OIE/FAO-APHCA/NIAH-Japan Regional Hands-on Training Workshop on BSE Diagnosis, including Western Blotting
(Tsukuba Science City, Japan, 30 November - 9 December 2005)
The purpose of this Regional Hands-on Training Workshop was to train the technical staff from Asian countries who have already experienced the first-step lessons of BSE diagnosis technologies for more advanced laboratory diagnostic technologies including Western Blotting exercise as the second-step lessons. The Workshop was jointly organised by the OIE, FAO-APHCA in collaboration with NIAH of Japan (OIE World Reference Laboratory for BSE).
The opening ceremony was held at the conference room of the Prion Disease Research Center, National Institute of Animal Health of Japan with six participants from PR China (2), RO Korea (1), Malaysia (1), Philippines (1) and Thailand (1), speakers from NIAH-Japan (host), and organisers of FAO-APHCA and the OIE.
Welcome addresses were delivered by Dr Yosuke Murakami, Deputy Director General of NIAH, Dr Vishnu Songkitti, FAO-APHCA and Dr Yoshiyuki Oketani, OIE Deputy Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific.
A special lecture was given by Prof. Morikazu Shinagawa, Director of the Prion Disease Research Center. He lectured on the overview of BSE, TSE and Creutzfeld Jakob Disease situations and their histories in the world.
Dr Takashi Yokoyama. Chief Researcher of the Prion Disease Center (OIE World Reference Laboratory for BSE) talked about how to diagnose BSE. He presented a short movie to explain the visual features of BSE clinical symptoms.
The participants were then provided with sterilised wear and protective suits, and informed of internal rules of the bio-safety laboratory. After changing their clothes the participants were led into strictly closed facilities in which artificially BSE infected experimental animals and livestock were kept, to observe actual BSE symptoms.
Then the participants put on protective suits and moved into a P3 level experimental room to learn advanced techniques on the diagnosis of BSE, Western Blotting.
The majority of participants have already well learned other BSE diagnosis techniques using pathology, immunohistochemistry and ELISA methods through previous BSE Hands-on Workshops organised by OIE/FAO-APHCA or JICA.
Therefore, all the participants eagerly studied and made rapid progress in their skill. This first Hands-on Training Workshop on Western Blotting was a good opportunity for them to learn the most advanced technique for BSE diagnosis in accordance with the standards used by the OIE Reference Laboratory.
The two-week Workshop was successfully implemented to train the participants from Asia for laboratory diagnosis of BSE. All the participants felt that, to continuously and smoothly pursue with their work on BSE/TSEs in their countries, it was necessary to establish a BSE researchers' network in Asia. They strongly proposed/requested to the organisers and NIAH-Japan to set up a working group entitled "The OIE/FAO-APHCA Working Group on BSE and TSEs" with full technical collaboration and support from NIAH-Japan,
The organisers and NIAH-Japan accepted their proposal and drafted a TOR of the Working Group.
- FAO-APHCA = Animal Production and Health Commission for Asia and the Pacific of FAO
- NIAH-Japan = National Institute of Animal Health of Japan
- JICA = Japan International Cooporation Agency