The Guinea Pig Model

Viviana Parreno, Biochemist (1995), Ph.D. in Veterinary Virology and Immunology (2002) and Master in Biometrics (2021), works since 1992 at The National Institute of Agricultural Technology, INTA, Argentina and is a member of CONICET scientific career since 2007. At the moment of writing the present book Dr Parreno is working as Visiting Research scientist at the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from July 2021-October 2022.

Dr Parreno was in charge of the VD-Lab (viral gastroenteritis lab) at the Virology Institute, INTA from 2004 to 2016. She has 30 years of research experience, including epidemiological studies of animal rotavirus, coronavirus and norovirus; development of vaccines and passive immune strategies to prevent calf and foal diarrhea; development of calf models of bovine rotavirus and coronavirus infection and disease; and development and characterization of llama derived-nanobodies; development and statistical validation of diagnosis kits including Rotadial, the first nanobody-based kit used in the hospitals of the acute diarrhea surveillance network of the Argentinean Ministry of health (INEI-ANLIS Malbran).

Dr. Parreno is co-founder and scientific coordinator of INCUINTA (2009 to present), the incubator of biotechnological platforms of INTA. She is one of the entrepreneurs who created of the public-private startup company BIOINNOVO (INTA-Vetanco S.A.) and participated actively in the development of three veterinary products in the market: Rotacoli Equina (R) Biochemic; BIOINNOVO IgY DNT (R) an IgY-based product to prevent calf diarrhea by RVA, Coronavirus, E coli and Salmonella and VEDEVAX (R),a BVDV subunit targeted vaccine).

Starting from 2003 to present, Dr Parreno coordinated a large team of researchers and private partners to reach the development and statistical validation of the INTA guinea pig model for potency testing of bovine viral vaccines, the topic of this present book. The model was adopted as the official potency control test of vaccines administered to cattle in Argentina (SENASA- Animal Health Service Resol. 598.12), and it is expected to extend its use through CAMEVET and the World Organisation for Animal Health at a regional and worldwide level.