Richard A. Vierling, Ph.D. May 12, 2016 Fargo, ND
NAGC mission: To translate scientific discoveries into solutions for production agriculture, food safety, functional foods, bioenergy and national security.
NAGC At A Glance: Started as a joint project of Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL) and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) LANL patented technologies NAGC is a stand alone, not-for-profit 501(c)5 corporation Governed by a Board of Directors Majority of board members are agricultural producers
NAGC At A Glance: Administrative offices to be located in St. Louis The Helix Center, biotech incubator; 4/15/16 move-in National Laboratory located in Fargo N.D. At USDA-ARS building on NDSU campus Lab move-in completed 1/21/16 NAGC staffed Equipment in place
How to Interact with NAGC Contract testing Contract research organization Business development partner
Contract Testing Fee for service testing of either commercially available or proprietary assays Custom assay design and testing Assay conversion from old platforms to new technology platforms
Contract Research Organization Fee for service Joint with university or company Grant sub contractor
Business Development Ground truthing or third-party verification Co-owner of new companies Spin-out company
NAGC Technology Platforms: NAGC will offer all major genotyping platforms MOL-PCR, patented advantage* Multiplex Mini-Sequencing, patented advantage* Standard PCR, TaqMan, qPCR (Real Time PCR) NAGC will offer other technology platforms MassTag, unique license* Dead Lock PCR, detects live vs. dead pathogens* PMCA prion testing* “Off the shelf” assays * Intellectual Property Protection
NAGC Assays: MassTag PCR – animal health Bovine respiratory panel Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1/IBR) Bovine parainfluenza virus 3 (BPIV3) Mannheimia haemolytica (Mh) Pasteurella multocida (Pm) Histophilus somni (Hs) Mycoplasma bovis (M bovis) Foot & mouth disease virus (FMD) Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) Rift valley fever virus (RFV) Schmallenberg virus (SBV) Porcine respiratory panel (in development) Avian respiratory panel (in development)
NAGC Assays: Dead Lock PCR; developed for DHS Detect pathogens in food supply Ideal for food safety Dead Lock PCR can differentiate between live and dead pathogenic cells Avoids false positives Provides both qualitative and quantitative results via RT-PCR Same day results vs. 6 to 14 day wait Potential for-profit spin-out Sell to food companies Responsive to FSMA (food safety)
NAGC Assays: Prion Testing for CWD in deer, mad cow (in development) and scrapie (in development) Testing of live animals Forensic testing of dead animals Feed Environmental samples (soil, plants, swabs) Sole testing lab by contractual agreement with Sustainable Agriculture & Wildlife Corp.
NAGC Assay Development: Honey bee pathogens 8 viruses and 2 bacteria Soybean Phytophthora resistance Aphid resistance Deer decreased susceptibility to CWD Corn disease resistance
Potential New Platforms: NUET – Nitrogen Use Efficiency Testing Test determines amount of available nitrogen in plant Used at V6 to V12 growth stages Tests help determine weather or not nitrogen side dressing is needed GMO testing in processed foods for corn, soy, rice, sugar beet, canola, potato, and flax
Questions?