April 23, 2008, Lexington, KY – As part of its continued expansion and commitment to excellence in research, global animal health company Alltech cut the ribbon on its Center for Animal Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition at its corporate headquarters on April 20, 2008. The first facility of its kind in the world, the center is dedicated to the study of the effect of nutrition on gene expression and represents a 20,000 square foot expansion of the company's existing research facility.
The Nutrigenomics laboratory employs the latest technologies to generate databases detailing the effects of nutrition on gene expression profiles in the tissues of various species. The databases will be analyzed to determine the health and performance status of livestock and the best nutritional interventions for peak production potential.
"I, along with everyone at Alltech, am very excited about the potential of this incredible facility, the first of its kind anywhere in the world," said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. "The ability to comprehend nutrition at the most basic level – gene expression – really makes us stand apart and will give us a much greater understanding of the nutritional needs of our animals,"
In addition to Nutrigenomics, the facility will house the company's research initiatives at its global headquarters, including the study of Functional Glycomics, Solid State Fermentation, Rumen Function and Ecology, Aquaculture, Organic Trace Minerals and Biorefining.
In coming years, the facility is expected to require 40 additional research professionals to be fully staffed. To help address this need, in 2007, Alltech formed a partnership with the University of Kentucky (UK) to advance research in the field of nutrigenomics. As part of this partnership, Alltech gave UK a $900,000 grant that will, in part, help to place faculty and staff from the College of Agriculture at the company's Nutrigenomics facility.
Alltech's mission is to improve animal health and performance by adding nutritional value to animal feed and, through this, enhance the performance of the animal and increase animal production. Since it was founded 28 years ago, the company has developed a strong regional presence throughout the world with 1,900 employees and a presence in 113 countries. For more information, visit www.alltech.com .
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