Isabel Gimeno

Bio

Professional Experience
July 2012 to present. Associate Professor. Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University.
February 2006 to July 2012. Assistant Professor. Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University.
February 2002 to January 2006. Postdoctoral position at the USDA-ARS Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory, East Lansing, MI.
January 2001 to January 2002 . Research Associate at the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
January 2000 to December 2000. Research Associate at the Research Institute for Animal Health (CISA-INIA), Valdeolmos, Madrid.

CERTIFICATIONS

Diplomate, American College of Poultry Veterinarians

Education/Training
Diplomate, American College of Poultry Veterinarians
PhD, Veterinary Pathology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 1999
MS, Poultry Diseases and Production, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 1996
Licenciado en Veterinaria (DVM equivalent) – Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 1995

Area(s) of Expertise

GLOBAL HEALTH, INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Marek's disease (MD) is a lymphoproliferative disease induced by the alpha-herpesvirus Marek's disease virus (MDV). MDV has evolved towards more virulent forms in the recent decades. The efficacy of MDV vaccines has decreased concomitantly with the increase in virulence of field isolates. Of particular importance, the most commonly utilized vaccine in the USA during the past 20 years (bivalent vaccine including serotypes 2 and 3) does not protect chickens against the most recently isolated strains of MDV, the very virulent plus (vv+/). Attenuated serotype 1 vaccines seem to confer better protection against challenge with vv+/strains. Nonetheless, even serotype 1 vaccines have been shown to have reduced efficacy with time in some European and Asian countries. Because of the great economic impact of Marek's disease and the threat of more virulent MDV strains emerging, the search for more efficient vaccines continues. A major limitation in the development of more efficient vaccines, however, is the lack of information on mechanisms of vaccine immunity. One of the goals of my laboratory is to better understand the mechanisms of Marek's disease vaccine immunity to develop better strategies of control.

Diagnosis of tumor poultry diseases is complex. My laboratory has worked for several years to establish new diagnostic criteria and standardize the use of molecular techniques for the diagnosis of tumor viral diseases. Furthermore, we have developed real time PCR assays that allow early diagnosis and monitoring of vaccination in the field.

In addition to the development of lymphomas, Marek's disease virus induced a variety of neurological syndromes. The pathogenesis of MDV in the nervous system is not fully understood but it is very likely that Marek's disease virus elicit an abnormal immune response leading to the development of autoimmunity.

Publications

• Characterization of immunopathological changes in the feather pulp of CVI988-vaccinated pullets challenged with a very virulent plus Marek's disease virus strain , AVIAN PATHOLOGY (2025)
• Protection Conferred by Gallid Alphaherpesvirus 2 Vaccines Against Immunosuppression Induced by Very Virulent Plus (vv+) Marek's Disease Virus Strains in Commercial Meat Type Chickens , PATHOGENS (2025)
• Evaluation of Adjuvant Effect of Cytosine-Guanosine-Oligodeoxynucleotide in Meat-Type Chickens Coadministered In Ovo with Herpesvirus of Turkey Vaccine , VIRAL IMMUNOLOGY (2024)
• Optimizing protocols for monitoring in vivo replication of a novel chimeric Marek's disease vaccine with an insertion of the long terminal repeat of reticuloendotheliosis virus in the CVI988 strain genome (CVI-LTR) , AVIAN PATHOLOGY (2024)
• Effect of CpG-Oligonucleotide in Enhancing Recombinant Herpes Virus of Turkey-Laryngotracheitis Vaccine-Induced Immune Responses in One-Day-Old Broiler Chickens , VACCINES (2023)
• In Ovo Vaccination with Recombinant Herpes Virus of the Turkey-Laryngotracheitis Vaccine Adjuvanted with CpG-Oligonucleotide Provides Protection against a Viral Challenge in Broiler Chickens , VIRUSES-BASEL (2023)
• In ovo HVT vaccination enhances cellular responses at hatch and addition of poly I:C offers minimal adjuvant effects , VACCINE (2023)
• Characterization of Md5-BAC-REV-LTR virus as Marek's disease vaccine in commercial meat-type chickens: protection and immunosuppression , AVIAN PATHOLOGY (2021)
• Cytokine expression in the eye and brain of chickens following infection with a very virulent plus Marek's disease virus strain , VETERINARY IMMUNOLOGY AND IMMUNOPATHOLOGY (2021)
• Replication of Marek's disease vaccines in turkey embryos and their effect on TLR-3 and IFN-gamma transcripts , AVIAN PATHOLOGY (2021)

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