IVI

The Institute of Virology and Immunoprophylaxis, located in Mittelhäusern near Berne, is the research facility of the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office. The institute serves as the national reference center for highly contagious animal diseases. The laboratories are designed as BL-4 containment facility. The routine diagnostic services as well as the registration of immunobiological products are accredited according to ISO 17025. The IVI is dedicated to animal health, in particular to the diagnosis, control and prevention of highly contagious OIE list A diseases such as African and classical swine fever (CSF), and foot-and-mouth disease, by providing diagnostics of OIE list A diseases and other livestock diseases, testing and registration of vaccines for veterinary use, continuing education and consulting in the area of highly contagious and emerging diseases. Major areas of research are the molecular mechanisms and immunopathogenesis of livestock diseases, and the development of new diagnostic assays.

The Diagnostics Department of IVI has been involved in fundamental research on the molecular biology of CSF virus for more than ten years, and has also participated in a previous EU FAIR project on the molecular diagnostics of CSF (FAIR PL95-707). Major research topics include the functional characterization of the CSFV genome, the identification of virus-encoded virulence markers, and the development of new diagnostic tools based on recombinant viral proteins. Molecular clones (so-called full-length infectious cDNA clones) have been established for several CSFV strains differing in their virulence. Molecular biology techniques for cDNA cloning, in vitro mutagenesis, protein expression, handling of infectious viral RNA are well established, and are supported by a modern infrastructure.

Dr. Martin Hofmann

DVM, PhD
Head of the Diagnostics Department of IVI and involved in CSFV fundamental and applied research for over 10 years. Dr. Hofmann is a recipient of several research grants from the Swiss National Science foundation and the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office. He was a partner in a previous EU FAIR project (PL95-707), ad hoc member of EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare on CSF marker vaccines and diagnosis.

Dr. Barbara Thuer

DVM, PhD
Leader for CA work package on CSF Diagnostics
For eight years the head of Routine Diagnostics Department of IVI, involved in CSF applied research and the development and validation of diagnostic tools for several highly contagious animal diseases, previous experience in veterinary pathology

Dr. Jon-Duri Tratschin

PhD
Head of the Virology Laboratory of the Diagnostics Department of IVI, involved in CSFV fundamental and applied research for over 10 years; major supervisor of molecular biological projects

Dr. Nicolas Ruggli

DVM, PhD
Senior scientist in the Virology Laboratory; recipient of research grants from the Swiss National Science foundation and the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office on the study of immune evasion strategies of CSFV.