6 November 2020
CIEL is the UK's livestock innovation Centre. They aim to introduce innovative technologies and processes into livestock production in the UK and worldwide. They provide leadership to tackle sector issues, connect partners across the industry and facilitate solutions and routes to R&D funding for their members.
The CIEL Agri-Tech Showcase on the 29th of October attracted over 70 registrations from industry representatives, researchers, government and wider stakeholders across the livestock supply chain. The virtual session, developed by the CIEL business team, provided an opportunity to discover more about the technologies and expertise available within the CIEL network and drive new collaborative partnerships. Around 50 people joined live, with more able to catch up on the sessions on-demand post event.
Biotangents’ Director of Commercialisation, Rachel Mallet, introduced our advanced diagnostic platform technology, Moduleic Sensing™, and the benefits it can bring to livestock productivity.
As demand for protein grows in response to an increasing world population, the ability to provide this protein sustainably becomes ever more critical, especially as the world strives to reduce carbon emissions from agriculture with the UK seeking to achieve net zero by 2040.
Rachel explained: “Currently, 20% of all protein produced is lost to disease. By using diagnostics for surveillance, we can prevent and reduce the overall incidence of disease. Biotangents are developing rapid and reliable diagnostics which deliver results within 2 hours, avoiding a wait of days to weeks for laboratory results. This means that the right treatment can be implemented immediately, supporting the need for antibiotics to be used responsibly and improving welfare.”
Our engagement across the animal health sector has repeatedly confirmed the need for improved mastitis diagnostics. When mastitis is suspected, a milk sample should be collected and sent to the laboratory for a pathogen diagnosis. This will determine if antibiotic treatment is necessary and, if so, which antibiotic is most appropriate. It can take up to 7 days for these results to be returned. During this time, welfare is compromised, the disease progresses, and the chance of treatment success is reduced. Due to the serious consequences of delay, antibiotics are often administered presumptively. We are developing a proprietary diagnostic solution that can deliver a pathogen diagnosis, on farm, within 2 hours. This will:
Reduce the overall incidence of mastitis
Improve milk yield and quality
Improve animal welfare
Reduce antibiotic use
Improve the sustainability of dairy farming
Our partners have also confirmed that current diagnostics for bovine respiratory disease are inadequate. Bovine respiratory disease describes respiratory disease caused by a number of factors including pathogens, stress and poor ventilation. It is the single biggest disease cost in growing cattle. When an outbreak occurs, it can spread rapidly with many animals affected, yet it still takes up to 7 days to receive a diagnosis from the laboratory. During this time, animals must be treated presumptively. The Biotangents solution will differentiate between the 8 key viral and bacterial pathogens within 2 hours, facilitating:
Rapid implementation of vaccines
Targeted & selective use of antibiotics
Reduced impact on productivity
Improved profitability
Biotangents are currently seeking development partners to collaborate on bringing our mastitis and bovine respiratory disease products to market. If this is something which you would like to discuss, please contact us.