Story

Bob Sinclair, PhD, Molecular Biologist (left), prepares a tissue sample for analysis. Kirsten Dimmler, Bioinformatics Analyst (right), tracks a genetic variant through an extended pedigree.
Bob Sinclair, PhD, Molecular Biologist (left), prepares a tissue sample for analysis. Kirsten Dimmler, Bioinformatics Analyst (right), tracks a genetic variant through an extended pedigree.

They told us that we were crazy. They told us that we'd never find the genes. We're OK with that because we are changing the world with genetic testing for horses.

It all began in 2015 when a group of us looked for an opportunity in genomics. We didn't know that we'd end up focused on horses. But when we started, there were genetic tests for over five thousand inherited diseases in humans, but only sixteen in horses.

We started with a muscle wasting disease in Quarter Horses. We hoped that horse owners of the future wouldn't have to see their horses suffer and die of this, after breeders adopted the tests to guide their breeding programs.

Our science team isn't brilliant. Billions of dollars were spent on the Human Genome Project. We are just applying those results to horses. All living things are descended from a single common ancestor and use the same means of encoding genetic information. All mammals have the same set of genes, and something basic like muscle function is similar among mammals.

The muscle wasting disease in Quarter Horses turned out to be complex, with multiple genes involved. We have extended this work to other breeds to identify additional genes.

Our team is working hard to identify harmful genetic variants that keep horses from living long and healthy lives. But we can't change the world by ourselves. It takes horse owners, trainers, and breeders to be our partners. Together, we can be champions for these amazing animals.

We're EquiSeq. Join us!

Paul Szauter, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, presents EquiSeq at One Million Cups in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo credit: Jason Collin Photography.
Paul Szauter, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, presents EquiSeq at One Million Cups in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo credit: Jason Collin Photography.