A University of Illinois alumna co-founded Hoofprint Biome, which develops enzymes to cut methane and improve digestion in cows
Kathryn Polkoff, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumna, has made cattle methane her mission as co-founder and CEO of biotech start-up Hoofprint Biome, which develops enzymes to reduce methane and improve digestive health in cows, The Dairy Site reports.
Polkoff, a scientist and entrepreneur, wants to tackle methane emissions from cattle, a significant contributor to global warming, and make livestock production more sustainable. In 2026 she received a Young Alumni Award from the University of Illinois Alumni Association.
From vet-school plans to biotechnology
Raised in Wilmette, Illinois, Polkoff started out as an undergraduate in the university’s Department of Animal Sciences. She first considered becoming a large-animal veterinarian, but took a job in the research lab of Professor Matthew Wheeler. She describes it as her first exposure to biotechnology, which, she says, «blew my mind».
She earned her bachelor’s degree in 2015, after three years, and stayed on for a master’s with Wheeler. Her research used CRISPR gene editing in beef and dairy cattle to address genetic defects, raise milk yield and adapt animals to tropical climates.
She also played middle blocker on the university volleyball team, which, she says, taught her lessons in leadership, communication and discipline.
Hoofprint Biome: enzymes against methane
After her master’s in 2017, Polkoff completed a PhD in Veterinary Biomedical Sciences at North Carolina State University (NCSU), where she teamed up with fellow PhD student Scott Collins, who worked on gene editing and enzyme and microbiome engineering, to found Hoofprint Biome.
«Methane from cattle is extraordinarily dependent on the microbiome in the gut,» she explains. The company aims to cut emissions while making livestock production more efficient and profitable, and says it has discovered enzymes that «eliminate methane and reshape the microbiome to be more beneficial for the cow».
With investor funding behind a research and development facility, the start-up now employs 12 people. It is scaling production of natural enzymes and probiotics through yeast fermentation, to be delivered as a feed additive that improves digestive health and feed efficiency.
«Our goal is to deliver these products to every cow in the world,» Polkoff says.
Illinois as the starting point
Polkoff credits Illinois for setting her on this path:
«At Illinois, I spent a lot of time thinking about how we could use biotechnology to improve livestock production, and that’s the core of what I’m doing now.»
Advice for students
Her advice is to «say yes to new opportunities and let go of what you don’t love».
Had she turned down research because she was set on vet school, she says, she would have missed the chance to grow.
Likewise, she once expected to become a professor, and the idea of starting a company seemed «crazy» at first, but building Hoofprint Biome from scratch proved a unique experience.
Source: The Dairy Site
