CRC scientists make dairy discoveries

Australian Dairy Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) scientists are making important discoveries that will improve the Australian dairy industry's access to advanced technologies and products.

For example, they have recently discovered new methods to isolate and maintain large numbers of bovine embryonic stem cells.

The isolation of bovine stem cells has many implications for the application of advanced breeding technologies in dairy cattle and other livestock. Dr Paul Verma from the Monash Institute of Medical Research announced these breakthroughs at Dairy Science 2006, held in South Australia.

Embryonic stem cells can potentially produce every other type of cell. One potential application of stem cells for the dairy industry is improving the performance of IVF-based animal breeding systems. In the future, stem cells will be able to be tested to determine if they carry the genes likely to produce elite animals. These cells can then potentially be used to generate sperm cells that can be used in the IVF process. For the dairy industry, this would help shorten the generation interval or breeding cycle, and therefore speed up the process of genetic improvement in the Australian dairy herd.

Stem cells may be used to improve udder health and lactation performance in the dairy cow as they play a role in tissue development. They may also be used to improve animal health through the treatment of disease or delivery of vaccines to the animal.

"The crucial breakthrough made by the team was to generate more than 200,000 stem cells from a single embryo. Conventional methods produce less than 10,000 cells per embryo," noted Dr Verma.

"We have been able to multiply the stem cells in the laboratory, creating stem cell lines. This is more efficient than continually sourcing stem cells from embryos. Previously, stem cell lines had been created for the human, the mouse and the primate, but not the cow," he said.

In the future, this research may assist with new technologies such as improving the efficiency of cloning or producing pharmaceuticals from milk. It is valuable intellectual property owned by the Australian dairy industry, and an international patent application has recently been filed.

The research is being carried out as part of the Dairy CRC's Delivery Technologies Program which focuses on how to deliver improved genetics to the dairy industry through a range of advanced reproductive technologies.

The Dairy CRC is currently applying for renewed funding in the 2006 round of the Australian Government's CRC Program and is looking for strategic partners to participate in the bid. For more information on this and other opportunities in Australia, please contact Invest Australia.

Item provided courtesy of Invest Australia