Racing Australia Annual Report 2019

14 | RACING AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2019 EQUINE GENETICS RESEARCH CENTRE REPORT The EGRC has just completed its first full year of operation, having performed parentage testing for the Australian Stud Book since July 1 2018. Service to other breed associations including DNA profiling, parentage verification and genetic testing started in November. Most genetic testing performed is to detect carriers of specific genetic disorders. The numbers of tests performed in the first financial year of operation are shown below. The Centre has also developed the capability to profile DNA from substrates other than hair bulbs, including blood, semen, muscle and forensic samples. THE TEAM Director Dr Natasha Hamilton, Manager Dominique Dolgener and Technical Officers Ms Emalyn Batley and Ms Taelor Mackenzie were joined by Receipting Officer Ms Karen Dimmock in March of this year. The Centre also engaged further technical assistance from Mr Ben Sinnatamby and Ms Ceilidh Jenkins, both recent science graduates, during periods of high demand. Number of tests processed in the 2018-2019 financial year Australian Thoroughbreds – parentage verification 10,536 Imported Thoroughbreds – DNA profiled to confirm identity 855 Non-Thoroughbred – parentage verification 2,400 Non-Thoroughbred – diagnostic testing 2,927 Total DNA tests performed annually 16,718 *Other breed associations testing began in November 2018 THE RESEARCH In 2019 the EGRC once again achieved a perfect 100% accuracy score in the International Society of Animal Genetics Equine Comparison Tests. This translates to a Rank 1 rating to comply with the standards set by the International Stud Book Committee. RACING AUSTRALIA HAS ESTABLISHED THE EQUINE GENETICS RESEARCH CENTRE LOCATED IN SCONE NSW IN THE CENTRE OF ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER THOROUGHBRED HORSE BREEDING DISTRICTS. Dr Natasha Hamilton, EGRC Director The EGRC was awarded its first competitive Category 1 research grant from Agrifutures Australia in July 2019. This grant will support the EGRC’s efforts as the international leader in developing methods to detect gene doping and gene editing in Thoroughbreds. Other studies the Centre is involved with include investigating genetics underlying fertility traits in Thoroughbreds and the development of new genetic tests to identify markers for phenotypic traits. The EGRC also continues to be a contributing member of the International Equine Genome Mapping Workshop. Dr Natasha Hamilton presented an invited plenary on Thoroughbred genetics at the International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology in Lorne, November 2018. She also represented Racing Australia at meetings of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities Gene Doping Control Subcommittee. Manager Dominique Dolgener has presented to members of Equine Veterinarians Australia on the application of PCR based molecular diagnostics in equine science and pathology. The EGRC hosted a genetics workshop in March and have guided several smaller groups on tours of the laboratory. An educational seminar for representatives from the other breeds associations will be run later this year. Dr. Natasha Hamilton Equine Genetics Research Centre Director