Category Archives: VetMed

Crowdsourcing and business collaboration helped in collection of research material

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One of the most time-demanding steps of research project is collecting the research material. Occasionally, however, it is possible to co-operate with a corporate partner which can arrange the collection smoothly. One such example is the alliance professor Olli Vapalahti and Archipelago Doctors (Saaristolääkärit) formed a few years ago.

Archipelago Doctors Ltd is a company operating a minibus circulating in coastal Finland and providing medical services, e.g. vaccinations.  Customers have got increasingly interested in vaccination against TBE, tick borne encephalitis virus, as the virus has become more common. In 2017, 82 people in Finland were infected.

The tick bus (Punkkibussi) parked close to the entrance of a big shopping mall. Citizens walk in to get vaccinations and deliver tick samples both from humans and animals.

 

In summer of 2017 Dr. Olli Vapalahti’s research group launched together with the Archipelago Doctors a crowdsourcing-based project encouraging residents of Espoo and Lauttasaari to collect ticks and bring them to the TBE bus. The ticks, no matter if they originated from nature, human skin or animal fur, were all frozen and delivered to Vapalahti’s laboratory to be further examined.

During the summer season altogether 665 ticks from Espoo and 88 from neighboring Lauttasaari were studied. About 10 % were infected with TBE. At present Vapalahti is preparing a scientific paper together with the Archipelago Doctors. Thanks to university – company partnership, the citizens now know which areas are infected with the pathogen. Whether the people avoid these areas or take the vaccination is their own decision.

One of the tick samples from Siberian cat Amur was found to be TBE positive. Veterinarian Lauri Kareinen took a blood sample from the cat in order to study the virus antibodies.

 

 

Companies should get to see the benefits of research!

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Interview with Mari Nevas, Head of Department, University Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health 

Mari’s research is based on evaluating  food control measures, which are the actions taken by the food control authorities to make sure that the  food business operators (FBOs) are fulfilling the requirements set by legislation to reduce and eliminate food associated risks. These measures involve all stages in the food chain; primary production, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, and retail. This type of research requires close collaboration with both private and public organizations working in the field of food business. Mari is also conducting research on other fields related to control performed by veterinarians, e.g. animal welfare control or the ways of using antimicrobials on food production animals.

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Food Safety From Farms To Our Plates

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Interview with Professor Maria Fredriksson-Ahomaa
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Food Hygiene and Environmental Health

Maria’s research focuses on bacteria that can grow in our food. Her studies involve especially bacteria transmitted through contaminated meat that can cause human illnesses. This work is depend on collaboration with the food industry and impacts the safety of the food on our plates.

Why is company collaboration important in your field of research?

“If you want to solve problems in my field of research, it has to be done with food businesses” begins Maria Fredriksson-Ahomaa. Meat inspection practices have changed more towards a risk-based approach. Rather than focusing on the end product at the retail level, food safety already starts at the farms level. Maria continues, “Everything from animal health and zoonotic diseases to the use of antimicrobial drugs has to be taken into account by veterinarians, as not only do these affect the quality and safety of the meat but also affects the meat inspection practices at the slaughterhouse.”

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Business Collaboration: From Funding To Knowledge And Materials

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Interview with Janne Lundén, Senior Lecturer in Food Control
Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Janne is a University lecturer and researcher in food control. He teaches all matters to do with food control authorities, food control practices and their effectiveness.

Why do you collaborate with companies?

“Well, in the first place, food businesses are the subject of my research so it is very natural to involve them in my studies. However, I also do it to increase the impact of my research results. It is easier to get results into use in society if you collaborate with companies. Moreover, I believe it is important to have discussions with all kinds of stakeholders from the authorities to the industry and get their views and opinions on the subject of our research. This gives us an understanding of the overall picture of where our field is headed, the research needs and leads to new research questions.”

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