Every breath tells a story, and Agscent is using space-age, AI-enabled breath sensors to tell it by reinventing livestock diagnostics.
With reproduction the key to primary and dairy producer profitability, Agscent’s first focus has been reproduction. They discovered a way to analyse the breath of a cow and objectively and accurately predict pregnancy from day 18 in about 30 seconds using breath analysis nano-sensors from NASA.
This non-invasive, efficient and accurate diagnostic tool, the Agscent Breath: Pregnancy, allows producers to carry out pregnancy testing when it suits them, safely and accurately, without the need to rely on a veterinarian.
This will result in increased productivity gains and improved animal welfare.
Detecting animal pregnancy with breath analysis nano-sensors
The test can identify specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath, which can distinguish pregnant (wet) cows from not pregnant (dry) cows from day 18 post-insemination.
These breath analysis nano-sensors are non-invasive as they conduct an accurate analysis of a cow’s breath to determine pregnancy, eliminating the need for traditional palpation methods and the associated risks to both the cow and calf.
Agscent is also undertaking further research and development of its core technology on broader applications to pigs and sheep, with the potential to apply this to detect diseases such as bovine respiratory disease. Agscent is currently working to raise funds to bring this product to market.
Why breath biopsy?
The emerging area of science known as breathomics (breath biopsy) is increasingly used in medicine to diagnose patients presenting with various diseases.
Agscent is applying the lessons of human medicine to breath diagnosis in its nano-sensors, principally for livestock and farming animals.
The portable and user-friendly breath biopsy nano-sensors are also cost-effective. They’re designed to be used on farms by farmers, reducing the need to employ a vet for traditional pregnancy testing procedures.
Methane monitoring for a healthy farm life
Agscent’s second product, Agscent Air, puts the measurement of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the hands of farmers.
This transportable and flexible mobile unit works for individual or group measurement providing raw continuous data.
This sensor unit can be used indoors and outside, measures methane and carbon dioxide continually, and can be used for both individual and group measurements.
Reducing methane is the emergency break on climate change, is up to 30% heritable, and is wasted energy.
Therefore, measuring methane gives farmers additional data to make better and more cost-efficient feed efficiency and methane reducing decisions.
Agscent’s achievements
Agscent is a bio/agritech company founded on a farm in regional NSW, Australia. The company’s vision is for a world where farmed animals are healthy and live without stress or pain.
The company has achieved several successes so far, including:
- Created a data-rich platform technology that holds biodata for pregnancy, disease diagnostics, and methane emissions for many species globally.
- Commercialised a range of biotech point-of-care animal health solutions addressing big global problems using the same core technology for multiple diagnostic solutions for many different livestock animals at point-of-care.
- Turned industry and trial partners into customers (producers and vets) at every step of the way.
