University of Veterinary Medicine’s new Lab to Specialize in Food Chain Safety

The University of Veterinary Medicine has inaugurated a new laboratory for research on infectious animal diseases and antibiotic resistance in Budapest.

The new unit created in the framework of the National Laboratory Program is the “National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety,” which is a priority research and development initiative of national importance, reads the university’s statement. In response to an inquiry from MTI, they said that the new laboratory cost HUF 105 million (EUR 260,000) to build.

According to the statement,

the project aims to provide answers to the most pressing animal health problems, such as rapid detection of infectious animal diseases, the spread of antibiotic resistance and the maintenance of food chain safety, through multidisciplinary research.

This internationally significant development provides the opportunity to investigate and address global challenges with state-of-the-art scientific tools. A priority area of research in the lab is to investigate resistant strains of bacteria in animals and humans and develop strategies to curb their spread, while improving the safety of food of animal origin and minimizing public health risks, they said.

The new laboratory will serve as a research center and will have close links with national and international industrial and academic partners.

The direct market exploitation of research results is also a priority, and by the end of the project, several new innovative products and services are expected to have been developed,

contributing to the competitiveness of the sector. Innovations are expected to include vaccines to prevent infectious diseases and new products against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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