Quantitative Biology Strategy

At the RVC, quantitative biology is fundamental to many of our research disciplines, and our quantitative biology group provides key computational support for our two Research Programmes. Veterinary epidemiology is the foundation of this cross-cutting group.

The Quantitative Biology Group will facilitate researchers to:

  1. establish RVC as a leader in the application of rapid sequencing  and pathogen evolution during outbreaks of infectious disease in livestock to inform control measures in real time;
  2. to apply whole genome sequencing integrated with phenotypic data on complex diseases (e.g. diabetes, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, identification of disease resistance in production animals) to understand their genetic architecture, thus leading the field of veterinary genetics and genomics to a new territory;
  3. apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to a number of research questions to develop novel tools for both, research and diagnostic (e.g. analysis of physical activity data in experimental dogs to detect effects of treatments for muscular dystrophy; algorithms to differentiate dogs in different stages of mitral valve disease to determine which will benefit from medical (or surgical) treatment);
  4. develop skills in natural language processing and apply these to the extraction of data from Vetcompass and undertake spatial analysis to identify environmental factors contributing to disease patterns

Led by Dr Dong Xia

BSc, MSc, PhD, PGCVetEd, FHEA
Senior Lecturer in Bioinformatics

Dong is a senior lecturer in bioinformatics. His group focuses on big data analysis, where datasets generated from multiple omics platforms and phenotypic and clinical measurements are integrated for system modelling. These approaches are applied to the improvement of animal health and welfare through drug and vaccine development, as well as the comprehensive characterisation of medical and veterinary disease pathologies.

Key areas:

Working to help meet Asia's growing demand for low-cost chicken meat and eggs while minimising the risks to public health.
Sharing and analysing veterinary clinical information to understand the disorders and improve the welfare of companion animals.
Promoting and facilitating the use of risk analysis and modelling to inform the development of policies aimed at controlling disease, improving animal welfare and protecting public health.
The RVC pioneered the use of stem cell treatments and we are pleased to offer stem cell treatments for horses and dogs either in house via our referral centres, or by supplying cell products directly to veterinary surgeons.
The APPRAISE facility was created in 2022 at the RVC Hawkshead Campus to provide an innovative cross-disciplinary platform for the optimisation of antimicrobial dosing, assessment of antimicrobial resistance, and advanced pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis and modelling..

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