Nestlé Purina PetCare is financing a five-year, $2 million partnership with Texas A&M University to promote pet microbiome research.
The company also launched the Purina PetCare Endowed Chair for Microbiome Research at Texas A&M’s Veterinary Gastrointestinal Laboratory. The chair was awarded to veterinarian Dr. Jan Suchodolski, a professor and head of microbiome science at the lab.
“We believe the research projects and training made possible through our Research Excellence Fund and the newly endowed chair at the GI laboratory will shape a future where the veterinary profession has safe, novel tools to diagnose and nutritionally manage a range of pet health conditions that result from microbiome imbalance,” said Purina Senior Vice President Sheri Smithey.
Scientists have learned a great deal about the intestinal microbiome and its role in long-term pet health, Dr. Suchodolski said.
“We look forward to seeing how learnings such as these will help us discover new strategies for veterinarians to use in our approach to the management of patients with chronic GI disease and other conditions believed to be associated with dysbiosis,” he said.
The researchers also are studying probiotic and prebiotic supplementation and dietary interventions in pets with inflammatory bowel disease, obesity and diabetes mellitus.
Dr. Suchodolski’s team’s previous work involving microbiome changes after fecal microbiota transplantation led to the development of a rapid test for assessing the canine and feline microbiota. The Canine and Feline Microbiota Dysbiosis Index is the only analytically validated assay to assess the fecal microbiome and has been used in published clinical studies.