Li Receives Grant to Protect Against Poultry Diseases
The laboratory of BioE Assistant Professor JIahe Li received an industry grant from Eco Animal Science in the United Kingdom, one of the largest global animal health companies, to develop genetically modified probiotics against enteric diseases in poultry. Over the next couple of years, the lab will test its products in chickens, and expand into the field of agriculture and animal science, which is a manifestation of pursuing applied research using cellular molecular engineering principles. Animal pharma has been a rapidly growing industry to ensure food security for a global population of ~8 billion people. The market size of global animal health was estimated at US$ 39.9 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach US$ 43.3 billion in 2022. The market is largely driven by an increase in the incidence of zoonotic and food-borne diseases in the livestock industry globally. Importantly, enteric diseases account for annual multi-million-dollar economic losses to the animal industry due to reduced weight gain, mortality of young animals, and treatment costs.