#849: Dr. David Wishart: Deer Droppings, Metabolomics and Chronic Wasting Disease

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Dr David Wishart

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Chronic wasting is a prion disease similar to mad cow disease. and it is spreading through the deer population across Alberta.  

Dr. David Wishart will be contributing his expertise in metabolomics to a project that is looking for new ways to identify and track the disease in the environment.

And the key element is the collection of deer droppings.

DR DAVID WISHART:   The reason why we decided to look at deer droppings is because currently the only way we can track or monitor the prevalence and incidence of Chronic Wasting Disease in deer is to actually capture or kill deer and to dissect them and look at the presence of prions in their brains.    But if anyone has ever gone for a walk in the woods, on any path you’ll often see lots of deer droppings.  And deer droppings persist long after a deer has left.  This is a way you can actually track where deer have been.     And hopefully assess the presence of either prions or prion like markers in the deer droppings and therefore map the presence of Chronic Wasting Disease in certain regions in Alberta.   

This research of Dr. David Wishart and his colleague Dr. Debbie Mckenzie is supported
through Genome Canada, Genome Alberta and Alberta Innovates.

Thanks today to ALBERTA INNOVATES

Learn more at InnovationAnthology.com  

I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

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Alberta Innovates

Alberta Innovates is a provincially funded Corporation with a mandate to deliver 21st century solutions for the most compelling challenges facing Albertans. We do this by building on our province’s research and technology development strengths in the core sectors of health, environment, energy, food and fibre and platforms such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and omics. We are working with our partners to diversify Alberta’s economy, improve our environmental performance and enhance our well-being through research and innovation. 

The Alberta Innovates system has roots stretching back almost 90 years

In March, 2016 the consolidation of Alberta Innovates was announced and on November 1, a single, integrated innovation powerhouse, Alberta Innovates, was formed. Two applied research subsidiaries – Innotech Alberta and C-Fer Technologies –  serve public and private sector interests.

The Alberta Innovates system was first created in January 2010, as part of an overall innovation framework developed within the Alberta Research and Innovation Act. At that time, four corporations were established:

  • Bio Solutions
  • Energy and Environment Solutions
  • Health Solutions
  • Technology Futures.

The Alberta Innovates system has a 90-year legacy. Our expertise is built on the successes of:

  • Alberta Institute for Agriculture
  • Forestry and the Environment
  • Alberta Agricultural Research Institute
  • Alberta Forestry Research Institute
  • Alberta Life Sciences Institute
  • Alberta Ingenuity
  • Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
  • Alberta Research Council
  • iCORE
  • nanoAlberta
  • Alberta Water Research Institute (AWRI)
  • Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI)
  • Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA).

 

Program Date: 2017-02-28