Infectious poultry diseases are a constant threat to Delmarva's broiler industry, so the research focuses on making chickens as disease-resistant as possible. Already world-renowned for their work in vaccines for poultry, scientists in the College now are in the vanguard of research in the genetic makeup of broilers. It is hoped that a better understanding of the function of genes may lead to the prevention of poultry diseases.
The study of the genetic makeup of an animal, called genomics, opens up avenues for gene function studies on a magnitude that was previously impossible. Genomics is a powerful tool to study immune competence--growth, development and reproduction performance--in chickens. As scientists understand how genetic systems work, they will be able to produce a healthier bird.
From vaccines to genomics
- Poultry vaccines have been used widely for more than 70 years. But because pathogens are able to change and adapt to vaccines, the ultimate goal is new control strategies that interfere with the basic genetic mechanisms of virus replication and tumor growth.
- Vaccines are being developed by manipulating pathogens to make them less potent or by using related pathogens derived from another species. The imposter virus is used to "trick" the chicken's immune system into fighting the real disease. UD researchers also develop "recombinant" vaccines, which can combat multiple diseases, using genes derived from two different pathogens.
- Chicken immune system studies are revealing fundamental information about the poultry genome, which could help growers breed healthier, more disease-resistant and nutritious poultry.
- The ChickEST (expressed sequence tag) database was established at UD--one of only a few such databases of chicken genes worldwide. Coupled with completion of a first draft of the chicken genome sequence in fall 2003, this genome research will lead to new strategies to improve existing vaccines, to identify genes to produce disease-resistant chickens and to uncover clues about chicken biology.
