M.I.A.
OPINION: The previous government spent too much during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite warnings from officials, according to a briefing released by the Treasury.
Hamilton-based Ruakura Technologies is developing a dairy-based natural product that it says has the potential to offer immediate short-term immune support against the virus causing Covid-19 disease.
The eventual product is intended to safeguard people in high-risk situations including events, frontline work, or during mass transportation such as on trains or flights.
Still in the early stages of development, a technical breakthrough captured as a provisional patent filing, means the product is getting ready for on-farm pilot-scale production of the immune milk-based active ingredient using selected animals.
Chief executive officer Dr Steve Hodgkinson says the product is positioned to meet a market need for science-backed immune support, particularlyy relevant considering the current pandemic.
"Beyong vaccines, PPE and social distancing, there are few options available for people wanting to reduce their personal risk of contracting Covid-19. We are working towards a product that can provide science-backed immune support," says Hodgkinson.
The science mimics nature in much the same way that a mother's milk protects the newborn.
The recent breakthrough, made in collaboration the University of Waikato, has centred around the design of coronavirus antigens that induce antibodies in ruminant milk that block virus binding to the receptor that allows entry to human cells.
The product is intended for immediate, short-term protection, so users would take a productive dose when entering a high-risk situation and receive protection for 3-4 hours. The product is different to a vaccine, which is slower to act, but provides longer term protection.
Hodgkinson says the freedom that the product could provide consumers is exciting, especially with so many Kiwis currently facing alert level restrictions. With the proof-of-concept phase complete, the time to market for the final product, which will likely be taken as an oral supplement or nasal spray, should be relatively short.
Hodgkinson says the potential application of the technology extend well beyond the current pandemic, with opportunities to provide immune support against other pathogens, such as norovirus, which regularly sweeps through close-quartered environments like cruise ships and retirement villages.
Notably, the research has been self-funded to date via a loan from Callaghan Innovation. Hodgkinson says, "we are looking for funders and partners who can help us move into pilot-scale production and launch a product next year".
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
OPINION: Dairy industry players are also falling by the wayside as the economic downturn bites around the country.
OPINION: Methane Science Accord, a farmer-led organisation advocating for zero tax on ruminant methane, will be quietly celebrating its first…