17 September 2021
Biotangents have been awarded seed funding from CIEL (Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock) to work with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) to independently validate the next generation of bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) testing: AmpliSpec™ LAB BVD.
AmpliSpec™ LAB BVD is a molecular assay utilising isothermal amplification technology to detect defined sections of RNA unique to the BVD virus. It offers the following benefits to veterinary diagnostic laboratories:
Simple protocol to reduce hands-on time
Rapid run-time (70 minutes) to improve throughput
Easy interpretation to facilitate rapid results reporting
Molecular sensitivity and specificity to ensure confidence in results
Biotangents combine machine learning bioinformatics, customisable biology workflows and advanced microfluidics to deliver the next generation of veterinary diagnostics for laboratory and point-of-care use. They aim to enhance the sustainability of livestock farming and enable vets and farmers to take rapid action to treat and prevent infectious diseases. Using technology that detects specific nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) sequences characteristic of a given disease, Biotangents deliver molecular quality results with simple protocols and reliability.
The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) is a multi-disciplinary scientific Institute offering world class scientific services to a wide range of customers in the agri-food sector. The animal disease diagnostic services provided by the AFBI Stormont and Omagh laboratories safeguard animal and public health by identifying outbreaks of notifiable diseases, new or emerging diseases, changes in patterns of endemic diseases and conditions appropriate for further research. This expertise makes them an excellent partner for the independent validation of AmpliSpec™ LAB BVD.
CIEL is the UK’s livestock innovation Centre, helping to introduce innovative technologies and processes into livestock production – UK and worldwide. As CIEL Members, Biotangents successfully applied for seed funding provided by CIEL thanks to the support of Innovate UK. The funding is designed to help address key challenges facing the livestock sector including endemic disease reduction, antimicrobial resistance and animal health and welfare management and encourage collaborative partnerships between researchers and industry.
CIEL (Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock) is one of the UK’s four Agri-Tech Centres established as a key pillar of the government’s Agri-Tech Strategy and works in partnership with 12 of the UK’s leading livestock research institutions and a network of industry members spanning the entire food supply chain, from pre-farmgate to retail. CIEL aims to use these collaborative partnerships to enhance and accelerate business-led innovation, as well as inspire and identify opportunities that could lead to the development of new products, services and techniques that can benefit the entire agrifood chain.
CIEL has one of the world’s leading livestock research alliances, working with over 800 expert animal scientists. Over the past five years, CIEL, through support from Innovate UK and in collaboration with our research partners, has invested £70 million into innovative UK livestock research facilities.