Cobb invests $1 million in avian research with Roslin Institute
by February 28, 2014 2:49 pm 134 views
Cobb-Vantress, a subsidiary of Tyson Foods Inc., said it’s investing nearly $1 million in a three-year research collaboration with the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh.
Researchers hope to identify innovative ways to improve avian health, while also develop new technologies to understand and preserve poultry genomes, the release said. “
These are exciting new areas which we hope will lead to major breakthroughs in avian health and preservation.” said Dr Christine Daugherty, chief technology officer of Cobb. “
She said Cobb has an extensive gene pool and to be able to better understand the poultry genome will be critical to meeting future demands for poultry products.
"We’re always striving to breed more robust chickens that will withstand disease and environmental challenges. We’re looking for birds with greater immunity to diseases or with the ability to tolerate disease without affecting their performance," Daugherty said.
The collaboration will support research by graduate students and is for an initial three years, with potential for renewal, according to the release. This agreement is one of more than 30 research projects that Cobb has been supporting in 18 different universities across the globe over the past five years, the company said.