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Behind the scenes with M.Sc. candidate Emily Knapper
Research Roundup Winter 2025
Tell us about your background and what brought you to the University of Guelph!
I grew up in the outskirts of London, Ontario. I have continuously followed opportunities exploring animal sciences, ultimately leading me to the University of Guelph to pursue the path towards veterinary medicine. I was certain I wanted to work with companion animals until I connected with the incredible ruminant teams in the Department of Animal Biosciences. This is where I knew that working within research to solve complex animal science problems for cattle would be part of my career. I was incredibly lucky to have been mentored and inspired by some fantastic individuals within the department, ultimately fostering my transition into the lab of Dr. Marcio Duarte for my M.Sc. I’m thrilled to be part of the innovative research for Beef@Guelph. So far it has been such an exciting and rewarding journey!
What is your research focusing on, can you give us a summary?
The cow-calf operation is the backbone of our beef industry, playing a critical role in ensuring sustainability by producing healthy and productive calves. The objective of my research is to further understand gestational nutrition of beef cows and how it impacts neonate development. Specifically, my project investigates the supplementation of chromium-propionate, and its effect on the maternal metabolic profile, and offspring skeletal muscle development. For this study, we followed 100 late-gestation Angus beef cows until parturition, collecting data on body weight, muscle and fat deposition (by ultrasound), and blood metabolites. At birth, we collected a colostrum sample from the mother, as well as maternal and calf blood for metabolic profiling. Additionally, we collected calf muscle tissue between 2-10 days of age, to further evaluate the expression of genes and proteins associated with myogenesis and adipogenesis in skeletal muscle.
What is chromium, and how is it expected to affect the maternal metabolic profile and offspring muscle development?
Chromium is a trace mineral that can be supplemented in its bioavailable form, chromium-propionate. Chromium plays a key role in the body by helping insulin transport glucose into cells where it can be utilized for energy. Previous research has shown that chromium can enhance glucose uptake, particularly in muscle cells. This leads us to believe that if we feed this supplement during the most energy-intensive period of pregnancy, late-gestation, we could potentially see an influence on how energy is utilized in the body for both the mother and calf. We expect that increasing cellular energy availability in late-gestation cows will improve their metabolic profile and overall energy status. Additionally, we hypothesize that this enhanced energy balance in the mother will positively influence calf muscle development, ultimately improving offspring performance from birth to weaning.
What is your goal after completing this degree?
After my master’s, I would like to get some further experience working within the ag industry. I am really interested to work in positions related to ruminant nutrition, research and development, or consulting.
Ultimately, I do see myself returning to research for a PhD. I feel like there is so much to learn and contribute within this type of animal science, that I would be too excited not to pursue!
What are your funding sources for this project?
This project's funding sources are generously provided by Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness (OMAFA), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Is there anyone else working with you on this project?
I would like to thank my research team (Dr. Marcio Duarte, Dr. Walmir Silva, Dr. Luiza Vitarelli, Sarah Dean, Dr. Ivan Avalos Rosario, Dr. Nick Serao, Dr. Elliot Neto, Minga Jiang, Zitling Li, and Victoria Scallen), along with my advisory committee (Dr. Mike Steele and Dr. Katie Wood), for their committed assistance and involvement throughout various stages of this project. A very big thank you also goes out to the Ontario Beef Research Center (OBRC) staff for their support throughout this very big animal trial!
