Bead-based multiplexing technology ('Luminex') for multidisciplinary studies in veterinary medicine

动物健康和肉类/食品加工业对加拿大农业的盈利能力以及最终对加拿大公众的健康产生重大影响。蒙特利尔大学兽医学院（FVM）通过国际公认的研究中心/团体的活动，在与动物健康，公共卫生和环境影响相关的研究领域发挥着主导作用，如猪传染病研究小组，“Groupe de recherche et d 'enseignement en salubrité alimentaire”，“Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publication”，加拿大牛乳腺炎和牛奶质量研究网络、动物生殖研究中心和魁北克省医学研究组。这些基础研究人员和应用研究人员有着共同的目标：增加对主要动物和人畜共患病病原体诱发疾病的机制的了解，控制食源性病原体的风险，并提高对动物疾病和生殖的认识。我们的实验方法需要分析来自不同宿主（小鼠，猪，马，牛）的特定细胞类型在面对病原体，压力或其他疾病条件下所经历的细胞反应和生物学过程。我们还评估了微生物的进化和环境适应，包括抗生素耐药性。因此，收购基于微珠的多路复用技术（称为“Luminex”）对于成功实现我们的研究目标至关重要。Luminex技术将微小的微珠颜色编码为100个不同的组，允许在少量样品中快速、经济和精确地进行100个独特的生物测定。通过这种技术，免疫分子、疾病标志物和兽医学领域的其他代谢物的定量分析因此成为可能。这项技术是保持我们在动物疾病和生殖研究领域的国际领导地位以及提高高素质人才培训的宝贵工具。所产生的知识将有助于推动新型疫苗、改进的免疫疗法和诊断工具的开发。

The animal health and the meat/food processing industry have major impacts on the profitability of Canadian agriculture and ultimately the health of Canadian general public. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FVM) of the University of Montreal plays a leading role in research areas related to animal health, public health and environment impacts through the activities of internationally recognized research centers/groups, such as the Research Group on Infectious Diseases of Swine, 'Groupe de recherche et d'enseignement en salubrité alimentaire', 'Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique', Canadian Bovine Mastitis and Milk Quality Research Network, Animal Reproduction Research Centre, and 'Groupe de recherche en médecine équine du Québec'. These groups of fundamental and applied researchers share the same goals: to increase the knowledge on the mechanisms underlying diseases induced by prominent animal and zoonotic pathogens, to control the risks of food-born pathogens, and to improve the understanding of animal diseases and reproduction. Our experimental approaches require analysis of cellular responses and biological processes underwent by specific cell types from diverse hosts (mice, pigs, horses, cows) when facing pathogens, under stress or other disease conditions. We also evaluate evolution and environment adaptation of microorganisms, including antibiotic resistance. As such, the acquisition of a bead-based multiplexing technology (known as "Luminex") is of utmost importance to successfully achieve our research goals. Luminex technology color-codes tiny beads into 100 distinct sets allowing multiplexing 100 unique bioassays in little amounts of a sample rapidly, cost-effectively and precisely. Through this technology, quantitative assays of immunological molecules, disease markers and other metabolites in the field of veterinary medicine are thus possible. This technology represents a valuable tool for keeping our international leadership on animal disease and reproduction research areas and for improving the training of highly qualified personnel. Generated knowledge will help advance the development of novel vaccines, improved immuno-therapies and diagnostic tools.