Chronic wasting disease is a transmissible, fatal disease affecting cervids (deer, elk, moose, caribou). There is no treatment option for this disease and it is endemic in North America. Our team of researchers are trying to develop better surveillance methods to track disease spread, investigate what the potential host-range is for this deadly disease, and understand the best approach to disease management that is acceptable to all stakeholders.
Detection and surveillance
Development of new methods for rapid, and sensitive disease detection using transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, combined with the potential to survey the environment for CWD contamination, will improve monitoring, and surveillance. |
defining the potential Host range
Deer, elk, moose, and caribou are susceptible to CWD, but are they equally at-risk? Using molecular simulations, DNA sequences, and advanced molecular biology we will investigate genotype/strain interaction and better define the potential host-range of CWD. |
The human side of managementUnderstanding how various stakeholders perceive the risk of CWD will help to develop best practices for interacting, and communicating with policy makers, hunters, and First Nations/Metis regarding the management and control of CWD. |
Funding for this project is provided by:
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Listen in
One Health Workshop on CWD (Sept 30 and Oct 7, 2020). This workshop provided an overview on CWD surveillance in Canada and on the perspectives and testing needs of rightsholders and stakeholders. Speakers in this virtual symposium included 7 members of our Genome Canada team and had over 300 registered participants from around the world. Check it out! |
Learn more
Check out our video "Chronic Wasting Disease: How to Monitor in Your Community". Hear from Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta and experts at the U of A to learn more about CWD in Alberta and what hunters can do to monitor CWD. |
Read up
Canada Foundation for Innovation is investing $3.9 million in a $9.6-million infrastructure upgrade to support the University of Alberta’s leading protein folding disease research team. Congratualtions to Dr. Westaway and colleagues. These infrasturcutre upgrades will allow us to build on progress over the last decade in protein misfolding diseases, including CWD. |