BME PhD Preliminary Exam Announcement for Bibek Raut (M. Verma, advisor)

Everyone is invited to attend the public presentation beginning at 10:00AM.

Research Title: Integrating molecular diagnostics and behavioral monitoring tools for animal health

Designated Date, time, and place:

March 25, 2024, and time 10:00AM-12:00PM at LYLE 1150  

Thesis Committee:

Dr. MOHIT VERMA (Advisor)

Dr. JACQUELINE LINNES

Dr. JONATHAN A. PASTERNAK

Dr. YOUNG KIM

Abstract:

The global increase in demand for animal-based food products has led to an increase in factory farms, necessitating effective measures to monitor animal health and wellbeing, and to prevent disease outbreaks and economic losses. The scale and density of industrial animal farms make it challenging for farm staff to monitor the animals around the clock. Most farms still have to send samples to centralized labs even if a farmer or veterinarian detects a symptom; the turnaround time for results might be a few days to weeks, during which time there is a risk of disease spreading rapidly throughout the farm. Therefore, for successful disease control, there should be on-farm diagnostics to identify specific disease causative agents as well as a round-the-clock animal health monitoring system to keep an eye on abnormal behavioral changes and symptoms in animals. My research approach is to combine these two forms of disease monitoring and detection. The first part focuses on developing an AI-assisted low-cost camera-based surveillance system, while the second part focuses on developing portable heater and imager instruments that will allow me to run loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) based molecular tests on the farm itself and get results in less than an hour. Additionally, these tests use disposable paper pads and plastic cartridges that cost between 1-5 dollars making them more affordable for farmers. This integrated approach promises significant potential in early disease detection on farms, thereby helping to prevent outbreaks and substantial economic losses to animal farmers.