Completed this April, the Westgen Research Suite is one of two open-plan laboratories in the veterinary college's new $8-million research wing. The first scientists stationed in the Westgen Research Suite will focus on advancing reproductive techniques in cattle, swine, horses, and other livestock species.

Westgen, Western Canada's Genetics Centre, contributed $640,000 toward the research suite's construction. Based in Milner, B.C., the producer-owned, non-profit society has promoted the development and use of assisted reproduction in Western Canada's beef and dairy industries since 1944.

"Innovative research in animal reproduction techniques is fundamental to our members' future - and to the future of Canada's entire livestock industry," says Tim Hofstra, former president and a current director of Westgen as well as a dairy farmer from Millet, Alta. "Discoveries made in this lab will directly influence the way our members continue to raise cattle whose genetics meet and exceed international standards for fertility, production and overall health."

In the past three decades, WCVM scientists have pioneered new techniques in artificial insemination, spermatology, and embryo transfer for use in livestock. College researchers have won international recognition for groundbreaking studies of ovarian follicle development and the regulation of reproductive cycles.

"The wide range of resources available in the new Westgen Research Suite and in the entire research wing will allow our scientists to continue making major improvements in areas such as assisted reproduction and the cryopreservation of reproductive cells and tissues," says Dr. Charles Rhodes, dean of WCVM.

The Westgen Research Suite will also serve as a focal point for the Canadian Animal Genetic Resources Centre - an animal genetics conservation initiative supported by WCVM, the U of S College of Agriculture and Bioresources, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). This program focuses on preserving the diversity of genetics in Canadian farm livestock and investigating new methods to support these efforts.

The Westgen Research Suite includes a multi-user laboratory, cell culture rooms, storage space for liquid nitrogen and a cold room. Reproductive scientists also have access to a second laboratory that serves as the veterinary college's centre of expertise for molecular, cellular and immunological techniques. Both laboratories are equipped with more than $1.5 million in specialized equipment.

The entire research wing provides WCVM with 1,468 square metres of new space that meets Level 2 containment specifications for biosecurity. This federal classification allows researchers and laboratory workers to work with moderately hazardous agents, such as pathogens that cause food poisoning. The research facility also includes offices for more than a dozen faculty members and visiting scientists, work space for graduate students, and a central meeting area for WCVM's research community.

WCVM's new research facility is part of the college's four-year, $57-million expansion and renovation that passed the halfway mark in April 2007. The multi-phase infrastructure project will equip the veterinary college for the future challenges and demands in veterinary medicine, food safety and public health.

WCVM (www.wcvm.com) is a Canadian centre for veterinary education, expertise and research that's located on the U of S campus. More than 400 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled at the regional college that annually attracts more than $10 million in research funding from public and private sources.

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For more information, contact:

Dr. Charles Rhodes, Dean
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
Telephone: 306-966-7448
charles.rhodes@usask.ca

David Janssens, President
Westgen, Western Canada's Genetics Centre
Telephone: 604-530-1141 (After September 20)
www.westgen.com

Myrna MacDonald
Communications
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
306-225-4479
Cell: 306-291-9950
sm.ridley@sasktel.net