’m also participating in a program called Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and National Training, or KRESCENT,” says Dr. Hartwig. “It brings together researchers of many different backgrounds. Our one commonality is the kidney. It’s an inspiring group of researchers who really care about working together in our respective fields to make a difference.” Dr. Sunny Hartwig’s research is supported by the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Dr. Mark Fast
Profile
A broader solution “We’re working to find a medium-term fix ... until we have a long-term solution.” When Prince penned his classic song “1999,” he likely wasn’t thinking about the sea lice that infect Atlantic salmon. Dr. Mark Fast says that was a crucial year for sea lice in the aquaculture industry, and now the parasite is partying again like it’s 1999. Dr. Fast is the Novartis Research Chair in Fish Health at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College. “1999 was the year the aquaculture industry gained what would be its most powerful tool in the fight against sea lice,” says Dr. Fast. “It’s called SLICE. It’s an infeed treatment that, for a time, acted like a silver bullet. It was so effective that as a researcher studying sea lice, I found it difficult to harvest sea lice from salmon in an aquaculture environment. I just couldn’t find them. It worked that well.” Dr. Fast says the treatment was so effective that research into other potential sea-lice fighting agents tapered off. “Prior to 1999, there was a lot of promising research into vaccines, different chemotherapeutics, even technology that would block the parasite’s ability to find a salmon to attach itself to. But SLICE was so effective that development of many of these projects just fell by the side.” Some researchers warned against the silver-bullet approach, arguing the sea lice could eventually build up a tolerance – which is exactly what has occurred in aquaculture settings around the world. “SLICE’s effectiveness started to seriously wane around 2008,” says Dr. Fast. “The sea lice were adapting. The last two summers – 2009 and 2010 – were worse than ever. Sea lice were partying even harder than they were in 1999.” In the meantime, researchers such as Dr. Fast have been digging out some of those old treatments, and meshing them with new ideas. Some of them are showing great promise.
Dr. Mark Fast Novartis Research Chair in Fish Health Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Microbiology Hometown Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Education • BSc, Dalhousie University •M Sc, University of Prince Edward Island •P hD, Dalhousie University Research Focus/Areas of Expertise • Fish immunology • Parasitology • Host-pathogen interactions • Fish physiology • Molecular biology Inspiration My interests lie in the evolutionary adaptations of both a host and pathogen perspective, where these meet, interact and modulate each other. It’s an old theme, but unlike disco or country music, it continues to surprise us and teach us.
“Industry needs these tools right now,” says Dr. Fast, “but regulators don’t move quite as fast because these products need to be tested. We’re working to find a medium-term fix – something that perhaps has already been approved for use – that could control the parasites until we have a long-term solution.” Dr. Fast says that any long-term solution must have several components. Neither the researchers nor the industry will trust just one solution again. “More than likely, there will be several things incorporated into a long-term management plan such as vaccines, immune-boosting feed, anti-attachment technology and treatment for fish that are already infected.”
Dr. Mark Fast works to ensure the health of aquatic species.
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Dr. Crawford Revie
Profile
Finding the answers through collaboration “What is the true nature of any environmental impact due to sea lice released from salmon farms?” “The rhetoric in British Columbia around farmed salmon is so polarized that I think many people may have a hard time believing this,” says Dr. Crawford Revie, “but environmental groups, industry and government are now working together. They are keen to see whether science can help answer some of the big questions around aquaculture.” Dr. Revie is UPEI’s Canada Research Chair in Population Health: Epi-Informatics and a Professor in the Department of Health Management at the Atlantic Veterinary College. He is exploring new ways to use techniques from informatics – such as data mining, data-driven modelling and semantic web technologies – to better understand disease epidemiology. “We have developed a program called the Broughton Area Monitoring Plan, or BAMP,” explains Dr. Revie. “The Broughton Archipelago is an area with relatively intense salmon farming activity on the BC coast, so it’s there that we’ve decided to concentrate our efforts in gathering data that can be shared and analyzed by all partners.” BAMP is an unprecedented collaboration, initiated by the three largest salmon farming companies in BC and the five environmental groups that make up the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform. The group also includes scientists from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Dr. Martin Krkošek, known for his extensive research on modelling of sea lice in BC. Dr. Revie oversees the program. “This collaboration is around data,” says Dr. Revie. “Before BAMP, industry was naturally guarded as to the information it released relating to the health of farmed fish.” Dr. Revie says the opening of access to this data is an important first step for industry, as it shows an increased level of trust in what has historically been an acrimonious relationship.
Dr. Crawford Revie Canada Research Chair in Epi-Informatics Professor, Department of Health Management Hometown Glasgow, Scotland Education • BSc (Hons), University of Strathclyde • MSc, University of Sussex • PhD, University of Strathclyde Research Focus/Areas of Expertise • Epi-Informatics: The application of informatics techniques to epidemiology • Population dynamics and modelling of sea lice on salmon farms • Decision-support tools for disease management • Data and text mining • Knowledge management and ontology development in medical domains Inspiration Too often data are collected with no plan as to how they will be used to obtain a clearer understanding of, or to make better decisions about, some disease problem. It is my goal to unlock the potential hidden in large data sets through the application of appropriate informatics tools.
“The next step is to continue to work together to gather new data and to effectively analyze it all; that’s an exciting, if sometimes frustrating, process.” BAMP will continue annual wild fish monitoring during the smolt migration period to track the health of, and sea lice levels on, wild salmon. “By 2014, we will have a 15-year timeline of comprehensive sea lice data from both wild and farmed fish. With this, we’ll be able to answer some important questions. What is the true nature of any environmental impact caused by sea lice released from salmon farms? How can different management strategies mitigate any such impacts? “This collaborative research brings the best minds and most extensive data sets together in an unprecedented opportunity to find answers that all parties will accept as unbiased, unvarnished and of great value to aquatic health management not only in BC but to salmon production around the globe.”
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
Dr. Crawford Revie and Dr. Katherine Schultz (left), VP, UPEI Office of Research Development
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Dr. Trina Bailey
Profile
Finding a better way “If we can explain what’s happening and refine the techniques, it would mean a much higher quality of life for our companion animals.” “When a dog comes into the Veterinary Teaching Hospital with knee problems, I tell my students, ‘it’s a CCL rupture until proven otherwise,‘” says Dr. Trina Bailey. “CCL stands for cranial cruciate ligament, and they’re a common and expensive problem in dogs. Pet owners in the United States spend more than $2 billion a year in CCL-related treatments.” Dr. Bailey is an Assistant Professor and Surgeon in the Department of Companion Animals at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College. Working with AVC colleague Dr. Laurie McDuffee, she is developing stem cell-based therapies to repair and even regrow damaged ligaments in dogs. “The CCL is an important ligament inside the knee,” explains Dr. Bailey. “It’s important because it holds together the two main bones of the leg – the femur and tibia – and prevents them from sliding apart during movement.” Dr. Bailey says the CCL’s tendency to rupture is due to several factors. In younger dogs, the rupture often occurs because of a trauma to the knee. In older dogs, it’s often caused by a combination of minor trauma and natural degeneration over time. No matter what the cause, Dr. Bailey says, it’s a painful experience. “To which I can attest first hand,” she says. “The equivalent ligament in humans is the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. A few years ago, as I hopped from rock to rock while hiking at Peggy’s Cove, I heard a popping sound, and felt immediate pain in my knee. I knew right away I’d damaged my ACL.” In humans, the most common treatment is a surgery that uses the hamstring tendon as a graft to replace the ACL. In dogs, it is much more complicated.
Dr. Trina Bailey Assistant Professor, Department of Companion Animals Hometown Cormack, Newfoundland and Labrador Education • DVM and Internship, Atlantic Veterinary College • Residency and Master of Science, Louisiana State University • Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons Research Focus/Areas of Expertise • General surgery • Osteoarthritis in dogs • Gait analysis systems • Animal welfare aspects of feline declawing Inspiration I love the animals. I want to try to provide the best care possible for my patients, and I am full of questions without answers, which impacts my ability to make decisions about treatment options.
“A lot of that is because of the many different sizes of dogs. It just isn’t a practical surgical option,” says Dr. Bailey. “The most common treatment now is a surgery called the tibial plateau leveling osteotomy. We reshape the end of the tibia to make it less likely to slip out of alignment with the femur. It works, but the dog almost always develops arthritis. There has to be a better way.” Dr. Bailey and Dr. McDuffee are experimenting with injecting stem cells into damaged or deteriorated ligaments to see whether it’s possible to not just stop the rupture from becoming worse, but also to regrow the ligament. “We want to test the efficacy of this treatment,” says Dr. Bailey. “If we can explain what’s happening and refine the techniques, it would mean a much higher quality of life for our companion animals.”
Dr. Trina Bailey seeks to improve the quality of life for our pets.
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Dr. Byeonghwa Jeon
Profile
Stopping the spread “It’s my dream to create an efficient tool that would reduce the mortality rate of these diseases.” “In the developed world, antibiotic-resistant bacteria claim the lives of a number of people,” says Dr. Byeonghwa Jeon. “In the developing world, the common diarrhea-causing bacteria kill more than two million people every year just because of the lack of appropriate treatment, and unfortunately most of the victims are children.” Dr. Byeonghwa Jeon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Microbiology at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College. His research centres on food-borne pathogens and antibiotic resistance. “And when we say food-borne pathogens, we tend to think of E. coli O157 or Salmonella,” says Dr. Jeon. “Campylobacter is relatively unknown to most people, but it is one of the top causes of food poisoning in Canada and the US.” Dr. Jeon looks at the behaviour of the bacteria at the genetic level, searching for answers as to how bacteria develop antimicrobial resistance, and how this resistance is spread to other bacteria. “When a bacterium dies, its DNA is released to the environment,” explains Dr. Jeon. “Campylobacter can absorb that DNA, and benefit from some of the adaptations in it, even resistance to antibiotics. Campylobacter lives in high numbers in the intestines of poultry. With such a high density of bacteria in a small area, resistance is passed around easily. “If we can understand how pathogenic bacteria become resistant to antibiotics and spread, we can start to work on tools to prevent those things from happening,” he says. With dynamic education backgrounds in food science (BSc), biotechnology (MSc) and veterinary public health (PhD), Dr. Jeon also aims to use various biotechnological tools to develop rapid diagnostic methods for detection of food-borne pathogens, and to discover antibiotic alternatives to aid in solving overwhelming antibiotic resistance problems.
Dr. Byeonghwa Jeon Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Microbiology Hometown Daegu, South Korea Education •B Sc, Seoul National University •M Sc, Lund University •P hD, University of Tokyo •P ost-doctoral Fellow, Iowa State University Research Focus/Areas of Expertise • Bacteriology • Food-borne pathogens • Antimicrobial resistance • Molecular pathogenesis • Functional genomics Inspiration An ancient Chinese proverb says, “If you know your enemy and yourself, you can win every battle.” To win the war, I look into bacterial enemies threatening our health and lives.
“It’s my dream to create an efficient tool that can be used in the developing world that would reduce the mortality rate of these diseases,” says Dr. Jeon. “A simple tool, like a beverage or food that could be ingested to reduce these pathogens. That’s where I hope my research will lead.”
Dr. Byeonghwa Jeon focuses on food safety in his research.
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Dr. María Forzán
Profile
We start by asking one question “If we can figure out whether habitat characteristics ... influence how the fungus affects the health of frogs, our findings may be useful to researchers and wildlife managers around the world.” Perched atop the microscope on Dr. María Forzán’s desk is a small, plush frog – the kind you might find at a fair-trade craft sale. Hanging in the corner of her office at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College is a string of decorative turtles. Don’t let the playful decorations fool you. Her research is serious business. Dr. Forzán is a Wildlife Pathologist with the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre at AVC. Two summers ago, her research team found Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or chytrid fungus, in frogs on PEI. Chytrid fungus is responsible for the extreme decline or extinction of more than 200 species of amphibians around the world. “We started by asking one question: ‘do we have this fungus on PEI?’” says Dr. Forzán. “The first frog we collected had it. That created dozens of new questions.” Dr. Forzán’s team next investigated how common the fungus was in Island frogs. “We have not seen reports of mass mortalities or unexplained declines in frogs on PEI or the rest of the Maritimes, although the fungus is present in all three provinces,” says Dr. Forzán. “Of course, this may be because we missed mortality episodes as they happened. More intriguing is the possibility that frogs in our area, or at least some species like the northern leopard and green frogs, could be more resistant to the fungus than frogs in more temperate climates. Whether this has to do with environmental conditions, the frogs’ natural immunity, a lowly pathogenic strain of the fungus or a combination of all remains to be explored.” Chytrid fungus creates a disease called chytridiomycosis in the skin of frogs and toads. The fungus thickens amphibians’ normally permeable skin, preventing them from being able to control their electrolyte balance, and resulting in heart failure.
Dr. María Forzán Wildlife Pathologist, Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Microbiology Hometown Mexico City, Mexico Education • MVZ (DVM), Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (FES-Cuautitlán) • MSc, Atlantic Veterinary College • Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Pathology Research Focus/Areas of Expertise • Wildlife disease diagnostic investigation, with particular emphasis on amphibians • Amphibian conservation • Chytridiomycosis and ranavirus infection in wild and captive amphibians Inspiration I like puzzles. That is what diagnostic pathology investigation is – a series of puzzles: look at the clues (lesions, lab tests, history) and find out the cause of illness or death.
“There are stories out of Panama where a team of researchers walked through a forest one day, and heard the songs of many frogs,” says Dr. Forzán’s colleague, Dr. Natacha Hogan, an Assistant Professor of Biology at UPEI. “The next day, they would see frogs displaying symptoms of the disease. The third day, there were no more frogs.” In the summer of 2010, Dr. Forzán and her colleagues looked at whether land use around Island ponds had any effect on the frog population or the likelihood of them being infected with the fungus. “If we can figure out whether habitat characteristics, like temperature or land use, influence how the fungus affects the health of frogs,” says Dr. Forzán, “our findings may be useful to researchers and wildlife managers around the world.”
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
Dr. María Forzán studies local frogs to help amphibians worldwide.
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Driven ...
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... by Discovery
The Atlantic Veterinary College has a well-earned international reputation for excellence in research and graduate education. This reputation has been built on a highly collaborative environment and a commitment to providing graduate students with direct access to world-class researchers. AVC’s outstanding graduate students come from around the globe with a common desire for progress. Inspired to help create a better world, AVC’s graduate students fine-tune their research skills while helping to keep animals and people well, addressing problems faced by industry and transforming good ideas into new discoveries. The energy of our graduate students makes AVC a vibrant and dynamic learning and research centre. (Photos current at the time of printing)
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AVC’s Research Snapshots AVC’s first graduate student In September 1986, Theresa Bernardo became AVC’s first graduate student. Under the leadership of her supervisor, Dr. Ian Dohoo, Director of AVC’s Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research, Theresa gained a solid foundation in epidemiology and an introduction to the international network of veterinary epidemiologists. “AVC had a pivotal impact on my career,” says Dr. Bernardo whose graduate work at AVC has enabled her to make a difference in global health. Inspired by the creative and innovative use of collaborative technologies around the world, Dr. Bernardo is passionate about their potential to improve global health in the broadest sense. She uses real-world examples of how social media has saved lives and engaged people in one-health issues to stimulate new ideas and actions. Until recently, Dr. Bernardo was in charge of Knowledge Management and Communication for the Americas Region of the World Health Organization where she dealt with the two most serious emergencies in the history of the organization: Pandemic H1N1 (swine flu) and the devastating Haitian earthquake. With over a decade of experience in international development in the United Nations and Inter-American systems, she has lived and worked in Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States. Part of an early virtual partnership, Dr. Bernardo started collaborating remotely with a colleague in 1991 on the design and develop-
ment of a trilingual application for global reporting and mapping of emerging diseases arising from the interface of humans, animals and the environment. It was used in over 100 countries and was eventually adopted by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. She has also contributed to the development of international health and trade standards and policy through active engagement on various international expert committees, working groups, missions and training courses in over 30 countries. An epidemiologist and veterinarian by training, Dr. Bernardo is currently Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Health Informatics at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She was the founding Director of the Information Technology Center at MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and recently started One Health Knowledge Initiatives. “We have much to learn from social media natives – not just about technology but the collaborative behaviour required for success in the 21st century,” says Dr. Bernardo. “Now is the time for leadership and innovation to overcome the complex and inter-related challenges we face to ensure the health of our ecosystems, economies and ourselves.”
From student to educator AVC attracts top students from more than 15 countries for MSc, MVSc and PhD programs. Guided by professors who are also renowned researchers, AVC graduate students become well-equipped as scientific leaders and educators. In turn, they share their expertise with future leaders in veterinary medicine and research. Dr. Shawn McKenna is an outstanding example of an AVC graduate student who is giving back to the veterinary profession. After graduating with his DVM degree in 1999 and practicing privately, Dr. McKenna returned to AVC to earn his PhD in 2006. He is now an Associate Professor in AVC’s Department of Health Management and Chief of AVC’s Farm Service Unit. His research interests include, among other topics, Johne’s Disease in dairy cattle, lameness in cattle, food animal production medicine and infectious disease epidemiology.
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Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
25 years of discovery and innovation
AVC Graduate Studies and Research Days AVC is very proud of the accomplishments of its graduate students and recognizes them for their excellence in research during its annual Graduate Studies and Research Days. During this event, AVC graduate students showcase the high calibre and diversity of their research projects in the areas of animal health research, fish health and marine research, and biomedical science and human research, and the professional skills they have developed in the process. As well, this demonstration of graduate student research encourages AVC’s DVM students to explore graduate studies. A highlight of the event is the delivery of the annual R.G. Thomson Lecture, named in memory of Dr. R.G. Thomson, AVC’s Founding Dean.
Rewarding excellence in research Dr. Collins Kamunde, an Associate Professor in AVC’s Biomedical Sciences department, is committed to advancing the science of aquatic physiology and toxicology. His research and contributions to environmental toxicology directly benefit the health of Canadians through improved knowledge of the impact of metals in the environment. In 2010, Dr. Kamunde was recognized with two major awards – the Pfizer Excellence in Research Award for outstanding research efforts and productivity, and the UPEI Merit Award for Scholarly Achievement for exceptional accomplishments in research. In 2011, Dr. Kamunde’s NSERC Discovery Grant was renewed for an additional five years.
World’s only OIE Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology and Risk Assessment of Aquatic Animal Health established Aquatic Health Sciences. “This requires healthy food animals from healthy aquatic ecosystems. Establishing this Collaborating Centre is a timely and necessary step in supporting the future of aquatic health management on a global scale.”
The Atlantic Veterinary College and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute have joined forces to establish the world’s only OIE Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology and Risk Assessment of Aquatic Animal Diseases. The establishment of the Centre formalizes a network of global experts and greatly increases the knowledge and capacity needed to solve health management issues involving aquatic species. “Increasingly, countries around the world are turning to aquatic species as a source of high-quality food for their populations,” explains Co-director Dr. Larry Hammell, Director of AVC’s Centre for
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
“This partnership between our two institutions is a very exciting opportunity to solidify even stronger linkages, and develop research and training programs for other aquatic food-producing countries,” says Co-director Dr. Edgar Brun, Head of the Epidemiology Section, Norwegian Veterinary Institute. Researchers from a range of aquatic health-related disciplines, including finfish, mollusc and crustacean field studies, are part of the Centre. The Centre focuses on evidence-based health management using epidemiology – the study of disease in populations – for aquatic health issues. It also provides training for producers and scientists, conducts research involving local veterinarians and producers, and delivers services to the aquaculture industry and governments.
25 years of discovery and innovation
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At a Glance: AVC Research and Graduate Studies Growth
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AVC contributions to university research capacity helped secure UPEI as the top ranked Canadian undergraduate university in both Research Income Growth and Research Intensity Growth 1999-2009 (RE$EARCH Infosource).
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Success in Research Funding
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2011
Growth in AVC Graduate Student Enrollment, 1990-2011
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AVC Research Revenues – increased by 837% between 1999 and 2009
837%
(Source: UPEI audited Financial Statements 1999-2009)
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Research Funding Partners AVC’s research initiatives are supported through collaboration and funding by government partners, funding agencies, private sector companies and industry groups. Listed below are some of the key government groups that provide funding to AVC: • The Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) www.acoa.ca/e/financial/aif • Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) www.innovation.ca • Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca • Canada Research Chairs (CRC) www.chairs.gc.ca • Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) www.cerc.gc.ca •N atural Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (NSERC) www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca • Innovation PEI www.innovationpei.com
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AVC Graduate Studies Degrees Granted 1990-2011
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Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
In 2011, AVC held approximately $39 million in active research contracts and grants. Listed here are some examples of major external research awards received in 2011: Canada Excellence Research Chairs (Dr. Ian Gardner, aquatic epidemiology); Canadian Swine Health Board (Dr. Daniel Hurnik, DNA traceability); Dairy Farmers of Canada (Dr. Greg Keefe, Atlantic Johne’s Disease Initiative); NSERC Discovery Grant (Dr. Fred Kibenge, infectious salmon anaemia virus); Norwegian Research Council (Dr. Crawford Revie, sustainable disease control strategies in salmon farming); and Canadian Swine Health Board (Dr. Javier Sanchez, modelling of between-farm transmission of PRRS virus in Canadian swine operations).
Atlantic Veterinary College Research Chairs • Canada Excellence Research Chair in Aquatic Epidemiology (Dr. Ian Gardner) – one of just 19 awarded in Canada • Canada Research Chair in Marine Natural Products (Dr. Russ Kerr)* • Canada Research Chair in Epi-Informatics (Dr. Crawford Revie) • Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Optics (Dr. William Whelan)* • Canada Research Chair in Watershed Ecology Integrity (Dr. Michael van den Heuval)* • Innovation PEI Industry Research Chair in Epidemiology for Global Aquatic Food Animal Production (Dr. Larry Hammell) • Innovation PEI Industry Research Chair in Milk-Based Diagnostics and Information Technology Applications (Dr. Greg Keefe) • Novartis Research Chair in Fish Health (Dr. Mark Fast) • CFIA Chair in Regulatory Veterinary Epidemiology (Dr. Javier Sanchez) • Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Chair (Dr. Michael Cockram) • Industry Chair in Swine Research (Dr. Dan Hurnik) *UPEI-appointed Canada Research Chairs cross-listed with AVC departments
25 years of discovery and innovation
AVC’s Research and Service Centres Our capacity for world-class research at the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI is evident in many ways. A key indicator of our research capabilities can be found in our talent for developing specialized research-based centres that involve stakeholders from the outset and have relevance almost immediately within industry and our communities.
AVC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (CAHS) CAHS provides research and services to the aquaculture industry to enhance health development and productivity, contribute to policy decisions in aquatic animal health, and enhance profitability in the aquaculture sector through field epidemiology and disease intervention studies.
AVC’s specialized research and service centres include:
Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER) One of the leading centres for animal health epidemiological research in the world, CVER brings together a large number of professionals involved with population-based research to conduct strategic research for food-producing industries and affiliated organizations. CVER partnerships are being extended to work with regulatory authorities on animal health issues of national and international importance.
AVC Diagnostic Services AVC Diagnostic Services provides diagnostic support to veterinarians and researchers around the world, performing more than 400,000 laboratory tests annually – most of which originate within the Atlantic provinces. It is known internationally for its Veterinary Laboratory Association Quality Assurance Program for diagnostic laboratories. AVC Lobster Science Centre The AVC Lobster Science Centre is an academic-industry collaboration aimed at understanding and protecting the health of lobster and crab resources worth more than $1.4 billion in economic value annually in Atlantic Canada. The only lobster research centre in the world that is part of a veterinary school, the Lobster Science Centre is an investment in making sure that Canada’s vast crustacean industry stays healthy. AVC Veterinary Teaching Hospital Widely known for its gold-standard expert care and its outstanding clinicians, the AVC Veterinary Teaching Hospital is Atlantic Canada’s only full-service veterinary referral hospital. In addition to providing specialized services in internal medicine, surgery, cardiology and exotics/wildlife, the hospital provides first-rate teaching opportunities for students through access to clinicians and caseloads. Atlantic Centre for Bioactive Valuation (ACBV) ACBV fills a critical gap between preclinical laboratory studies and early clinical testing by providing compound screening capability in validated and patented animal models for cardiovascular, neuroinflammatory and metabolic disorders from institutions such as the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) and the National Research Council Institute for Nutrisciences and Health (NRC-INH). Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research (ACCBR) Unique in Atlantic Canada, ACCBR brings researchers in human and animal health together to learn new techniques and develop new collaborations and initiatives through the use of shared state-of-theart equipment and facilities. Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) This is a co-operative effort among the country’s veterinary colleges to apply veterinary medicine to wildlife management and conservation through nationwide surveillance of wild animal diseases. Technical and scientific information from the CCWHC has benefitted federal, provincial/territorial and non-government wildlife agencies, endangered species recovery programs, federal and provincial veterinary services, and federal and provincial public health programs.
Atlantic Veterinary College – Celebrating
Maritime Quality Milk (MQM) Serving all four Atlantic provinces, MQM uses milk-quality research to strengthen the region’s agriculture and agri-food sectors. It develops and markets milk-based diagnostics for disease surveillance through non-invasive testing methods. OIE Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology and Risk Assessment of Aquatic Animal Health The only centre of its kind in the world, the OIE Collaborating Centre formalizes a network of global experts to greatly increase knowledge and capacity needed to solve health management issues involving aquatic species. The Centre is co-directed by leaders within AVC and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute in Oslo. Aquatic Virology Collaborating Centre This Centre is home to the OIE Reference Laboratory for Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA), which is part of a worldwide network of OIE Reference Centres including 225 animal disease reference labs. AVC Shellfish Research Group The Shellfish Research Group at AVC conducts collaborative research studies on the health and production of bivalves. Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre This unique Canadian centre promotes animal welfare for companion animals, horses, livestock, aquatic animals and wildlife through a mix of research, service and public education.
Design and layout: AVC External Relations Photography: UPEI Photography; Dr. Alfonso Lopez, AVC (p. 18); Maggie Hofmann, College of Veterinary Medicine, MSU (p. 22) Profiles: Dave Atkinson, Office of Research Development, UPEI
25 years of discovery and innovation
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Committed to excellence and innovation in education, research and professional service
The Atlantic Veterinary College University of Prince Edward Island
550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PE, Canada C1A 4P3 T (902) 566-0882 F (902) 566-0958 E avc@upei.ca W upei.ca/avc