
Role of Genes in Avian Flu Wins Top ARS Postdoc AwardBy Sharon Durham November 14, 2000WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2000--Agricultural Research Service veterinary
medical officer David Suarez has won an ARS award for his research proposal to
develop a system to remove a gene for avian influenza virus, modify it and
reinsert it to study the virus ability to cause this serious poultry
disease. A few years ago, an ARS vaccine against a certain
strain of avian influenza helped the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Hong Kong government contain and understand a bird flu
epidemic. More Suarez and his colleagues at the
Southeast Poultry Research Laboratoryin Athens, Ga., study the role of viral genes in virulence and the ways in
which mild avian viruses become highly pathogenic. The researchers goal
is to develop better diagnostic tests and improved vaccines. Suarez won the T.W. Edminster Award for the top-ranked proposal
out of 50 proposals selected by the Agricultural Research Service for its 2001
Postdoctoral Research Associate Program. The program provides postdocs an
opportunity to work closely with an experienced researcher in their field of
interest. At the same time, postdocs get a chance to perform valuable research
to help solve agricultural problems. The excellence of our
researchers is evident by the number of extraordinary proposals
submitted, said ARS Administrator Floyd P. Horn. The postdoctoral
program helps us to direct funds toward critical research areas that focus on
solving key agricultural problems. ARS has allocated $4 million to fund 50 projects selected from a
list of 450 proposals. Each ARS scientist whose proposal was accepted will
receive $80,000 to provide a two-year appointment to a postdoc for
high-priority research. Other winning proposals were from: - Jeffrey Buyer with ARS Soil Microbial Systems Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., to study the effects of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) transgenic corn on residue decomposition, manure composting and microbial ecology.
- Richard Jones at ARS Vegetable Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., to apply a simplified marker gene system for transgenic potato detection and risk assessments.
- Ralph Scorza with ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, W.Va., to conduct an analysis of how genes are engineered to give plum pox virus resistance and how stable the resistance will be as the plant grows and produces fruit.
Contact: Edward B. Knipling, ARS Associate Administrator,
Washington, D.C., phone (202) 720-3656, fax (202) 720-5427. Story contacts Vegetable Laboratory Poultry Research Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory Katrina Cornish Sharon A Durham Richard W Jones Ralph Scorza David L Suarez Jeffrey S Buyer U.S. Department of Agriculture | |