News
WBVR: 120 years of experience in veterinary research
Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) in Lelystad has a rich history of 120 years. The first forerunner of the institute in Lelystad was the Rijksseruminrichting in Rotterdam, founded in 1904. “This institute laid the foundation of our current organisation which has remained relevant in veterinary research throughout the decades,” says WBVR director Annemarie Rebel.
Towards a society in which humans and animals live together in a healthy way
Animal diseases
Today, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR, part of Wageningen University & Research (WUR)) is designated as the national reference laboratory for many animal diseases. The institute also plays an important role in veterinary research, both commissioned by the government and for private parties.
Diagnostics
Examining samples for the presence of pathogens such as avian flu, BSE, rabies, bluetongue and swine fever is part of WBVRs daily work. On an annual basis, the diagnostics department performs some 250,000 analyses to determine or rule out the presence of pathogens in animals.
Bringing knowledge together
Because of the broad knowledge of different pathogens, a lot of scientific research is also carried out. “For this, we cooperate with government and industry, but also with colleagues from other knowledge units within Wageningen University & Research. Bringing together these different disciplines has a lot of added value,” says Rebel, who has led WBVR since March 2022.
Animals and humans
The foundations of WBVR were laid in 1904 through the Rijksseruminrichting, an institution focused on veterinary medicine for production animals. Over time, the development of (animal) medicine has explicitly linked human and animal health. The insights of these fields support each other in gaining knowledge about pathogens. In addition, it turns out that many pathogens have both animals and humans as hosts. “This is reflected in our One Health research,” according to Rebel.
One Health
The recent Covid19 pandemic underlined the importance of a good exchange of knowledge between human and animal health. Today, WBVR is also explicitly engaging in this interface, for example by representing WUR within the Netherlands Centre of One Health (NCOH). “As WBVR, we want to contribute to an integrated approach to infectious diseases in humans and animals. With our research on vector-borne diseases, zoonoses and Antimicrobial Resistance, AMR, among others, we are pushing for this together with our partners,” says the WBVR director.
One Health is one of the four areas on which WBVR is emphasising its research. “Besides One Health, we focus on Healthy Animal Husbandry, High-tech Animal Modelling - including use of non-invasive sensors and data - and Diagnostics."
Rich history
WBVR's rich history is an important foundation for the institute's work today. “In the 120 years of its existence, our institute has contributed, among other things, to the isolation of viruses and bacteria and the control of animal diseases and zoonoses in the Netherlands and Europe. Our knowledge of pathogens and vaccine development have been of great significance. We are building on that. This is also expressed in our mission: working towards a society in which humans and animals live together in a healthy way. We dedicate our knowledge and expertise to this every day,” concludes Rebel.