28 March 2008
NZ innovation in dairy gender research leads the way
Auckland Company, Androgenix Limited has grabbed the attention of the world-wide livestock industry with its research
into gender identification of dairy cattle sperm.
Androgenix’s research, intends to enable dairy farmers to use female bearing sperm to breed for herd replacements from
their best milk producing cows.
The ability to select for gender has enormous value internationally in the livestock industries, particularly dairy, for
which there is an established artificial insemination market of US$2.4 billion p.a. in the OECD.
“It is exciting to see Androgenix now able to take this technology to the next phase”, says Brent Ogilvie, Director,
Pacific Channel Limited. “Androgenix is applying best practice medical research techniques to solve an issue of major
value to the dairy industry,” he says.
“ New Zealandis well known for its innovation and expertise in dairying. We are the world’s largest dairy exporter with
significant talent and resources focussed on the dairy industry,” says Mr Ogilvie.
Androgenix plans for its technology to be readily accessible to artificial insemination companies with an expected
significantly lower cost and higher
Androgenix plans to incorporate the technology into a single use sperm sex selection device that will provide multiple
benefits for the global dairying industry, especially the increased rate of genetic gain through breeding from the top
portion of a herd.
Androgenix was established in July 2006 to advance its research programme to identify sortable differences between X and
Y chromosome bearing sperm.
Pacific Channel will highlight the Androgenix case study at the NZBio 2008 Conference on Monday, 31 March from 4.00
p.m.to 5.30 p.m.The Business Partnering Forum AgBio session will cover key innovations from the private sector of New
Zealand’s agbiotechnology industry.
Pacific Channel, an Auckland based venture development and investment company specialising in technology and life
science-based industriesdevelopment has provided Mr Ogilvie’s management as part of its seed investment in Androgenix.
Pacific Channel has global affiliates, particularly in the USwhere it works with The Channel Group, LLC.
Mr Ogilvie, a former New Zealand Trade Commissioner to New Yorkand specialist in Life Sciences, is a Director of Pacific
Channel.
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