SABRE: Cutting Edge Genomics for Sustainable Animal Breeding
Animal breeders have made considerable progress in recent decades in improving the economic efficiency of food production. However, animal breeding has become more complex with breeders needing to broaden their breeding objectives to improve a wide range of traits, such as product quality, welfare related fitness traits and disease resistance. Many of these traits are difficult to measure and this is where the science of genomics is valuable. Through research such as the SABRE project, we are beginning to unravel which genes and alleles are important to explaining the genetic component of these new selection traits. ‘Sustainable Animal BREeding’ is the main focus of the SABRE Integrated Research Project.
SABRE will provide the fundamental knowledge of the genomics and epigenetics of animal health, food safety and food quality traits of livestock species, together with the strategies to deliver such technologies for use in selection. Our overall strategy is to combine the power of gene mapping technologies, gene expression studies in target tissues and modern bioinformatics tools with available and expanded genome sequences, to determine the origin of genetic variation in key traits in important livestock species. These new breeding strategies will help industry improve animal health and welfare, adopt lower chemical and energy inputs, reduce livestock waste and pollution, produce safer and better quality foods whilst maintaining biodiversity and economic sustainability.
Roslin Institute was one of the founding partners of SABRE and is a member of the management board. We participate in many of the research areas in SABRE including development of analytical methods and software and the study of the genetics of mastitis resistance, egg shell quality, boar taint and immunity genes in poultry.
Further information can be found at: SABRE