MI:RNA Ltd and SRUC Research awarded Innovate UK funding to tackle Johne’s disease in cattle
Having successfully launched their first test in September 2021, Scottish spin out company MI:RNA Ltd, in collaboration with SRUC Research, now have their sights set on adapting their ground breaking technology for early detection of Johne’s disease in cattle, a significant challenge for the agricultural industry.
This prestigious funding has been awarded through the Farming Innovation Pathways Programme, one of the new measures set out in the Government’s Agricultural Transition Plan, which will support ambitious projects to transform productivity and enhance environmental sustainability in the UK’s agricultural and horticultural sectors, whilst driving the sectors towards net zero.
Johne’s disease is an endemic, production limiting disease that raises serious animal welfare concerns and makes the agricultural sector less sustainable. There is a direct link between GHG emission intensities and animal health, and the sector is under pressure to increase productivity whilst attaining a carbon neutral model.
MI:RNA Ltd are the rising stars of the veterinary biotech sector. With an ambitious team, a revolutionary testing technology and a bespoke Artificial Intelligence model, they are already trading with their first test, for heart disease in dogs and cats. The company plan to be a multispecies, multiproduct, international brand within 24 months.
CEO, Dr Eve Hanks, is a veterinary surgeon with a background in farm animal clinical work. She is responsible for the conception, development and implementation of this novel testing technology and is incredibly excited about the potential applications. “The Johne’s project could provide a solution to an ongoing problem with a cascade of ethical, environmental and economic benefits. For example, by eradicating Johne’s disease we would see a CO2 emissions reduction equivalent to taking 160,000 passenger vehicles off the road each year in Scotland alone. The agricultural sector is often overlooked when it comes to emissions, but when you scale this up, it could make a huge difference.”
Non-Executive Director, Kasi McReddie, has worked in the dairy farming sector for 13 years and has a working background in agricultural innovation. “Building an achievable, long-term strategy for controlling Johne’s disease should include a robust testing regime, with a plan built in to deal with individual animals based on their results. Johne’s disease can go undiagnosed for years before an infected animal becomes ill. The single largest problem in Johne's disease control is the difficulty of detecting infected animals that are not showing signs of illness. The MI:RNA early detection method holds the potential to become a reliable and affordable tool for vets and farmers to diagnose Johne’s before it can be further spread throughout the herd, and before it causes significant losses for the business. The animal welfare & environmental impacts of early detection could be massive.”
The team at MI:RNA are looking forward to a bright future.
For further information on the company’s journey, visit their website: