March 22, 2018

 

US start-up develops microbial solutions which "start with the cow and end with the cow"

 

 

 

Previously not available on a cost-effective scale, US start-up Ascus Biosciences has commercialised the science essential to understanding the specific functions and interactions among microbes within the rumen.

 

Integrating recent advances in genome sequencing with bioinformatics, Ascus calls its scientific approach "Endomicrobial Ecology", which fingerprints specific microbes naturally occurring within the gut and identifies how the microbes interact with one another and the gut environment to influence health and performance of livestock.

 

Galaxis is Ascus' lead product and will launch as early as the first half of 2018 in select international dairy markets.

 

"Using new tools previously not commercially viable, Endomicrobial Ecology has enabled us to discover a product which starts with the cow and ends with the cow," chief operations officer at Ascus, Dr. William Weldon, shares with eFeedLink.

 

For those familiar with the subject, how is Endomicrobial Ecology unique from conventional research into probiotics?

 

"For nearly all research into probiotics out there in the market, they originate from only a small number of species (of microbes) found outside the cow," explains Dr. Weldon. To help put things into perspective, Ascus has curated the largest dairy rumen microbe data set in the world to identify more than 50,000 microbial strains from more than 4,500 dairy cow rumen samples. Analysis of these samples allowed researchers to identify a core set of common microbial strains distinguishing high-performing dairy cows from their lesser-performing peers.

 

There are also a few layers to the proprietary Ascus discovery platform which are unique from conventional probiotics research. One, it measures the absolute abundance or actual number of various microbe cells, in contrast to only their relative abundance. Two, conventional research typically does not take into account the microbes which are active within the animal, whereas Endomicrobial Ecology studies which microbes are active at what time. Lastly, studying how microbial communities interact with one another and with the gut environment forms the fundamental and unique premise of Endomicrobial Ecology.

 

Dr. Weldon adds that the discovery platform goes beyond product. "We offer our product with a service called Endomicrobial Insights, where we help nutritionists and dairy producers better understand the rumen, including how management, nutritional and health practices impact the rumen environment."

 

While Ascus' current research focus is into improving digestibility and efficiency of dairy cows, getting more energy and nutrients from the diet, and improving milk yield and its components, Dr. Weldon also sees promise in discovering new benefits from Ascus' technology; for example, helping dairy cows cope with stressful periods such as during the transition phase.

 

Founded in 2015, Ascus is based in San Diego, California with commercial operations headquartered in Indianapolis.