A EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM 
FOR GLOBAL ANIMAL HEALTH (ETPGAH)

 

 

Working Group 1 “Basic Research and Mapping”

2d meeting, Brussels, 28 November 2005

 

Final, 20 December 2005

 

BBSRC / P-P. Pastoret (Chair)

AFSSA / F. Moutou

BVL / R. Kroker

CEVA / E. Balla (for B. Kadra)

CIRAD / D. Martinez

CODA-CERVA / F. Koenen

CODA-CERVA / K. De Clercq

CVO Slovakia / P. Cery (for J. Bires)

Friedrich Loeffer Institut / Th.C. Mettenleiter

IAH-Pirbright UK / J. Bashiruddin (for D. Paton)

Intervet / D. Goovaerts (for D. Lütticken)

London School of Pharmacy / O. Alpar

Merial / J-Ch. Audonnet

National Veterinary Institute, Sweden / F. Widen (for S. Belak)

Pfizer AH / M.J. Witty

Royal Veterinary College / Q. McKellar

Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover / V. Moennig

University of Edinburgh / I. Morrison

University of Plovdiv / A. Arnaudov (for I. Minkov)

 

 

IFAH-Europe / M. Chaton-Schaffner

IFAH-Europe / H. Marion (minutes)

 

Observer

EC / B. Arbelot

EC / I. Minguez-Tudela

Trivarop / J. Vandeputte

 

Apologies

Bommeli / Ch. Schelp

ESVV / J. Van Oirschot

Facultad de Veterinaria Madrid / J.M. Sanchez-Viscaino (Vice-chair)

Fort Dodge / J. Plana Duran

IZS Venezie-Italy / I. Capua

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine / P. Roy

OIE / A. Schudel

University of Ghent / J. Vercuysse (Observer)

Pasteur Institute Paris / H. Bourhy (Observer)

Pasteur Institute Paris / N. Tordo (Observer)

IFAH-Europe / J. Scudamore (consultant)

IFAH-Europe / D. O’Brien (Chair of the EB)

 

Agenda

 

  • Welcome
    Introduction to the meeting
  • Description of the draft Scientific Research Agenda (SRA)
  • Comments on the draft agenda and definition  of priorities; sub-group Basic Research and Immunology
  • Comments on the draft agenda and definition of priorities; sub-group Research Needs for Developing Countries
  • Comments on the draft agenda and definition of priorities; sub-group Research needs in Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases
  • Comments on the draft agenda and definition of priorities; sub-group Research Needs in Animal Disease Prevention, Treatment and Diagnosis

Sub-groups working separately to propose priorities, focusing on diseases; definition of list of diseases of High, Medium and Low Priority

Presentations of the Propositions by the Chairmen of the different sub-groups

General Discussions and Conclusions

Close of the Meeting

 

Minutes

 

 

Introduction

 

The second meeting of the Working Group (WG) was held in DG Research on Monday 28 November 2005. A total of 24 participants attended. 

 

Dr H. Marion, project manager in IFAH-Europe, welcomed the participants on behalf of Mr D O’Brien, Managing Director and Chairman of the Steering Council for the Platform.

He thanked the experts for the work achieved during the first meeting of the WG and pointed out that the chairmen of the 3 groups had met after the first meetings to coordinate the achievements of the 3 groups.

This had enabled Jim Scudamore to prepare a first draft of the SRA which had been circulated prior to this meeting. H. Marion thanked warmly J. Scudamore for the impressive amount of work already achieved.

He explained that the aim of this meeting was to propose the priority topics that should be included in the SRA.

After this meeting, the chairmen will meet again to finalise the input from the 3 WGs.

There will be no further meeting of the experts.

A new draft of the SRA will then be broadly circulated in January, on which all Stakeholders and experts will be asked to comment.

A Stakeholders meeting will take place in mid-February in order to discuss and adopt the final draft of the SRA, which will then be formally sent to the European Commission before the end of March 2006.

H. Marion finally thanked the European Commission, and in particular Dr I. Minguez-Tudela, for the continuous support of the work of this Platform and for hosting the second WG meetings.

 

The chairman, Prof. P.-P. Pastoret explained that this meeting should enable the experts to set up a priority list and to identify the parameters for defining the priority topics.

He highlighted the need to reach a consensus also between the 3 WGs and pointed out that the other 2 WGs as well as the Stakeholders would input into the final SRA.

He suggested that the results of the day’s discussion should result also in the drafting of 2 tables including the priority topics and the parameters.

 

The draft of the SRA for “The Innovative Medicines Initiatives (“human” medicinal field) was circulated to the group for information.

 

 

Comments on the draft SRA

Four presentations were given suggesting research issues and needs for inclusion in the SRA. Details of the presentations are found on the ETPGAH web site at http://www.ifah.be/europe/euplatform/platform.htm.

The topics covered were as follows:

Basic Research and Immunology  

Research needs for developing countries

Research needs in Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases

Research needs in Animal Vaccinology, Therapy and Diagnosis

 

 

The participants acknowledged the need over the next 10 years to foster a creative environment for basic research and to stimulate investment in research, in particular in the fields of molecular biology, fundamental immunology etc….

However, not all problems can be solved and the SRA should be focused in order to maximise the efficiency of future funding. It should also highlight the topics with a list of priorities, and each topic should have a specific agenda.

 

It was recognised that the topics should not only focus on immunology, but also on pharmaceuticals and gaps in treatments, as well as the minor species minor uses issue.

 

The topics should highlight the existing gaps and cover global, endemic, emerging and wildlife issues.

 

 

General Discussion and Proposals

1) Generic needs             Epidemio-surveillance

                                             Immunological toolbox

                                             Wildlife components

                                             Animal genomics

                                             Entomology

                                             Bioinformatics & biostatistics

                                             Infrastructure

                                             Arthropod vectors

                                             Cell biology

                                             Target challenge models

                                             Training ex histopathology, pharmaco-toxicology

                                             Ethology-ecology

                                             Creation of a European “CDC” animal center

                                            

The following remarks were raised:

-         not to forget pharmaceuticals / parasiticides

-         need of pharmacology research

-         reliable diagnosis – molecular aspects for diagnosis

-         genomics and pathogenomics

-         partnership between EU and developing countries (DC)

-         education and training for DC

-         lack of a central institute for epidemio-surveillance

-         wildlife reservoir

-         establishment of multinational network

-         need for globally sort out new technologies

-         delivery systems – mass applicable – wildlife

-         sustainable use of antibiotics

 

2) Listing of diseases

What is global, what is endemic and what is emerging (incl. Exotic)?

a) vertical       ASF

                        CSF – pestivirus infections  improved vaccine for wildlife

                        FMD

                        Rabies                                    dog vaccine in DC

                        BVD

                        Blue Tongue

                        West Nile

                        CBPP

                        Rift valley fever

                        Ruminant Pox

                        Salmonella

                        Campylobacter

                        Influenza

                        TSE

                        PPR

                        Mastitis

                        Tickborne disease

                        Sheep scab

                        Newcastle disease

                        African Horse Sickness

                        Q Fever

                        Coccidiosis

                        Trypanosomiasis

                        Chlamidyasis

                        Leishmaniosis

                        Borna disease

                        Brucellosis

                        Marek

                        Gumboro

                        Streptococcus suis

                        Swine cistycercosis

                        Tuberculosis

                        Paratuberculosis

 

b) Horizontal

Zoonotic impact

Specific impact on Developing Countries

Host pathogen interaction

Epidemiology including resistance of pathogens

Immunology

Prevention

Diagnosis

Therapy

 

 

3/ Prioritisation

see Annexes 1, 3 & 4

 

The experts adopted the following lists:

                                             list of 1’ top priority topics

                                             list of “neglected zoonoses”

list of food-borne zoonosis, inluding Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. Coli and Cryptosporidium

                                             list of  “need for surveillance”

 

 

Actions:

The 4 “rapporteurs” on the 4 topics presented at the beginning of the discussion were asked to provide to the chairman by Wednesday 7 December one page on the rationale for the choice of the 14 top priorities (within 10 days)

 

+ also economic impact from IFAH and/or from Stakeholders