Partner 8: Department of Microbiology, University of Navarra (UNAV)
Role, qualification and experience
The Department is a National Participating Center of the Mediterranean Zoonosis Control Center (MZCC) of the WHO. The Department has experience in cooperating with scientists in ICPC countries through the organization of international workshops on brucellosis diagnosis and prophylaxis in cooperation with WHO, FAO, MZCC and the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM – IAMZ). Three senior scientists of the Department, Professors I. Moriyón, I. López-Goñi and M. Iriarte will participate in the project, all of them with long experience in Brucella genetics and physiology as well as in the diagnosis and immunoprophylaxis of the disease with over 150 publications in internationally refereed journals. In these topics, the team has ongoing cooperations with laboratories in several EU countries as well as in Central America and Kazakhstan. Current research is focused on Brucella cell surface virulence factors and the development of alternative Brucella vaccines, the genetic control of virulence and physiology, and the development of molecular tools for Brucella identification and typing. The Department is well equipped to carry out the planned investigations and has sufficient laboratories and human and technical resources.
Scientific leader
I. Moriyón, Ph.D., Chairman of the Department; Professor, has participated in several EU funded project and acted as coordinator of the EU project QLK2-CT-2002-00918-BRU-VAC on the genetic design of R Brucella vaccines. Expert in Brucella antigens, serological diagnosis and brucellosis vaccines, with over 80 papers in internationally refereed journals. Current member of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes. Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Brucella.
Key personnel
I. López-Goñi, Ph.D., Professor, with over 15 years of research experience on Brucella virulence factors, genetics, and molecular diagnosis and typing, has published over 30 papers on these topics in internationally refereed journals.
M. Iriarte, Ph.D., Professor, with over 15 years of research experience on Yersinia and Brucella virulence factors and genetics, has published over 30 papers on these topics in internationally refereed journals.
Collaborating researcher
José María Blasco Martínez, DVM, PhD, Permanent Researcher at the Health Animal Unit of CITA (Gobierno de Aragón, Spain) will cooperate with the UNAV team as a third party. Expert in brucellosis diagnosis and vaccination with over 20 years of experience and more than 70 papers on these topics.
Website
University of Navarra, Spain