April 24, 2007

Alltech pours US$900,000 for nutrigenomics study

Alltech has granted a US$900,000 fund to the University of Kentucky (UK) to study the effects of nutrition on genes in animals called nutrigenomics.

Alltech is building a US$20 million Centre for Animal Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition near the company's Kentucky location in Jessamine County to collaborate with UK on advanced research in nutrigenomics.

The Centre is scheduled to open in February 2008.

Founder and president of Alltech, Pearse Lyons explained nutrigenomics this way: "Genes are like lights. It's a question of finding the nutrients that will turn these genes up or turn them down." For example, he said, nutrigenomics would make it possible to know what it is in the genes of a thoroughbred horse that make it run faster. Once that is known, the appropriate nutrients can be added to the horse's feed to "ignite" the genes that affect a horse's speed.

The funds will be used for seminars and enable faculty and students in the UK College of Agriculture to do research in Alltech's new laboratory.