AAD technology represents a significant advance for control of mastitis because it allows early identification of infected quarters, or glands, immediately after calving, when the highest incidence of mastitis occurs. With AAD’s highly accurate, rapid on-farm test that works on colostrum, infected cows can be treated immediately and clear the withdrawal period before they’re turned into the milking herd. Early treatment ensures that cows start the lactation cycle healthy, minimizes long-term gland damage that reduces milk production and eliminates the high cost of discarded milk and treatment during lactation.
More effective and efficient mastitis diagnosis tools will also be an important resource for dairy farmers in the industry’s efforts to lower overall somatic cell counts (SCC) at the individual dairy level.
“AAD’s technologies are both revolutionary and effective because they rely on the body’s own immune system to detect early infection,” said Rudy Rodriguez, founder and chief scientific officer of AAD. “The technology analyzes white blood cells to interpret what first-responders in the immune system are doing. This allows us to identify an infection much earlier and more accurately than ever before.”
AAD was founded in 2001 and started with a USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. It received funding from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center including a Collaborative Funding Grant for research at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The company previously raised a $1.1 million Series A round of funding from private investors.
About Advanced Animal Diagnostics
Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD) is an innovative company designed to enhance the profitability of livestock production and ensure a safe, abundant supply of animal protein by developing highly accurate, rapid diagnostics to detect and manage disease states, reproductive, nutritional and overall health status of production animals. The firm’s first product is a rapid, on-farm diagnostic test for earlier, more accurate detection of mastitis in dairy cows. For more information about Advanced Animal Diagnostics, please visit www.aadiagnostics.com.
About Intersouth Partners
Intersouth Partners is one of the most active and experienced early-stage venture funds in the country, having invested in almost 100 private companies over the last two decades. Founded in 1985, Intersouth Partners manages more than $780 million in seven venture capital limited partnerships, making it the largest venture capital fund in North Carolina and one of the largest in the Southeast. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Intersouth Partners seeks a broad range of seed and early-stage investment opportunities throughout the Southeast, focusing on the technology and life sciences sectors. For more information, please visit www.intersouth.com or follow the firm at @intersouth.
About Novartis Venture Funds
Established in 1996, the Novartis Venture Fund currently manages over $650 million in committed capital and is invested globally in more than 60 private life sciences companies across therapeutics, vaccines, devices and diagnostics. As a financially driven corporate life science investor, the Novartis Venture Fund invests in those companies which have the potential to lead the next innovation wave in new areas that will be critical to patient care. The Novartis Venture Fund team of nine investment professionals located in Basel, Switzerland, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, brings together extensive expertise in drug development, medical devices and venture capital. www.venturefund.novartis.com
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