NZ innovation in dairy gender research leads

28 March 2008

NZ innovation in dairy gender research leads the way

Auckland Company, Androgenix Limited has grabbed the attention of the world-wide livestock industry with its research into gender identification of dairy cattle sperm.

Androgenix’s research, intends to enable dairy farmers to use female bearing sperm to breed for herd replacements from their best milk producing cows.

The ability to select for gender has enormous value internationally in the livestock industries, particularly dairy, for which there is an established artificial insemination market of US$2.4 billion p.a. in the OECD.

“It is exciting to see Androgenix now able to take this technology to the next phase”, says Brent Ogilvie, Director, Pacific Channel Limited. “Androgenix is applying best practice medical research techniques to solve an issue of major value to the dairy industry,” he says.

“ New Zealandis well known for its innovation and expertise in dairying. We are the world’s largest dairy exporter with significant talent and resources focussed on the dairy industry,” says Mr Ogilvie.

Androgenix plans for its technology to be readily accessible to artificial insemination companies with an expected significantly lower cost and higher

Androgenix plans to incorporate the technology into a single use sperm sex selection device that will provide multiple benefits for the global dairying industry, especially the increased rate of genetic gain through breeding from the top portion of a herd.

Androgenix was established in July 2006 to advance its research programme to identify sortable differences between X and Y chromosome bearing sperm.  

Pacific Channel will highlight the Androgenix case study at the NZBio 2008 Conference on Monday, 31 March from 4.00 p.m.to 5.30 p.m.The Business Partnering Forum AgBio session will cover key innovations from the private sector of New Zealand’s agbiotechnology industry.

Pacific Channel, an Auckland based venture development and investment company specialising in technology and life science-based industriesdevelopment has provided Mr Ogilvie’s management as part of its seed investment in Androgenix. Pacific Channel has global affiliates, particularly in the USwhere it works with The Channel Group, LLC.

Mr Ogilvie, a former New Zealand Trade Commissioner to New Yorkand specialist in Life Sciences, is a Director of Pacific Channel.

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