University of Alberta professor, Michael Dyck has been awarded a $1-million grant for a project that will use genomics to select pigs with improved disease resilience.
The funding, which comes from Genome Canada, will build on the work the professor of animal biotechnology has done with funding from Genome Alberta and is being supported by PigGen Canada, a not-for-profit organization involved in Canadian swine genetics research.
The project involves validating promising disease resilience indicator traits and genomic tests in pigs that are exposed to pathogens in a controlled environment.
This is expected to increase the rate of genetic improvement in pig health by 30 per cent and increase the production of high-value pork products.
