Dr. Jackwood received his M.S. and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in the fields of microbiology and molecular virology. Following a post-doctorate in Biotechnology at Battelle Columbus Laboratories, he joined the OSU faculty in Center for Food Animal Health at the CFAES Wooster campus in Wooster, OH. His research focuses on the molecular characteristics of Birnaviruses and his laboratory is using molecular techniques to diagnose and differentiate IBDV antigenic types and pathogenetic types. He is the inventor on 6 issued patents and, through OSU, he has licensed technology related to two of those to an international diagnostic company. He, along with Dr. Linda Michel, received the 2016 OARDC Director’s Innovator of the Year Award for his work on development and commercialization of VLP vaccines. He recently received the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association 2018 Charles Beard Research Excellence Award for his contributions to the poultry industry in the field of infectious bursal disease.
Dr. Jackwood is the founder of Larad, Inc., a self-directed start up with an exclusive worldwide license from The Ohio State University for the IP developed by Dr. Jackwood. Larad was formed to develop platform VLP technology specifically to address vaccines and diagnostics for animal diseases.
Dr. Jackwood retired after 35 years of service to the Ohio State University in January of 2022.
Areas of Expertise:
- Vaccine Development
- Poultry Health
- Infectious Bursal Disease Virus
Research Focus: Our lab is committed to improving the health of poultry through research on the prevention, control and diagnosis of infectious bursal disease (IBD). This disease was first described in the USA near the town of Gumboro, Delaware and thus is also known as Gumboro disease. IBD is a highly contagious disease of chickens that results in immune suppression and secondary infections. It affects nearly all poultry producing regions around the world.
Research focused on improved diagnosis and management of this economically devastating disease is of critical importance to the global poultry industry.
We are working to control and prevent the spread of IBD, which is caused by infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). See our Research page for more information.