UC Davis hosts International Milk Genomics and Human Health Symposium

DAVIS, Calif., Sept. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 100 international experts in milk nutrition, human health, genomics, lactation and computational scientists have gathered at the University of California, Davis to discuss the latest discoveries in milk and lactation at the 13^th International Symposium on Milk Genomics and Human Health. The symposium aims to foster scientific collaborations between milk science experts around the world and have real-world implications from dairy farmers to consumers.

Gregory "Butch" Dias, a California dairy farmer and chairman of the board at the California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF), opened the symposium with a welcome speech highlighting his involvement with the symposium through CDRF, from the very first symposium in 2004.

"You all know that I'm not a scientist, researcher or professor," Dias said, "I am a lifelong dairy farmer from California who invests in nutrition, health and genetics research through our state's check-off dollars. And your work is just as important and interesting to those of us working out in the field as it is for those of you working hard in your labs." 

Presented by the International Milk Genomics Consortium (IMGC), and managed by the California Dairy Research Foundation, the three-day conference convened Sept. 27 at the UC Davis Conference Center and will include topics from "How lactation decodes life sciences," to "Emerging hot topics in milk science, nutrition, and health." 

"We are very excited to host this international conference to discuss the exciting discoveries of science related to milk and lactation and to plan for their application and opportunities for renewed research," said co-chair of this year's symposium, Dr. Bruce German, professor of food science and director of the Foods for Health Institute at UC Davis.

Executive Director of the California Dairy Research Foundation, Dr. Gonca Pasin, honored the recipient of the Most Valuable Presentation of the 2015 IMGC Symposium, which was held last year in Sydney, Australia. She presented a certificate of award and $2,000 to Dr. Bing Wang, professor of physiology and nutrition at the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences of Charles Strut University in Sydney, Australia.

"This year's theme, Discoveries on how milk works for our gut, is incredibly timely as consumers become more and more health conscious," Pasin said, "The collaborative model of the IMGC symposium is a novel concept of showing how scientists from all over the world and from various disciplines can work together in unity to increase the value of milk from farm to stomach."

Premiere sponsors of the IMGC are: Arla Foods, California Dairy Research Foundation, Dairy Australia, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Danone Nutricia Research, and the Dutch Dairy Association.

For more information about the symposium, visit www.milkgenomics.org and follow @IMGCMedia on twitter. 

About the International Milk Genomics Consortium (IMGC): The mission of the IMGC is to provide a collaborative, interactive and pre-competitive platform for the scientific community and industry to accelerate the understanding of the biological processes underlying mammalian milk genomics and facilitate the transition of that knowledge into usable benefits for human health. For more information about the IMGC, visit www.milkgenomics.org.

About the California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF): CDRF is an independent nonprofit public benefit foundation whose mission is to lead and deliver the best research and science-based programs to support innovative and sustainable California and U.S. dairy industries. For more information about CDRF and the research it supports, visit www.cdrf.org

SOURCE California Dairy Research Foundation