Improving the efficiency of bovine oocyte maturation in vitro. For the dairy and beef industries, the hundreds of eggs (oocytes) in a high value cow's ovary that fail to produce a pregnancy are a wasted genetic resource. A key technology to unlocking this resource is in vitro maturation of oocytes, but the process is inefficient. One possible cause is that the current approaches to maturing oocytes in vitro do not adequately mimic the natural process in vivo. We will design new systems to matu ....Improving the efficiency of bovine oocyte maturation in vitro. For the dairy and beef industries, the hundreds of eggs (oocytes) in a high value cow's ovary that fail to produce a pregnancy are a wasted genetic resource. A key technology to unlocking this resource is in vitro maturation of oocytes, but the process is inefficient. One possible cause is that the current approaches to maturing oocytes in vitro do not adequately mimic the natural process in vivo. We will design new systems to mature cow oocytes in vitro by altering the chemical composition of maturation medium, thus improving the efficiency of laboratory embryo production and related technologies.Read moreRead less
An integrated genomics approach to improve our understanding of the biology of genital campylobacteriosis in beef cattle. Beef is Australia's most valuable agricultural export estimated at $9.6B annually and this industry accounts for one-third of full time employment in regional communities. Currently, unknown causes of reproductive losses in cattle in Northern Australian cost producers approximately $15M per annum. Bovine genital campylobacteriosis is one of the major risk factors associated w ....An integrated genomics approach to improve our understanding of the biology of genital campylobacteriosis in beef cattle. Beef is Australia's most valuable agricultural export estimated at $9.6B annually and this industry accounts for one-third of full time employment in regional communities. Currently, unknown causes of reproductive losses in cattle in Northern Australian cost producers approximately $15M per annum. Bovine genital campylobacteriosis is one of the major risk factors associated with this high cost due to the inability to accurately diagnose the disease. This research will integrate genomics and bioinformatics with infection and vaccination models to improve our understanding of the biology of the disease to develop appropriate control strategies securing Australia's beef industry.Read moreRead less
DNA methylation in IVF and cloned embryos. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) and cloning are new assisted reproductive technologies that in time will revolutionise genetic improvement of Australia's economically important animals. IVF and cloning can be associated with aberrant growth that results from atypical gene expression. DNA methylation is central to gene regulation and determines which genes are expressed. In this project a new technique will be used to quantify DNA methylation in naturall ....DNA methylation in IVF and cloned embryos. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) and cloning are new assisted reproductive technologies that in time will revolutionise genetic improvement of Australia's economically important animals. IVF and cloning can be associated with aberrant growth that results from atypical gene expression. DNA methylation is central to gene regulation and determines which genes are expressed. In this project a new technique will be used to quantify DNA methylation in naturally conceived, IVF and cloned embryos. The information will be used to improve IVF and cloning so that these technologies can be applied with confidence to increase the international competitiveness of Australia's livestock industries.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the effect of nutrient-gene interaction in utero in key tissues instrumental to productivity and sustainability of the beef industry. The cattle industry occupies 43 per cent of the land mass and provides 13 per cent of rural employment. Nutritional insult in utero affects postnatal reproductive and production traits in cattle and imposes epigenetic modifications. This project investigates the effect upon genes affecting appetite, ovarian development, adipogenesis, myogenesis and pos ....Quantifying the effect of nutrient-gene interaction in utero in key tissues instrumental to productivity and sustainability of the beef industry. The cattle industry occupies 43 per cent of the land mass and provides 13 per cent of rural employment. Nutritional insult in utero affects postnatal reproductive and production traits in cattle and imposes epigenetic modifications. This project investigates the effect upon genes affecting appetite, ovarian development, adipogenesis, myogenesis and post natal growth.Read moreRead less
In vitro prediction tests of fertility of frozen semen of sheep and cattle. Variation in fertility after artificial insemination (AI) of frozen semen is high and leads to economic loss. Routine assessment of the quality of frozen semen relies on crude, simple tests of motility and morphology of sperm. More sophisticated sperm ultrastructural and function tests have recently been developed, but it is not known how these tests relate to fertility in the field. In this project we will test a ran ....In vitro prediction tests of fertility of frozen semen of sheep and cattle. Variation in fertility after artificial insemination (AI) of frozen semen is high and leads to economic loss. Routine assessment of the quality of frozen semen relies on crude, simple tests of motility and morphology of sperm. More sophisticated sperm ultrastructural and function tests have recently been developed, but it is not known how these tests relate to fertility in the field. In this project we will test a range of in vitro methods of assessment of motility and morphology of sperm and compare them with fertility of frozen semen samples after AI, leading to more objective methods of semen analysis.Read moreRead less
Improving dairy cow fertility: targeting exosome-responsive cell pathways. . This project aims to assist the dairy industry to achieve its goal of increasing the six-week in-calf pregnancy rate in dairy cows by at least 10 per cent within five years via the identification of circulating exosomal biomarkers of improved fertility that will be used to develop superior breeding stock to deliver higher industry productivity. The impact of novel biomarkers will permit the Australian and New Zealand da ....Improving dairy cow fertility: targeting exosome-responsive cell pathways. . This project aims to assist the dairy industry to achieve its goal of increasing the six-week in-calf pregnancy rate in dairy cows by at least 10 per cent within five years via the identification of circulating exosomal biomarkers of improved fertility that will be used to develop superior breeding stock to deliver higher industry productivity. The impact of novel biomarkers will permit the Australian and New Zealand dairy industries to meet their targets and provide economic benefit to the respective industries, whilst ensuring availability of low cost milk to Australian citizens.Read moreRead less