RoboHog is a UK project that will be in focus during our hour-long discussion. One of the UK research team’s goals with this initiative is to see how microbial populations can be manipulated to influence disease outcomes, according to our panellist, Dr Katie McDermott.
She is a lecturer in sustainable livestock production and deputy director of the UK’s National Pig Center at the University of Leeds.
Studies to identify optimal feed conditions are often conducted directly on animals, which significantly limits the scope and scale of such research. Conducting laboratory-based studies could enable a broader range of experiments while addressing ethical concerns associated with the use of live animals. A team at the National Pig Centre and key industry partners are assessing whether RoboHog, a gut model, can bridge this gap effectively.
RoboHog consists of three interconnected zones, each controlled to replicate conditions within different sections of the pig gut.
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The first zone is supplied with a feed mimic, and products from this zone flow sequentially into the second and third zones. Each region develops its own distinct microbial population, mimicking the natural progression and function of the pig’s large intestine.
The project intends to showcase the capabilities of RoboHog through two studies.
The first study will investigate how supplements and nutrient regimes influence the health benefits provided by gut microbiota. By feeding RoboHog different feed compositions, the researchers will monitor microbial populations and assess indicators of nutritional benefit. This laboratory study will run in parallel with a study conducted on live pigs at the National Pig Centre, enabling the team to correlate findings between the two approaches.
The second study will demonstrate RoboHog’s utility in exploring the impact of pathogens on gut health and testing potential therapies. By introducing a pathogen, such as Salmonella, into the model, the scientists aim to investigate how microbial populations can be manipulated to influence disease outcomes. This work, they believe, has the potential to improve the understanding of gut health while reducing reliance on animal testing.
