CHICAGO, May 1, 2013- Canadian research projects highlighted at the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (BIO) 2013 International Convention in Chicago last week include the enhancement of chicken feed to prevent disease and the improvement of bovine ovulation without additional hormones.
The BIO International Convention, the largest global event for the biotechnology industry, offered the opportunity for U.S. states and several countries to display their achievements at the exhibition in Chicago last week.
Oksana Akhova, PhD, MBA at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan, told Agri-Pulse that more than one third of the WCVM's overall research activity relates to food animal health care and management, which researchers highlighted at the BIO exhibition.
Citing her university’s work in bovine reproduction as well as animal feed nutrition, Akhova described two research projects still in the development stage, including using a “unique” extraction method used in flax meal to incorporate flax into chicken feed in small percentages would contribute to disease prevention. “People are now using vaccines, but this would be preventative,” she explained.
In dairy and beef cows, WCVM researchers are exploring a new method to synchronize ovulation. It would serve as an alternative to estrogen and hormonal control, she explained, while synchronizing the pregnancies of a herd of cows. The method employs a class of compounds known as Aromatase Inhibitors, which have “well-established safety profiles” and are not associated with negative side effects, according to the patent application.
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