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Scientist wins national agricultural award5 November 2008
Pregnancy rates in artificially inseminated dairy cattle could soon improve, thanks to a young scientist's research. Dr Nancy D'Cruz from the Monash Institute of Medical Research received $20,000 at the Australian Agricultural Industries Young Innovators and Scientists Awards in Canberra to investigate the effect of cryopreservation, or sperm freezing, on dairy cattle embryos. More than half of all dairy cattle are artificially bred using frozen sperm. Dr D'Cruz's project will investigate how current cryopreservation methods can be improved to increase pregnancy rates and lead to more uniform growth of the calf. A 2002 report by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics estimated that the dairy industry would experience an $80 million profit if successful pregnancies increased by just five per cent. Dr D'Cruz has collaborated with the dairy industry for the last eight years. She was a member of the team that cloned Australia's first calf in 2000. "This is the first cryopreservation project I have worked on," Dr D'Cruz said. "The money I have received will enable me to expand this project, the results of which will hopefully lead to real improvements for Australian dairy farmers." For more information on the institute visit the Monash Institute of Medical Research website. |
