Dr Androniki Psifidi’s Veterinary Clinical Genomics group at the RVC aims to dissect the genomic architecture of important animal infectious diseases and zoonoses.

This includes studies in poultry, ruminants and companion animals. This work will enable identification of novel disease control strategies to enhance animal and human health and welfare.

Our research group utilises a range of experimental research approaches including immunology, quantitative and molecular genetics and computational systems biology. We are also involved in the discovery of novel biomarkers, the development of breeding and diagnostic tools, the identification of drug discovery targets and the use of companion animals as models of human disease. Additionally, our work includes investigating the genetics of zoonoses (campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis), important infectious diseases in poultry (coccidiosis, fowl typhoid, fowl cholera, Marek’s disease, IBDV), mastitis in sheep, telomere dynamics in relation to health and longevity in cattle, feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and canine Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Furthermore, the group is also involved in microRNA and microbiome studies investigating their role in health and productivity.

Currently our group consists of PhD and masters students, with both internally and externally funded studentships investigating the genetic architecture of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, equine exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) and the caecal microbiome in chickens.