The poultry unit

The research goals are: (a) to improve profitability of the poultry industry; (b) to ensure animal welfare and maintain environmental quality; and (c) to improve product quality.

In keeping with the rapid advances in poultry sciences and practices during recent decades, we have combined new molecular and cellular approaches and methodologies with physiological studies to accelerate the acquisition of new knowledge for the poultry industry. The research is mainly focused on:

• Thermal manipulations during pre- and post-natal periods to improve thermotolerance and to study sensory development.
  
  
• Environmental factors affecting heat production, heat loss, circulatory responses, and endocrine and neurological regulation of adaptive mechanisms. These are studied in relation to performance of broilers, turkeys and layers.
  
  
• Perinatal manipulations and epigenetic adaptation in broilers.
  
  
• Ventilation as a crucial environmental factor in hot, humid climates.
  
  
• Vascularization of the bone growth plate, and its correlation with skeletal disorders.
  
  
• The effects of mechanical strain on bone elongation and eggshell production.
  
  
• Understanding the etiology of bone abnormalities, especially tibial dyschondroplasia.
  
  
• Mechanisms of mineral deposition and organic matrix synthesis in the eggshell.
  
  
• Genomic approaches to prevention of skeletal disorders.
  
  
• Molecular control mechanism of energy balance in poultry.
  
  
• Proteomic and genomic studies for identification of fat secreted proteins affecting energy balance and reproduction in poultry.
  
  
• Developing biotechnological tools to manipulate the control of food intake and reproduction in broiler breeders.
  
  
• Developing new approaches for gene transfer as a tool for long term study of gene function during the reproductive period of poultry.
  
  
• Molecular aspects of sensory development in the chick brain that lead to accommodation to environmental stress, especially by means of thermal control establishment and food choice.

In addition, as a spin-off from our research on poultry skin collagen metabolism, we are developing a novel human antifibrotic drug based on halofuginone (a coccidiostat).

The aquaculture unit

The practical research goals are: (a) to improve profitability of the aquaculture industry; and (b) to ensure optimal nutrition and maintain environmental quality.

The research is mainly focused on:

• Optimization of fish nutrition to improve performance and reduce environmental pollution.
  
  
• Genetic improvement of fish, with emphasis on tilapia.
  
  
• Sex determination in tilapia.
  
  
• Adaptation of marine species to low-salinity brackish water.
  
  
• Propagation and nutrition of ornamental fish.
  
  
• Study of behavior and growth depensation in larvae, juveniles and adult fish.
  
  
• Study of the effects of management practices on water quality and aquatic organisms in various types of aquaculture systems, and the ecological processes involved in fish-environment-management relationships.
  
  
• Development of computerized-vision-based methods for quality sorting and counting live fish.
  
  
• Development of organic fish culture.

The studies of nutritional and metabolic approaches and methodologies focus on:

• The intestinal brush border enzymatic activity in various edible fish, as a means to increase their feed utilization and absorption, in order to reduce feed costs and environmental impact.
  
  
• Development of specific feeds for organic fish.
  
  
• Feeding of ornamental tropical fish as well as the addition of various pigments to their diets in order to enhance their color.

The molecular studies, in cooperation with the Department of Cattle and Genetics, focus on genomics of sex determination in tilapias, in order to elucidate the major genes involved in sex determination. Studies also address the genetics of cold tolerance in tilapia, and of acclimation to various salinity levels in tilapia and marine species.

Development of computer vision-based sorting of edible fish, in cooperation with the Institute of Agricultural Engineering, involves attracting distant fish by using acoustic cues and guiding nearby ones by visual cues. Studies also address intra- and inter-specific transfer of information from trained to naïve fish, and the learning process in individuals of schooling species.