Engaging farmers and implementation stakeholders: Host Pillar shares cohort study insights

On July 25th, 2024, the Host Pillar successfully concluded its cohort study, which involved 2,500 pigs from a Danish commercial farm. This milestone marks a major achievement for PIG-PARADIGM. On September 18th, the Host Pillar team at the University of Copenhagen invited farm owners, workers, and key representatives from SEGES to hear about the goals, initial outcomes, and potential impacts of the study.

On July 25th, 2024, the Host Pillar successfully concluded its cohort study, which involved 2,500 pigs from a Danish commercial farm. This milestone marks a major achievement for PIG-PARADIGM. On September 18th, the Host Pillar team at the University of Copenhagen invited farm owners, workers, and key representatives from SEGES to hear about the goals, initial outcomes, and potential impacts of the study. 

Since the study began in March 2023, many dedicated project participants at the University of Copenhagen have invested significant time and effort into coordination, daily observations, analysis, and data processing. Within PIG-PARADIGM, the Host Pillar focuses on a comprehensive clinical and pathological characterization of intestinal health in this cohort. This research aims to differentiate unequivocally between the phenotype of the robust pig and the non-robust pig, filling the knowledge gap on how host-microbiome interactions impact resilience against intestinal diseases.

As majority of our research is conducted within academic institutions, our team recognizes the importance of maintaining strong connections with farmers and other stakeholders at the practical implementation end. This workshop fostered a deeper understanding between researchers and farmers, facilitating active dialogue and collaboration. We look forward to continuing this close collaboration as we move forward with the next phases of the project.