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New biosensors for improving animal health
On June 21, 2021 in Urbanki (Northern Poland), scientists from RIC Pro-Akademia completed the first round of field research as part of the Biosens4PrecisionMastitis project, which we are implementing under the international program ERA-NET ICRAD (International Coordination of Research on Infectious Animal Diseases). This was an important experimental step in our project, which will allow for the identification of miRNAs and key cytokines/antimicrobial peptides with a potential to distinguish between infected and healthy cows by our novel biosensors. Early diagnosis of mastitis will allow for taking measures before pathogens replicate and disease symptoms appear.
- Biosens4PrecisionMastitis innovation relies on non-invasive and stress-free milk biopsies. This is why milk is our focal point. Following clinical observations of animals and investigations of somatic cell count in milk, we have identified cows with clinical mastitis, subclinical mastitis and healthy animals – explains Lukasz Gontar from Natural Products Laboratory at Research and Innovation Centre Pro-Akademia, who coordinated the field experiments and the first step of microbiological research.
The collected pool of 600 milk samples from 35 animals showed that mastitis can be caused by a wide variety of pathogens and that different biomarkers can be useful for the early detection of inflammation. More information on our research can be found on the project website.
The project is co-financed by the National Center for Research and Development under the ERA-NET CO-FUND ICRAD program: "International coordination of research on infectious animal diseases"