GenOmics

Project also offers new method for estimating populations Media Release, April 4, 2012

Calgary - New research out of Alberta aims to improve food safety recalls and traceability systems, while also offering scientists a better method for tracking animals.

The research project, funded in part by Genome Alberta, focuses on using DNA to improve food safety and traceability systems around ground beef. Researchers extracted samples from ground beef batches, and then pulled DNA from individual muscle fibers found within the samples. Using a statistical method, researchers were then able to infer how many individual cattle made up each batch.

Media Release, March 19th, 2012

Researchers in Wales and the United States have collaborated to complete the first high-resolution, comprehensive genetic map of a promising energy crop called miscanthus. The results – published in the current edition of the peer-reviewed, online journal PLoS One – provide a significant breakthrough towards advancing the production of bioenergy.

The breakthrough results from the long-term collaboration between energy crop company Ceres, Inc., based in Thousand Oaks, California, USA, and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University in Wales. The IBERS team created the collection of genetically related plants and Ceres then sequenced and analyzed the DNA. In other crops, this type of comprehensive genetic mapping has significantly shortened product development timelines.

News Release, March 15th, 2012 by Jennifer Tidball

MANHATTAN -- A collaborative discovery involving Kansas State University researchers may improve animal health and save the U.S. pork industry millions of dollars each year.

Raymond "Bob" Rowland, a virologist and professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, was part of the collaborative effort that discovered a genetic marker that identifies pigs with reduced susceptibility to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or PRRS. This virus costs the U.S. pork industry more than $600 million each year.

Adoption of Agricultural Biotechnology Increased Eight Percent Over Past YearMedia Release, WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 07, 2012) – Because of their tremendous environmental and economic benefits, farmers around the world continue to adopt genetically engineered (GE) crops according to a report released today by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA).

The ISAAA report, Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2011, says a record 16.7 million farmers in 29 countries are growing biotech crops on 395 million acres.

Media Release, WASHINGTON, DC – November 28, 2011 – A study to be published in the online journal mBio® on November 29 shows that adding antibiotics to swine feed causes microorganisms in the guts of these animals to start sharing genes that could spread antibiotic resistance.

Livestock farms use antibiotic drugs regularly, and not just for curing sick animals. Antimicrobial drugs are used as feed additives to boost animal growth, a profitable but controversial practice that is now banned in the European Union and under scrutiny here in the United States. Using antibiotics in animal feed saves farms money, but opponents argue the practice encourages antimicrobial resistance among bacteria that could well be consumed by humans. Today, livestock producers in the U.S...

Media Release, Edmonton, October 20, 2011

Genome Alberta announced today that it is leading a group of funding partners on two large-scale genomics projects which will help improve Canada’s livestock sector. These projects build on Genome Alberta’s Applied Livestock Genomics Program which was launched in Dec 2010.

“Application of Genomics to improve Swine Health and Welfare” is a $12.4 million research project lead by Graham Plastow from the University of Alberta, John Harding from the University of Saskatchewan and Bob Kemp from PigGen Canada.

Dave Edwards is the Director of Animal Biotechnology at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) in Washington, D.C. At BIO, Dr. Edwards works with members that are the cutting edge in animal cloning and genetic engineering and working to address food security, sustainability, human health, and animal welfare issues through biotechnology.

I talked to him a few weeks ago about some of the challenges facing animal biotechnology companies and researchers and here is the interview:

Introductory genomics course available at www.learncattlegenetics.comMedia Releasze MADISON, N.J. — Sept. 20, 2011 — Producers and veterinarians looking to make more informed decisions to advance genetic progress in their herds have a new educational resource from Pfizer Animal Genetics. “Using Genetics to Optimize Cattle Performance” is the first of three free e-learning sessions to be made available at www.learncattlegenetics.com to help beef and dairy producers, veterinarians and anyone in...

LANSING, Mich., Aug. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Neogen Corporation (Nasdaq: NEOG) has announced that its GeneSeek subsidiary is a participant in USDA-funded research that seeks to better understand the role cattle genetics may play in food contamination by the pathogen E. coli O157:H7. GeneSeek is considered the leading commercial agricultural genetics laboratory in the United States.

Researchers have shown that while some cows have no E. coli O157:H7 in their systems, others present a greater risk for beef contamination by shedding higher concentrations of the pathogen in their feces. The existence of the pathogen does not cause illness in cattle, but E. coli O157:H7 is a significant cause of foodborne illness in humans.

NRC and AAFC lead Canada's contribution to international genome sequencing projectMedia Release, August 28, 2011 — Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Canadian scientists have helped sequence part of the genome of Canada’s major oilseed crop, canola. Results from this international collaboration are being published this month in the peer-reviewed science journal, Nature Genetics.

Determining the DNA sequence of crops allows researchers to understand the mechanisms of the plant, and to map traits of interest. This information can then be used by breeders to develop crops for Canadian farmers that are more disease resistant, drought tolerant, location-suitable and with increased yields.

Media Release

An international team of scientists, funded in the UK by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), has sequenced the genome of a Chinese cabbage variety of a plant called Brassica rapa, a close relative of oilseed rape. The research, which is published today (28 August 2011) in the journal Nature Genetics, could help improve the efficiency of oilseed rape breeding, as well as that of a host of other important food and oil crops.

The project was conducted by an international consortium involving researchers working across four continents, with the majority of the data generated in China. The UK's contribution came from scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich and Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, both of which receive strategic funding from BBSRC.

Why are food prices rising? The U.S. Department of Agriculture says there are variety of factors and biofuels are not the main reason behind food commodity price increasing.

The June 2011 report comes from the USDA Economic Research Service.

You can find the full report at http://ers.usda.gov/Publications/WRS1103/WRS1103.pdf

Media Release, July 18th, 2011

The appointment of Professor Stephen Moore as Director of the Centre for Animal Science at The University of Queensland (UQ) will inject enormous value into research conducted on behalf of Australian and international livestock industries.

DOE/JGI News Release

July 1, 2011

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.—Carbon dioxide may be the most name-dropped greenhouse gas, but methane is 20 times more potent. In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calculated that 20 percent of the nation’s human-related methane emissions were attributable to livestock digestive processes. In Australia, livestock emissions account for 12 percent of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

The DNA of rare and endangered macadamia species will soon be fingerprinted in an effort to determine the original wild tree or trees that launched the global macadamia industry.

Some of the world's leading macadamia experts will gather on the Gold Coast tomorrow (5 July) to collect leaf samples to kick-start genetic research at The University of Queensland (UQ), which could lead to the discovery of more productive or disease resistant varieties of this premium nut crop.

June 29, 2011 – Researchers at University of Alberta (U of A) have deciphered the genetic code for flax, an ancient plant with modern potential.

Mike Deyholos, project researcher U of A, explains the historical significance of the TUFGEN or Total Utilization Flax Genetics project, “Canada is the world leader in linseed production – flax – but higher profile crops like canola, wheat and corn have typically received more research investment. When petroleum products largely replaced linseed oil following the Second World War, flax crop production declined and that meant years of minimal research taking place. We just didn’t have access...

(5/16/2011)

Accelerated Genetics was a recipient of the 2011 Governor's Export Achievement Award. Governor Scott Walker presented the annual Export Achievement Awards on Tuesday, May 10th, to recognize firms and organizations that have achieved extraordinary results in international sales or have contributed to Wisconsin's increased ability to compete in a global market.

Walker says the companies serve as excellent examples of how to succeed in international markets, and proved they could prosper despite the ups and downs of the global economy.

Contact:

Prof. Zander Myburg

zander.myburg@up.ac.za

For more information, contact:

Bhagirath Choudhary at (+91-9999851051)

Email: info@isaaa.org or b.choudhary@cgiar.org

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Mick Kulikowski