The new facility is expected to improve food security via research aimed at developing livestock that are genetically more resistant to disease
The University of Edinburgh has opened a Large Animal Research Imaging Facility. (Credit: analogicus from Pixabay)
The University of Edinburgh has opened a Large Animal Research Imaging Facility (LARIF), which will offer better insights into livestock.
The new facility is expected to improve food security via research aimed at developing livestock that are genetically more resistant to disease. It will also focus on the development of advanced vaccines for animals.
Situated at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies’ Easter Bush Campus, the research facility will help protect human health by controlling food-borne infections, as well as developing strategies against antimicrobial resistance.
The research facility will also focus on the development of treatments for diseases that affect people
LARIF will also focus on the development of treatments for diseases such as neurological conditions, which affect people.
The University of Edinburgh and the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) have provided £25m for the development of the new facility. The funding also includes £10.6m from Innovate UK.
LARIF includes imaging, surgical, gene-editing and infection containment facilities, which will be used for in-depth studies on the health and wellbeing of all major farmed livestock.
It is also comprised of Wellcome Trust-funded Critical Care Laboratory for Large Animals, which enables to study of large animal biology with all the resources of a human hospital.
The advanced medical imaging equipment at the site facilitates detailed studies on degenerative and neurological diseases, body composition and the anatomy and physiology of large animals.
The research carried out at LARIF will help investigate human conditions as well as understand livestock diseases.
Innovate UK interim executive chair Dr Ian Campbell said: “Innovate UK has a strong track record of supporting the UK’s agriculture sector. The four Agri-Tech Centres that we have funded across the UK are crucial to our mission to boost this vital sector of our economy.
“The world-leading LARIF facility which we are inaugurating today will help the UK remain at the cutting edge of innovation in agriculture.”