Preliminary Program

Tuesday 25 September 2012
16:00	Registration
18:00
	Welcome Address - Bernard Vallat, Directeur Général, OIE
18:15
	Program Review – Objectives and Expected Outcomes Cyril G Gay, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, U.S
18:30
	Keynote Presentation - Julian Davies, University of British Columbia, Canada "New Approaches to Address Antimicrobial Resistance in Animals"

Wednesday 26 September 2012
SESSION 1 Alternatives to Antibiotics: Lessons from Nature Chairperson: Frank Blecha,, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, U.S Henk P. Haagsman, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Holland

The aim of this session is to address novel biocontrol approaches for preventing and/or treating bacterial pathogens (and where applicable viral and parasitic pathogens) in food animal production. These novel biocontrol approaches should employ strategies specifically geared to reduce or eliminate drug resistance development. These strategies may include: antimicrobial peptides from nature, probiotics and prebiotics, bacteriophages and lysins, naturally occurring antibacterial lytic enzymes such as bacteriocins that share an added ‘no resistance confidence factor’ by having co-evolved with their target hosts, recombinant or hyperimmune therapeutic antibodies, siRNAs, or other novel biotherapeutic alternatives in the pipeline, including demonstrated synergistic approaches that could both reduce costs and increase efficacy while reducing the risk of drug resistance development.

Invited Speakers
	Frank Blecha, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, U.S. “Antimicrobials in animal health – Lessons from nature”

	Henk P. Haagsman, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands “Avian cathelicidins: Paradigms for the development of anti-infectives”

	Yizhen Wang, Zhejiang University, PRC “Molecular design of porcine lactoferricin, expression and biological activities of its derivatives”

Panel Discussion – Recommendations

Thursday 27 September 2012
SESSION 2 Altering Innate Defense Mechanisms to Enhance Disease Resistance and Treat Animal Infections Chairperson: Bob Hancock , University of British Columbia, Canada Hyun Lillehoj, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA

This session will address novel drug-free alternative host directed strategies to enhance innate defense mechanisms by modulation of innate immune pathways or activation of conserved innate immune sensing molecules of the host immune system. This session will focus on topics such as regulators of innate signalling derived from natural host defense peptides, and novel biotherapeutics and anti-infectives targeting conserved innate sensing receptors such as TLR, NLR, and RLR as means to activate effector mechanisms against infectious diseases where current therapeutic drug therapy is not working. Examples of technologies involving altering innate defense mechanisms as adjunctive therapies to treat human infectious and inflammatory diseases will be provided. Emphasis will be given to new technologies for enhancing animal production with practical examples that are close to commercialization.

Invited Speakers
	Robert E.W Hancock, University of British Columbia, Canada “Selective modulators of innate immunity for anti-infective therapy to replace or supplement antibiotics”

	Hyun Lillehoj, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, U.S. “Novel anti-infective molecule from innate immune cells as an antibiotic-alternative to control infections caused by Apicomplexa”

Panel Discussion – Recommendations


SESSION 3 The Gut Microbiome and Immune Development, Health and Disease Chairperson: Brett Finlay, , University of British Columbia, Canada John Wallace, University of Aberdeen, Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, U.K.

Recent advances are demonstrating that the microbiota plays a key role in health and disease. Sequencing and microbiome analysis have enabled a much more precise description of microbial communities in gut ecosystems than has hitherto been possible. The challenge now is to relate description to function, particularly as it relates to health and disease in animals and humans. This session will attempt to capture state-of-the-art results in farm animals and humans to assess how microbiome analysis is helping to solve disease problems. Specific examples will include sub-acute ruminal acidosis , intestinal and zoonotic infections in poultry, and enteric infections in humans. Changes in the microbiome can lead to changes in the host animal’s immune response, affecting inflammation. Understanding the microbiome changes that accompany, and possibly cause, inflammation should lead to new methods for the control of health and disease.

Invited Speakers
	Brett Finlay, University of British Columbia, Canada “The gut microbiome and enteric diseases in man”

	John Wallace, Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, U.K. The ruminal microbiome and animal health”

	Bryan A. White, University of Illinois, U.S “The ruminal virome”

	Margie Lee, University of Georgia, U.S. “The chicken intestinal microbiome as a target for improving productivity”

Panel Discussion – Recommendations

Friday 28 September 2012
SESSION 4 Alternatives to Antibiotics to Promote Growth in Livestock, Poultry, and Aquaculture Production Chairperson: Filip Van Immerseel, University of Ghent, Belgium Sergio Calsamiglia Blancafort, University of Barcelona, Spain

The aim of this session is to explore novel approaches that can be used as alternatives for antimicrobial growth promoters in poultry, swine, ruminant, and aquaculture production. Although data on field performances are of importance, a key aim of this session is to improve knowledge on mechanisms of action of the growth-promoting characteristics of the proposed approaches. Approaches to be discussed can be of any nature, and can affect either the host’s function or the host’s microbiota, but should be sustainable and developed in a scientifically sound way. Emphasis will be put on the development of novel methods and compounds and on the identification of the mechanism of action of already available strategies.

Invited Speakers
	David Bravo, Pancosma, Switzerland “Looking outside the box: Present and future perspective for alternatives to AGP in livestock and poultry”

	Sergio Calsamiglia Blancafort, University of Barcelona, Spain “Alternatives to antibiotics as growth promotants for dairy and beef cattle: Mechanisms of action and field performance”

Panel Discussion – Recommendations


SESSION 5 Regulatory Pathways to Enable the Licensing of Alternatives to Antibiotics Chairperson: David Mackay, European Medicine Agency Rick Hill, Center for Veterinary Biologics, USDA, U.S.

This session will review the regulatory pathways in different regions of the world to license alternatives to antibiotics. The particular regulatory challenges that are faced in taking new molecules from discovery to commercial production will be addressed. This session will also cover how to seek approval for labelling claims that are new with specific focus on claims that a product is able to reduce the use of antibiotics.

Section 5.1 - Regulatory Challenges
Presentations
	Steve Vaughn, Center for Veterinary Medicine, FDA, U.S. “FDA’s innovation initiative to evaluate novel emerging technologies and international cooperation in the area of innovation”
	Marcos Vinicius de S. Leandro, Jr., MAPA-CPV/DIP, Brazil (Invited) “National/regional approach in South America to authorization of novel technologies with particular emphasis on alternatives to antibiotic”
	Speaker from China “Approach and progress with authorization of alternatives to antibiotics in China”

Section 5.2 – Challenges for Industry
	Industry speaker “Challenges of gaining regulatory approval in the different regions when moving new molecules from discovery to production”
	Industry speaker “Seeking regulatory approval for a claim new to regulatory science – ‘This product reduces the use of antibiotics”

	Panel Discussion – Recommendations

Conclusion Conclusions/Summary of Key Recommendations/Next Steps