Grants and Contributions:

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

Currently, antibiotics are widely used to prevent and control disease and infections in farm animals such as pigsx000D
and cows. However, the continued use of antibiotics in animals meant for human consumption can cause thex000D
growth of bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics. These harmful bacteria can also be passed on to humansx000D
via the food chain. Health Canada is moving to phase out the use of some antibiotics in the animal industry tox000D
limit the danger posed to the public by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meat and other animal products.x000D
Therefore, new, safe and efficient strategies are needed to improve overall immunity and general health ofx000D
livestock by preventing disease/infection without the use of antibiotics. MySteM Biotechnologies Inc.x000D
(MySteMBiotech) is developing a new product composed of cells from the milk of pigs and cows that can bex000D
used instead of antibiotics. The source of the cells is the colostrum, the "first milk" released during the fewx000D
days within the time the animals give birth. While it is widely known that colostrum is rich in antibodies, theirx000D
preliminary results show that it also contains a special type of cells called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).x000D
These cells have the ability to boost the body's protective response against microorganisms that can causex000D
disease. The company has successfully isolated these cells from pig and cow colostrum and grown them inx000D
culture to increase their numbers. They have also shown that these cells have the ability to wipe out bacteria inx000D
culture. Our expertise in the field of long-term storage of live cells and tissues will address the company's needx000D
for strategies to freeze the cells so they can be kept alive for future use and in a form that can be readily andx000D
safely given to farm animals. The enabling and innovative technology that is anticipated to result from thisx000D
study represents a natural and economic approach to enhance the health of Canada's livestock and boost ourx000D
agriculture and agri-food industry.