Alltech opens nutrigenomics facility

The first facility of its kind in the world, the
center is dedicated to the study of the effect of nutrition on gene expression
and represents a 20,000 square foot expansion of the company’s existing research
facility.

The Nutrigenomics laboratory employs the latest technologies to
generate databases detailing the effects of nutrition on gene expression
profiles in the tissues of various species. The databases will be analyzed to
determine the health and performance status of livestock and the best
nutritional interventions for peak production potential.

“I, along with
everyone at Alltech, am very excited about the potential of this incredible
facility, the first of its kind anywhere in the world,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons,
president and founder of Alltech. “The ability to comprehend nutrition at the
most basic level – gene expression – really makes us stand apart and will give
us a much greater understanding of the nutritional needs of our
animals,”

In addition to Nutrigenomics, the facility will house the
company’s research initiatives at its global headquarters, including the study
of Functional Glycomics, Solid State Fermentation, Rumen Function and Ecology,
Aquaculture, Organic Trace Minerals and Biorefining. 

In coming
years, the facility is expected to require 40 additional research professionals
to be fully staffed. To help address this need, in 2007, Alltech formed a
partnership with the University of Kentucky (UK) to advance research in the
field of nutrigenomics. As part of this partnership, Alltech gaveUK a $900,000 grant that
will, in part, help to place faculty and staff from the College of Agriculture at the company’s Nutrigenomics
facility.

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Alltech