Drum Roll Please: EnviroPig to the Earths Rescue

Posted on April 8, 2010 by admin

Genetically Engineered â€˜EnviroPigâ€™ Waiting for Approval in US and Canada

Aaron Saenz

ShareIn the race to genetically engineer food that is tastier and cheaper, Canadaâ€™s University of Guelph is instead finding a way to produce meat that may be more environmentally friendly. For more than a decade the UoG has been developing the â€˜enviropigâ€˜, a genetically modified line of pigs that are better able to digest and process phosphorus. They are cheaper to feed because they do not require separate phosphorus food supplements, and they are better for the environment because they release up to 70% less phosphorus in their waste. Now in their eighth generation of enviropigs, the University of Guelph is still pursuing US FDA approval, and recently applied for the same from the Canadian Regulatory Agency. If successful, enviropigs could be the first transgenic meat to make a big impact on both pollution and your plate. Should the other billion or so pigs on the planet be nervous?

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World Health Day: WA Health labs expand to keep pace with statewide disease investigation demand

Posted on April 8, 2010 by admin

Groundbreaking today (World Health Day) marks start of constructionÂ forÂ *investigative * unit

Just in time for the One World, One Health Initiative

A construction project to help the state Public Health Laboratories meet the increasing demands of disease investigation began today at the facility in Shoreline. The project will improve efficiency, ensure safety for staff and the community, and bolster capacity for disease and environmental testing.

At the groundbreaking ceremony today, Secretary of Health Mary Selecky said the project will benefit all state residents. â€œWhether itâ€™s newborn screening, tracking a foodborne illness, testing for tuberculosis, or monitoring disease outbreaks like the H1N1 flu, our laboratories are on the forefront of infectious disease investigation and environmental testing and monitoring.â€

Selecky says the project is on time and within its budget. The groundbreaking starts construction after four years of planning. The addition provides more space for laboratory storage, receiving, and customer service. Selecky noted the event takes place during Public Health Week â€” a national recognition of the importance of the work of public health.

The Public Health Laboratories provide testing for public and private health organizations across the state. Testing is performed by nationally recognized scientists in the areas of communicable disease, shellfish testing, environmental monitoring, and newborn screening. More than five million tests are performed at the facility every year.

The Public Health Laboratories facility, built in 1985, is an important link in the public health system both in the state and the nation.