Health and Behavior

Breeding pigs that are resilient and thrive 

The Health and Behavior Platform investigates the genetic basis of disease resilience, structural health, and animal behavior in modern production systems. By combining data collected in commercial environments, large-scale phenotyping, and advanced analytical approaches, the platform develops traits that reflect how pigs perform under biological and social stressors. 

Sensor systems and automated video phenotyping enable objective and continuous measurement of traits such as stress, behavior, social interactions, and maternal ability. These data are translated into phenotypes that can be used directly in genetic evaluation. 

For health traits, the platform uses approaches such as data from challenging environments, evaluation of biomarkers as potential proxies for resilience, investigation of host-pathogen interactions, and exploration of new tools for phenotyping responses to infection.