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College of Veterinary Medicine

Nelli Lab Projects

Explore our current research projects focused on advancing veterinary diagnostics, disease surveillance, and animal health. From high-throughput molecular testing workflows to studies of emerging pathogens and mucosal immunity, these projects support faster, more accurate detection and a deeper understanding of diseases affecting animals.

Current Projects

  1. "Investigating HPAI Infection Routes in Domestic Livestock: Insights into novel Mixing Vessels" – Organoid project
  2. "Determining the diagnostic test characteristics of Japanese Encephalitis Virus RT-rtPCR assay using clinical samples in Australia."
  3. "An efficient and rapid automation workflow to detect influenza subtypes using RT-qPCR assay via 96-well Veriflex heat blocks on QuantStudio 7 Pro."
  4. "Influenza A(H5N1): Predicting Host Range in Livestock Species and Susceptibility to Ex Vivo air-liquid Interface Swine Respiratory Epithelial Cell Culture Models". – Organoid project

Past Projects

  1. "Iowa 24/25 HPAI dairy cattle response".
    • "Streamlining the testing of HPAI H5N1 samples by using 2D barcoded tubes and scanning beds to improve sample tracking for faster processing and reporting".
    • "Validate and onboard a high-volume PCR testing workflow that utilizes robotics for conducting overnight PCR testing at scale with the Quant Studio 7 PCR instrument".
    • "Validation of a high-throughput 384-well RT-qPCR assay and workflow for detecting HPAI H5N1 using established NAHLN protocols".
  2. "Evaluation of cost-efficient, high-throughput detection of the SARS-CoV-2 and its variants for animal testing, monitoring, and surveillance in susceptible animal species."
  3. "Characterization of bovine mammary organoids for inflammatory markers using advanced high-resolution imaging and high-throughput qPCR assays to evaluate coliform mastitis" – Organoid project
  4. "Evaluating the role of sialic acid receptor specificity in domesticated animals to determine the risk of HPAI spillover events from wild birds."
  5. "Glaesserella australis identification and detection of this potential swine pathogen in clinical samples."
  6. "Establish and validate RT-rtPCR for detecting Japanese Encephalitis Virus in porcine samples."
  7. "E. coli genotyping using SmartChip Real-time PCR System- an affordable alternative to gel-based PCR."
  8. "SmartChip Real-Time PCR System significantly enhances the diagnostic laboratory preparedness for rapid detection of high-consequence foreign animal diseases (FADs)."
  9. "Development of a high-throughput ex vivo 3D porcine intestinal culture system alternative to traditional cell culture and pig bioassay." – Organoid project
  10. "Distribution of coronavirus receptors in one livestock species."
  11. "Development of large intestinal porcine enteroids on transwell as an ex-vivo infection model for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus." – Organoid project