Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and Radboud University (RU) are collaborating strongly to further advance the sensing potential for diseases and resource use efficiency of dairy cows. On 3rd May the Life Science Trace Detection Laboratory of RU hosted researchers and PhD students from WUR, to share their experience with state-of-the-art laboratory technologies that can be used to find new and better detect known biomarkers.
Better sensing makes sense
One goal of the AGROS project is to improve the individual monitoring of dairy cows, in order to make more informed decisions in farm management. As a part of the AGROS project, we are further exploring the potential of breath analyses, in order to add more diagnostic value to exhaled breath in addition to methane emissions. In parallel, PhD students in the project ‘Sustainable dairy farming: integration of ecology and technology’ (financed by TKI Agro & Food, IMEC/OnePlanet, and Melkveefonds) are working on advancing our knowledge on feed digestibility and incorporating its use in cattle breeding. The role of modern sensing technologies cannot be overstated in either project. This May, the lively collaboration between WUR and RU in both AGROS projects took shape in a meeting combined with a visit to the state-of-the-art facilities of the Life Science Trace Detection Laboratory of RU.
Invaluable experiences in person
The meeting was opened by Simona Cristescu, group leader of Life Science Trace Detection Laboratory, who introduced the facility and the principles of their laboratory devices. The participants learned about the wide variety of instruments for laser-based spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, and their applications from precision medicine and fruit storage to dairy and poultry farming. In the next presentation, Istvan Fodor, researcher at Wageningen Livestock Research, presented the current methods and challenges of breath analysis in dairy cows. He pointed out some challenges that have to be overcome before breath analysis can be used for disease detection in dairy cattle on a routine basis, e.g. biomarkers of certain diseases have to be identified in breath. In addition to the guided tour in the laboratory, where the use and capabilities of each device was explained, participants could also enjoy the live demonstration of the use of some instruments. With sensor and dairy experts joining forces, further advances in diagnostics on dairy farms are within reach.