Saturday 4 July 2009

Research Programme M03: project details

Details of the Agency-funded projects under the Transmissable Spongiform Encephalopathies, including BSE, research programme (M03).

M03004: Transmissibility of BSE to pigs by oral exposure to brain homogenate

This research project aims to determine whether BSE can be transmitted to pigs by including infected material in their feed.

Results available.

M03005: Transmissibility of scrapie to pigs by oral exposure to brain homogenate

This research project aims to determine whether scrapie can be transmitted to pigs by including infected material in their feed.

M03006: Bioassay of BSE infectivity in non-neural tissues by intracerebral inoculation of cattle

This research project aims to determine the infectivity of different types of cattle tissue by whether BSE can be transmitted to cattle by injecting them with the tissues.

M03007: Bioassay of BSE infectivity in non-neural tissues by intracerebral inoculation of cattle

This research project aims to determine the infectivity of different types of cattle tissue by whether BSE can be transmitted to cattle by injecting them with the tissues.

M03009: Contamination by CNS material during standard butchering processes prevalent in the member states of the EU

This research project aims to determine if cattle carcasses are contaminated with spinal cord material from any one previously processed carcass.

Results available.

M03010: Further studies on the transmissibility of BSE to pigs

This research project aims to investigate further the results of the initial project (M03004) studying whether BSE can be transmitted to pigs.

M03012: Prevalence of CNS embolism and determination of potential for visceral dissemination at stunning and slaughter in cattle

This research project aims to determine the possibility of potentially infective material contaminating the blood of cattle after stunning with either penetrating or non-penetrating captive bolt guns.

M03013: Prevalence of CNS embolism and determination of potential for visceral dissemination at stunning and slaughter in sheep

This research project aims to determine whether neural tissue can contaminate sheep carcasses after stunning.

M03014: Epidemiological assessment of the potential risk to human health in GB posed by possible BSE infection within the national flock

This research project aims to assess the potential risk to human health if the sheep population was infected with BSE.

M03016: Determination of abnormal prion protein in the milk of cattle experimentally infected with BSE

This research project aims to determine whether the BSE infective agent is present in milk from cattle infected with BSE.

M03017: Removal of spinal column from cattle and sheep carcasses

This research project aims to develop an oval saw as an alternative to the splitting saw, in order to reduce or eliminate contamination of carcasses with spinal cord material.

M03018: Audit of the sources of BSE infectivity in human food

This research project aims to establish if bovine MRM was a significant source of BSE infected material and then to provide as much information on the historic use of MRM between 1980 and 1995.

Results available.

M03019: Identification of blood protein markers for TSE disease

This research project aims to investigate whether certain proteins present in blood could be used as a diagnostic test for BSE in cattle and CJD in humans.

M03020: Assessing EDRF as a potential marker for BSE

This research project aims to determine whether a protein found in blood called EDRF can be used to reliably diagnose preclinical cases of BSE in cattle and scrapie in sheep.

M03021: Epidemiological assessment of the risk to human health from BSE in GB cattle and of the potential impact of modifying existing control measures

This research project aims to estimate the current risk to human health of BSE in cattle and the effect on the risk of possible changes to the OTM rule.

Results available.

M03022: Review of current slaughtering methods for cattle and sheep that avoid risk of dissemination of brain particles into blood and carcass, and maintain good welfare and operator safety standards

This research project aims to evaluate existing and novel stunning methods used for stunning cattle and sheep with regard to animal welfare, public health and operator safety.

Results available.

M03023: Development of immunotests for Specified Risk Material (SRM)

This research project aims to develop a rapid, easy-to-use test for the detection of SRM in meat products.

M03024: Susceptibility of red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus) to BSE

This research project aims to determine whether BSE can be transmitted to UK red deer by including infected material in their feed.

M03025: Development of physical techniques for non-invasive stunning of cattle, Phase 1 - Feasibility study

This research project aims to determine the feasibility of applying computer modelling techniques to achieve understanding and optimisation of cattle stunning.

M03026: Empirical determination of Central Nervous System (CNS) and Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG) contamination of carcasses and its reduction using alternative procedures

This research project aims to determine the extent of contamination of carcasses with CNS tissue during dressing and develop methods to reduce this contamination.

M03027: How much sheep-TSE infectivity enters the human food chain? An assessment of risk reduction by removal of scrapie flocks

This research project aims to estimate the reduction in theoretical risk to the consumer if sheep from scrapie-infected flocks were removed from the food chain.

M03029: Audit of effective removal of Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG) from carcasses

This research project aims to determine the extent of DRG contamination of meat and whether any new butchery practices need to be developed.

M03030: Diagnosis of TSE disease in cattle and sheep using metabolomic analysis and computer learning technologies

This research project aims to identify novel markers in the blood and urine of cattle and sheep that are consistently indicative of TSE infection and to develop a diagnostic test.

M03033: Risk assessment of options for change in Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) enforcement of Specified Risk Material (SRM) controls

This research project aims to evaluate the effect of possible changes in enforcement on the risk of exposure to BSE infectious material as part of a review of the MHS.

M03034: Detection of BSE prions from cattle and sheep using transgenic mice and conformation-dependent immunoassay

This research project aims to improve methods for the detection of BSE infection in cattle and sheep including differentiation between BSE and scrapie infection in sheep.

M03040: Development of ex vivo model systems to measure Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) titre

M03041: SRM Controls Review - Update

M03043: Exploring Permeability of Human Species Barrier to Circulating TSE Agent

M03054: Risk of Transmission of Atypical Forms of Ruminant TSE to humans

M03055: Assessing the Risk to Humans of Transmission of Novel TSE Isolates by Cell Free Conversion Assays

M03056: The Tissue Distribution of Disease-related Prion Protein (prp) Deposition and Infectivity for Atypical Scrapie in Sheep

M03057: Investigation of Infectivity of Atypical Scrapie in Slaughter Age Sheep Following Oral Dosing of Young Lambs

M03058: Infectivity and Abnormal Prion Protein (PrP) in Tissues from Sheep Exposed to Typical Scrapie

M03059: Distribution of Infectivity and PrP^sc in Edible Tissues of Scrapie-infected Sheep

M03060: Quantification of PrPd and Correlation with Infectivity in Scrapie-infected Tissues Destined for Human Consumption

M03061: Assessing erythroid associated factor (ERAF) as a Potential Marker for BSE

M03062: Development of a multi-marker live animal diagnostic specific to TSE disease in blood plasma which is not reliant on the presence of PrPSC

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