Posted: November 13, 2013

Technology developed by University of Guelph researchers to measure immune response in dairy cattle and their ability to combat infectious disease has won a prestigious dairy innovative product award.

The U of G’s High Immune Response (HIR) technology, licensed for use by Canada’s largest dairy genetic company, the Semex Alliance, to identify elite sires with enhanced immune response (Immunity+), received one of 10 innovation awards at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin in October.

“These awards are given for game changing technologies,” says Dr. Bonnie Mallard, an immunogeneticist in the Department of Pathobiology. Mallard, PhD candidate Lauraine Wagter-Lesperance and a team of researchers developed and patented the HIR for cattle.

Working with professor emeritus Bruce Wilkie (Pathobiology) and the late OAC professor Brian Kennedy, the test was originally developed to test immune response in pigs during Mallard’s post-doctoral research. Later as a faculty member, Mallard modified the test to evaluate immune responsiveness of dairy cows.  Most recently, the research team has expanded this research to identify bull sires with the best immune systems as well.

This safe, environmentally-friendly technology not only lowers disease in herds using it, it has value beyond the farm gate, improving dairy genetics and food safety–a win for the dairy industry and consumers. Testing is only done once in an animal’s lifetime and can be completed at any stage from two months onward with a simple blood test and skin measurement.

“The test identifies animals with the naturally inherent ability to make robust and balanced immune responses,” says Mallard. “This is a great example of grassroots research that has benefits from the farm to the supermarket.”

HIR identifies and ranks animals as high, average or low immune responders. Research has shown that high immune responders have a lower occurrence of diseases, including mastitis, metritis, pneumonia, retained placenta and displaced obomasum. Identifying these animals provides a number of benefits for both the animals and dairy farmers. High responders demonstrate lower disease occurrence, better response to commercial vaccines and produce more protective colostrum, which produces healthier calves. This translates to happier, healthier cows and lower disease treatment costs. 

The ability to apply the test to sires, in addition to cows, heifers and calves, extends the value of the test as producers can purchase semen from Immunity+ bulls to produce successive generations of healthier cattle. This advancement is what won the innovation award for Immunity+. Brad Sayles, VP of Global Marketing for Semex, was at the Dairy Expo to receive this year’s award. Semex continues to work closely with Dr. Mallard to develop other applications for this technology in cattle.

“The success of this research also demonstrates the depth of research being completed at the Ontario Veterinary College and the type of marketable research that benefits both the university and the agricultural industry,” adds Mallard.

Many colleagues and students were involved with the HIR project over the last 20 years. Some of the current and more recent students and staff are: Shannon Cartwright, Kathleen Thompson Crispi, Jacqueline Gallienne, Brad Hine, Lauraine Wagter-Lesperance, Marlene Paibomesai, Claire Martin, Brendan Hussey, Rebecca Opsteen , Mehdi Emam, Natasha Gallo and Sophia Lim.

This research received funding from the Ontario Ministry Agriculture and Food, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), including an NSERC- Idea to Innovation grant in 2011, and the Canadian Dairy Network.