The EADGENE acronym stands for "European Animal Disease Genomics Network of Excellence."

What is EADGENE?

EADGENE (European Animal Disease Genomics Network of Excellence) is a so-called "Network of Excellence" project that commenced in 2004. Networks of Excellence are a particular type of project funding mechanism under the European Union's Sixth Framework Programme, that are intended to draw various research bodies together to share science resources, facilities and expertise, thus focusing the research efforts of scientists who might otherwise work on the same topics separately and reducing duplication of effort. EADGENE's particular research focus is on the genomics

Genomics

Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...

 of livestock

Livestock

Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...

 disease

Disease

A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...

 caused by pathogens. More details can be found on the EADGENE web site.

Research

The major focus is on host (biology)

Host (biology)

In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna...

-pathogen

Pathogen

A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...

 interactions relevant to animal and human health, including Salmonella

Salmonella

Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, predominantly motile enterobacteria with diameters around 0.7 to 1.5 µm, lengths from 2 to 5 µm, and flagella which grade in all directions . They are chemoorganotrophs, obtaining their energy from oxidation and reduction...

 in pigs

PIGS

PIGS is a four letter acronym that can stand for:* PIGS , Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class S, a human gene* PIGS , the economies of Portugal, Italy , Greece and Spain...

 and poultry

Poultry

Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...

, enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...

 (EHEC) in cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

, mastitis

Mastitis

Mastitis is the inflammation of breast tissue. S. aureus is the most common etiological organism responsible, but S. epidermidis and streptococci are occasionally isolated as well.-Terminology:...

 in cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

, goats and sheep, and infectious pancreatic necrosis and Infectious salmon anemia

Infectious salmon anemia

Infectious salmon anemia or anaemia is a viral disease of Atlantic Salmon that affects fish farms in Canada, Norway, Scotland and Chile, causing severe losses to infected farms...

 virus infections in salmon

Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

. This type of genomics

Genomics

Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...

 research could assist the development of new or improved therapeutics and vaccines, improved diagnostics and the breeding of farm animals for disease resistance.

The EADGENE mastitis

Mastitis

Mastitis is the inflammation of breast tissue. S. aureus is the most common etiological organism responsible, but S. epidermidis and streptococci are occasionally isolated as well.-Terminology:...

 research can provide an example of how this type of collaborative network operates. The mastitis

Mastitis

Mastitis is the inflammation of breast tissue. S. aureus is the most common etiological organism responsible, but S. epidermidis and streptococci are occasionally isolated as well.-Terminology:...

 work is performed by various partners working in different species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

, who come together regularly to share results and ideas. Data sets can be shared between various research institutes prior to publication, which is unusual in modern science where publication rights and intellectual property

Intellectual property

Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...

 rights tend to be highly protected. In one published example previously unpublished mastitis

Mastitis

Mastitis is the inflammation of breast tissue. S. aureus is the most common etiological organism responsible, but S. epidermidis and streptococci are occasionally isolated as well.-Terminology:...

 microarray

Microarray

A microarray is a multiplex lab-on-a-chip. It is a 2D array on a solid substrate that assays large amounts of biological material using high-throughput screening methods.Types of microarrays include:...

 data was distributed amongst the various partners and analysed by the preferred statistical methods of each different group in order to compare statistical methods.

Criticism

The ethical aspects of EADGENE has been studied by the Danish Centre for Bioethics and Risk Assessment (the EADGENE partner focussed on ethics), which describes it as a so-called network of excellence, and goes on to say the Network is also confronted by the challenge not to oversell, and to try to be realistic and sincere. This is an issue that is hardly confronted at all in the EADGENE documents.Meanwhile the Danish Centre for Bioethics and Risk Assessment has taken this forward by organising EADGENE ethical workshops, discussing the relevant ethical issues of EADGENE

Partners

EADGENE consists of 13 member organisations, from 10 European countries:

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique

The Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique is a French public research institute dedicated to scientific studies surrounding the problems of agriculture...

 (INRA), France

Wageningen University

Wageningen University

Wageningen University and Research Centre is a Dutch public university in Wageningen, The Netherlands. It consists of Wageningen University, the Van Hall-Larenstein School of Higher Professional Education, and the former agricultural research institutes of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture...

 (WUR), NL

Animal Science Group Lelystad (ASG-Lelystad), NL within Wageningen University

Wageningen University

Wageningen University and Research Centre is a Dutch public university in Wageningen, The Netherlands. It consists of Wageningen University, the Van Hall-Larenstein School of Higher Professional Education, and the former agricultural research institutes of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture...

Institute for Animal Health

Institute for Animal Health

The Institute for Animal Health is a research institute in the United Kingdom dedicated to the study of infectious diseases of farm animals. It forms part of the UK government's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council . The institute employs many scientists and vets, along with a...

 (IAH), UK

Roslin Institute, UK

University of Aarhus

University of Aarhus

Aarhus University , located in the city of Aarhus, Denmark, is Denmark's second oldest and second largest university...

 Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (formerly DIAS), Denmark

University of Liège

University of Liège

The University of Liège , in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium, is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French.-History:...

, Belgium

University of Ljubljana

University of Ljubljana

The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...

, Slovenia

Cordoba University, Spain

Norwegian School of Veterinary Science

Norwegian School of Veterinary Science

Norwegian School of Veterinary Science or NVH is a public university located at Adamstuen in Oslo, that educates veterinarians and veterinary nurses as well as research within aquatic medicine, food safety, comparative medicine and mammalian diseases, health and welfare. The institution has about...

 (NSVS), Norway

Research Institute for the Biology of Farm Animals (RIBFA), Germany

Parco Tecnologico Padano

Parco Tecnologico Padano

The Parco Tecnologico Padano is the engine of the Lodi Cluster which hosts many organisations involved in the ag-biotech sector, including the Faculties of Veterinary Medicine and Agricultural Sciences of the University of Milan and public and private research labs...

 (PTP), Italy

European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders (EFFAB), NL

EADGENE is a member of CommNet

CommNet

CommNet is an informal network of communications managers from EU funded research projects about food quality and safety.CommNet was established in early 2005 based on an initiative from the Network of Excellence CASCADE. It is an informal network and started with Communicators from about 15...