Traditional processes for development, testing, and approval of new pharmaceuticals are extremely costly, and success rates in human subjects are low. Livestock are effective models for many human diseases and disorders, especially when coupled with gene editing and other biotechnologies. Furthermore, various co-products of meat, milk, or egg production, which were historically discarded as waste, may have bioactive properties that can provide novel therapies or nutritional supplements to improve human or animal health. Researchers will:
- Develop novel uses and identify new ways to harvest tissues for co-products derived from meat, milk, and egg processing that can be used for biomedical purposes to advance animal and human health.
- Use laboratory and farm animal species to delineate the underlying mechanisms of human diseases and health disorders.
- Explore opportunities to use gene-edited livestock for xenotransplantation of organs into human patients.