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1. Overview
2. Activities
3. Salient Facilities
4. Collaboration

Animal Science Division deals with innovative and sustainable R&D programs on animal health, nutrition, reproduction, and food safety with a positive impact on the economy of Pakistan using nuclear, isotopic and related techniques. These programs involve development, validation and application of balanced animal feeding, early and rapid diagnosis/control of trans-boundary/zoonotic diseases, veterinary reproductive strategies and monitoring/control of chemical contaminants in food, feed and environment as per international standards (CODEX, EU etc.). Many products of commercial importance have been developed and being provided to public and private sectors such as HS and PPR vaccines, NIAB heat sponge, NIAB feedblock, NIAB Nurtilick etc. The division is part of IAEA ZODIAC Program. Laboratories infrastructure has been strengthened through state-of-the-art equipment, validated method SOPs and internationally trained human resource development through the support of IAEA, PARB, PSF etc. Expertise established is being shared through IAEA expert missions/consultancies, national training courses and farmer s outreach programs. The laboratories have qualified 17 Proficiency Testing Schemes for Progetto, Trieste Italy and FAPAS UK. Capacity developed is being used for the provision of ISO/IEC 17025 accredited analytical services for 7 antibiotics, 7 mycotoxins (including aflatoxins) in food and feed to the public and private sectors including Ministry of NFS&R, Islamabad. This is facilitating Pakistan's food exports and contributing substantial foreign exchange to the country. The division aims to work on challenges in climate smart animal production and non-targeted food safety analysis using AI tools and strategies.

The division has following four research groups:

1. Animal Nutrition

2. Animal Reproductive Endocrinology

3. Food Safety

4. Vaccine Development

Activities

• Optimize animal productivity using indigenous feed resources using simulation models and rapid quality testing

• An extensive initiative encompasses collection and screening of samples from rural and commercial poultry for collection of functional microorganisms is in progress and a culture bank with focus on Lactobacilli and bacilli spp. and Sachharomyces spp. is being developed

• Develop rapid screening method for collection of Lactobacilli spp. and validation through Maldi-TOF MS

• Improving livestock fertility using various nutritional approaches, manipulation of female reproductive cycle; as well as establishing reproductive hormonal profiles in Indigenous breeds.

• Enhancing spermatozoa quality using antioxidants and developing artificial insemination facility in small ruminants

• Monitoring of chemical contaminants in food and feed by employing advanced nuclear, immunochemical and chromatographic techniques.

• In-House development of cost-effective methods (ELISA & CHARM) for multiple food contaminants.

• Validation of test methods for participation in Proficiency Testings for continuation of ISO/IEC-17025 accreditation as per EU regulations.

• Depletion profile of antimicrobials in food-producing animals and biotoxins analysis through radiometric analyses.

• Development of diagnostics and vaccines against local animal pathogens.

• Disease diagnostic laboratory having ELISA, PCR and qPCR facilities working for detection and molecular characterization of animal pathogens.

Salient Facilities

Analytical Techniques

• Cell culture facility for vaccine production

• Gel electrophoresis system, PCR machine, Gradient PCR, Quantitative real time qPCR for animal disease diagnostics

• ELISA reader/washer for screening of food contaminants

• HPLC and GC systems for quantification of food contaminants

• Liquid scintillation counter and biological oxidizer for radiometric analysis

• UHPLC-MS/MS for confirmatory analysis of food contaminants

• Gamma counter for hormonal estimation

• Phase contrast microscope for basic semen parameter analysis

• Near infra-red spectroscopy, and Micro Kjeldahl distillation apparatus for nutritional Profile analysis

• Microplate spectrophotometer for bacterial growth kinetics, antioxidants and DNA and protein quantification       

Wet Chemistry

• Turbo-Web Evaporator for feed sample drying

• Soxhlet extraction apparatus for fat determination of fat samples

• Biosafety cabinet for microbial work related to Animal Nutrition

• Muffle furnace for ashing of samples

• CO₂ incubator for cell culture  

• Inverted microscope for cell culture

• Lyophilizer for lypholization of vaccines

• Refrigerated centrifuges, microcentrifuges for processing of samples

Experimental Animal Farm

• NIAB Animal Shed for small ruminants

• Animal House for rodents

• Poultry Shed (Under-construction)

Collaboration

• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

• Punjab Agricultural Research Board (PARB)

• Agricultural Linkages Programme (ALP-PARC)

• Agricultural Innovation Programme (AIP-PARC)

• National Agricultural Research Council (NARC)

• Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF)

• PAEC Foundation