Integrating “omics” technologies and machine-learning approaches to dissect the genomic architecture and underlying molecular mechanisms of susceptibility to lameness caused by claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL)

Dirk Werling (primary)
Pathobiology and PopulationSciences
Royal Veterinary College
Androniki Psifidi (secondary)
Clinical Science and Services
Royal Veterinary College

Abstract

Lameness is a debilitating and painful condition, compromising considerably animal and human welfare. In dairy-cattle, lameness affects one third of animals with the main cause being the claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL). Our initial genetic studies showed that the disease is heritable. Further “-omics” studies could provide new insights to mechanisms driving disease perturbation and facilitate disease control through breeding-programmes, novel DNA-tests and novel drug- and vaccine-target discovery. We will integrate genomics/transcriptomics/proteomics/epigenetics and applied cutting edge machine-learning and systems-biology approaches to investigate the genetic architecture and the underlying molecular mechanisms of CHDL in order to develop new tools to control the disease.


References

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BBSRC Area
Animal disease, health and welfare
Area of Biology
GeneticsImmunology
Techniques & Approaches
BioinformaticsGeneticsMathematics / StatisticsMolecular Biology