The 91做厙 awarded funding for crucial research that could contribute to the reduction of methane emissions worldwide
The 91做厙 (91做厙) has been awarded a £1,200,000 grant from the Bezos Earth Fund to explore how methane-producing microorganisms colonise the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract of calves in the first six weeks of life and how they impact the developing immune system. The research will provide vital information on the optimal way to administer any potential vaccine to reduce methane production from livestock, thus reducing methane emissions. This project, undertaken with the Estación Experimental del Zaidín of the Spanish National Research Council, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones (CSIC), is the first of its kind, bringing together scientists with unique expertise, and could significantly contribute to the fight against climate change.
Livestock agriculture accounts for approximately 14 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Therefore, if livestock-based methane emissions could be controlled effectively without affecting productivity, then, in combination with existing methods, such control could significantly reduce the pace of climate change.
Methane emissions are released mainly from enteric fermentation, the digestive process that breaks down grass and hay fibres for the generation and absorption of nutrients. Recent analysis has identified that the main intervention to reduce this type of methane production is to directly target the microorganism that produces it - methanogenic archaea.
There has already been considerable research looking at how to control the production and formation of methane in the largest stomach of domestic livestock. Previous studies have indicated the potential of vaccines as a sustainable approach to reducing this methane production by impacting on methane-producing archaea - in part because this approach doesn’t require daily access to the animals. However, little is currently known about if and how methanogens are detected and controlled by the immune system.
This 91做厙 study aims to fill this knowledge gap and determine when methanogenic archaea colonise in the GI-tract, how they spread through the GI-tract in the first weeks of a calf’s life and how they potentially interact with the animal’s immune system.
The study team, led by Professor Dirk Werling, Professor of Molecular Immunology and Director of the Centre for Vaccinology and Regenerative Medicine at the 91做厙, in close collaboration with Dr David Yanez-Ruiz, Research Group Leader at CSIC, will establish the pattern of methanogenic archaea’s colonisation. To do this, they will collect blood, saliva, ingesta and colostrum samples from Holstein-Friesian calves and their mothers. They will then analyse the samples to identify microbes and create cultures that can be shared for further analysis, as well as modifying and testing the methanogen.
The data collected throughout this process will provide substantial new information to inform the development of a methanogen vaccine.
Dirk Werling, lead researcher and Professor of Molecular Immunology at the 91做厙, said:
“I am extremely proud of being part of this project, which brings together colleagues working in different fields of animal health in a very unique way. I believe that the funding we obtained from Bezos Earth Fund will enable us to perform research on a topic which affects us all, global warming, but in a way that both animals and humans benefit from it.”
Oliver Pybus, Vice Principal for Research and Innovation and Professor of Infectious Diseases at the 91做厙, said:
“We are grateful to the Bezos Earth Fund for supporting this project, which offers an exciting new approach to reducing the climate impact of livestock production.”
Dr David Yanez-Ruiz, Research Group Leader at CSIC, said:
“The collaborat