Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019).

Maternal antibodies are crucial in the protection of calves against a large number of neonatal diseases. Maternalx000D
transfer of antibodies is restricted to the uptake of colostrum in contrast to other animals that are capable ofx000D
placental transfer. Consequently, the concentrations of antibodies in colostrum is essential for the survival andx000D
well-being of the calves. Dairy producers have a choice of testing and storing high quality colostrum on farm orx000D
purchasing commercially available (e.g. Saskatoon Colostrum Company Ltd. (SSCL)) quality controlled freezex000D
dried colostrum.x000D
To produce uniform colostrum, SSCL needs to quantify the IgG levels of all the input colostrum batches and ofx000D
their end-product. Currently, they are using an in-house Radial Immuno Diffusion assay which is slow andx000D
labor intensive.x000D
In this project, we will adapt a novel total IgG assay to the needs and specification of SSCL's productionx000D
processes. The novel assay which is based on a split enzyme fused to immunoglobulin binding proteinx000D
domains. This assay has the advantage that no rinsing steps are required and that it has been previouslyx000D
demonstrated to correlate well with RID results. To eliminate any pipetting steps and thereby increasex000D
convenience and accuracy, the objectives of this project are to 1. Establish high through-put single step filterx000D
paper based colostrum IgG separation method compatible with the IgG quantification assay. 2. Compare andx000D
select the most practical and efficient version among different assay formats. 3. Production of all bioreagentsx000D
by a single E.coli strain.x000D
The projected reduction of sample processing and increased speed of test, will allow SSCL to significantlyx000D
ramp up its colostrum testing capacity. The low-cost materials, ease of production of the bio-reagents and thex000D
lack of need for specialised equipment, which will make this a very inexpensive test system. This will helpx000D
SSCL reduce the production costs and be more profitable and competitive.