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December 13, 2004 Mobile laboratory to fight bioterrorism, livestock diseases It conjures up images of a white-coated SWAT team of scientists. North Dakota State University researchers have unveiled a mobile laboratory to combat bioterrorism and naturally occurring diseases in livestock. The customized fifth-wheel vehicle is designed to get a team of experts to anywhere in North Dakota that an outbreak threatens cattle or sheep, and to get them to the scene as fast as possible. The effort is part of the federally funded “Biosurveillance Initiative,” a collaboration of NDSU, Dickinson State University and Research Extension Centers at Dickinson and Hettinger. The laboratory also will be used through a partnership with the North Dakota Department of Health and the state veterinarian. “In some ways it’s like a fire truck,” said Doug Freeman, professor and head of NDSU’s Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences Department and principal investigator for the project. “When a fire occurs, you’re really glad it is there to use, and that’s true with this lab. The faster you can identify what you are dealing with and put a containment strategy in place, the less loss you are going to experience. That is the bottom line.” The vehicle’s special design includes a laboratory with stainless steel counters, space for lab equipment and an electrical system to support computers, centrifuges, microscopes, a refrigerator and a freezer - everything animal researchers need to protect the food supply. Plans also call for Global Positioning System and satellite communication equipment that would get data and pictures of samples to the NDSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory almost immediately. The lab has space to transport a four-wheel drive, all-terrain vehicle to help gather the animals in question. The vehicle even has a winch and portable, hydraulic squeeze chute to handle the livestock. “This is something that can be pulled out immediately when there’s cause for alarm,” explained Tim Sellnow, professor of communication and the crisis communication specialist for the project. “This laboratory can go wherever there has been some sort of an outbreak, whether it is intentional or accidental. “We can respond to an emergency situation, contain it, test it and get information to the right people almost immediately,” Sellnow said, noting that the project may serve as a prototype for other states. “This helps puts us in North Dakota at the forefront of evolving technology in combating bioterrorism.” The facility, which is based at the Dickinson Research Extension Center, will be used for more than emergency response. It also will be useful for conducting field research, teaching and outreach efforts supporting state producers. Kris Ringwall, Dickinson Research Extension Center director and animal scientist, was largely responsible for the vehicle’s design. “The mobile lab fills one of the many challenges we face,” he said of the self-powered vehicle. “We need to bring technology to the field. It brings water and the ability to keep things clean. We can run our electronics, computers and centrifuges. We now have them at our fingertips, instead of having to drive two or three hours and losing time. We have what we need to get the answers. It’s really an arm of the diagnostic lab.” The more than $60,000 for the vehicle is part of a $1.25 million Federal Relations Grant, which received strong support from Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. “The senator has been a visionary in helping us insure our agricultural security,” Freeman said. “He has supported this broad-based initiative that allows us do a better job protecting our agricultural industry and the food supply in North Dakota, and to participate in those processes on a national level.” According to Freeman, the laboratory provides for another exciting opportunity as well. The NDSU team envisions that it will be used in North Dakota’s portion of the national animal identification program. Ear tags containing radio frequency identification chips would be clipped to each animal to track them. That effort will be in conjunction with NDSU’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, the NDSU Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Alien Technology Corp., Morgan Hill, Calif. “The project helps us to be prepared to respond to a disease outbreak, and we’ve had anthrax outbreaks here before,” Freeman said. “It’s fantastic to have a facility that can go out to producers’ ranches and help them deal with issues on the spot.” ### Source:
Doug Freeman, (701) 231-8504, douglas.freeman@ndsu.edu
Cutline: Kris Ringwall, director of the Dickinson Research Extension Center, shows off the new mobile laboratory designed to fight bioterrorism and diseases in livestock. The self-powered lab is a collaborative effort involving North Dakota State University, Dickinson State University and the Research Extension Centers in Dickinson and Hettinger. Click here for higher resolution photo. (1,401Kb jpg) |
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