News
Salmon study supports £200m innovation drive
An £8.5m project to boost health and welfare in farmed salmon is contributing to a sector in which innovation spend has surged to almost £200 million within a decade, according to an independent report.
Innovation has broadened across every major area of salmon farming, the review into the sector concludes.
Experts collaborate to develop research technologies
The Roslin Institute is to build on its expertise in developing laboratory-based models to reduce or replace the use of animals in research, where it is feasible to do so.
A collaborative initiative with three other leading veterinary research organisations aims to design and validate novel lab-based models for studying farm animal health and disease.
Genetics expert appointed next head of Roslin Institute
Professor John Hammond has been appointed the next Director of the Roslin Institute.
Professor Hammond, an expert in genetics, genomics, and immunology, is currently Director of Research at The Pirbright Institute. He is expected to take up his post at Roslin in May.
Hub to aid precision breeding of future farm animals
Edinburgh experts will receive almost £5 million to establish a new hub at the University’s Roslin Institute, based at the Easter Bush campus, to drive advances in engineering biology – a major innovation focus for the UK Government.
The hub will focus on research to identify and study small changes to DNA in animals to advance sustainable agriculture and control diseases.
Fat recycling mechanism could boost salmon health
Aquaculture experts, in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, University of Stirling and Benchmark Genetics, have identified a fat recycling process in Atlantic salmon cells that could help enable healthier feed strategies and improved disease resilience.
This process helps break down excess fat inside cells, and its discovery could play a major role in tackling the challenges of modern salmon diets.
Data-driven programme designed to tackle global challenges
A flexible new postgraduate programme designed to tackle global challenges through genetics and data skills will launch in September 2025, supported by a dedicated e-learning team and aimed at training the next generation of experts in a range of industries and academic fields.
Artificial intelligence supports pig welfare
A combination of tracking technology and social mapping that reveals how pigs build relationships over time could inform welfare strategies. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been combined with techniques to map animals’ interactions, to gain insights into pigs’ social relationships. Scientists at the Roslin Institute, in collaboration with industrial partners PIC and an international research team, examined how pigs associated with one another over time by using technology to analyse their proximity during social interactions.
Research events mark Moredun and Roslin partnership
Themed talks, discussion and guest lecture launch next phase of collaboration between neighbouring organisations within Midlothian Science Zone.
A programme of research-themed events has marked a new phase in a strategic collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and Moredun Research Institute.
Large-scale study focuses on fish health and welfare
An £8.5m, large-scale research partnership seeks to improve the welfare and productivity of farmed salmon in Scotland.
In a project led by the Roslin Institute partnered with the UK’s largest salmon farmer Mowi Scotland, experts will seek to understand how to limit the impact of chronic complex diseases, enabling better health and welfare.
Pig studies support ongoing Covid-19 research
Researchers from across the University of Edinburgh and Moredun Research Institute, are collaborating in a study of gene-edited pigs to better understand severe Covid-19, providing insights into disease progression and treatment development.