In 1959 Biggs moved to the Houghton Poultry Research Station (HPRS) to form and head a unit to study lymphoid tumor conditions of the domestic fowl. He gave the name Marek’s disease to one of the tumor conditions, after the Hungarian veterinarian József Marek. Biggs and his group determined that it was caused by a herpesvirus, and later developed a vaccine for the disease. With six co-authors.