Significant research has been done to reduce operating costs and improve dairy industry efficiency. Unfortunately, little progress has been made to improve one of the most costly areas, reproductive efficiency. Approximately 7 million U.S. dairy cows are bred through artificial insemination at a pregnancy rate of about 15%. This low rate is primarily caused by the inability to detect behavioral estrus and predict time of ovulation using currently available monitoring and testing procedures. Our ovulation prediction marker (OPM) cowside test, will more than double current pregnancy rates. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I program will confirm the existence of a detectable biological ovulation prediction marker in the milk of lactating dairy cows. Our previous research has demonstrated the existence of OPM in rat milk. In subsequent work, paired monoclonal antibodies to the isolated OPM will be generated to develop user-friendly, cowside, OPM immunochromatographic test strips (much like a home pregnancy test). This test will be used during normal milking operations to improve ovulation prediction and conception rates and thus will result in reduced operating costs and increased profits for dairy producers.
Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research:: U.S. dairy industry losses resulting from low pregnancy rates are estimated at more than $1 billion per year. Our proposed cowside OPM test will significantly reduce these industry losses by filling the unmet need with a rapid and reliable method for estrus detection and ovulation prediction. We forecast use of our OPM test will increase the accuracy of ovulation prediction to near 100% levels and significantly increase conception rates, thus, more than doubling the current pregnancy rates and saving producers $100's of millions per year in operating costs and lost profits.
