The overall aim of my Ph.D project “Discriminating diagnostics for DIVA vaccines towards classical swine fever” is to find and produce a suitable CSFV candidate protein for use as an antigen in a new discriminating serological assay. The assay isto be used as a companion test to anovel live CSFV DIVA vaccine .   Besides finding the right CSFV candidate protein the work are also concentrated at finding anappropriate heterologously expression organism for production of the CSFV proteins concerned as well as asensitive and robust serological assay.   Another task within the project, if time allows, is to develop and validate a new discriminating multiplexRT-PCR for CSFV.

The above project requires a detailed theoretical and practical knowledge on various molecular methods and in particular work with CSFV proteins as well as the heterologously expression organism Pichia Pastoris.