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Welsh researchers have been awarded nearly £1.2m in funding to develop a groundbreaking bovine tuberculosis (TB) detector that can deliver results in just one hour. In the UK, the widespread presence of TB in cattle has significant impacts on farmers’ livelihoods and overall well-being, with costs for surveillance and testing totaling approximately £100m annually.
Leading the project is Professor Les Baillie from Cardiff University, who emphasized the urgent need for improved diagnostic tools to detect TB infection in its early stages. Collaborating with experts from Aberystwyth University, the team aims to advance the development of a real-time test capable of identifying the pathogen in clinical and environmental samples with high accuracy.
Professor Nigel Copner from Aberystwyth University highlighted the potential of the new method to provide reliable results directly from on-site samples, potentially revolutionizing the management of pathogen outbreaks. The current tuberculin skin test and interferon-gamma blood test are the primary diagnostic tools for bovine TB in the UK, but they have limitations in sensitivity and accuracy, leaving infected animals undetected in the herd.
This project is part of a larger initiative funded by a UK Research and Innovation grant of £32.4m, supporting innovative and interdisciplinary research efforts to address pressing challenges in various fields.
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Maria Sanchez completed her Bachelor’s degree in Plant Sciences from the University of California, Davis, in the USA. Her studies focused on plant genetics and biotechnology, with an emphasis on developing disease-resistant crop varieties. Maria has contributed to several research projects aimed at improving crop resilience to climate change and is now pursuing her Master’s degree in Plant Breeding.
