Equimarker Joins Chase for Biomarker Research

by T.D. Thornton

In the wake of recent global doping scandals, a new Kentucky equine biotechnology firm is the latest entity to emerge with a potential answer to the sport's increasingly urgent calls for the development of biomarker testing.

EquiMarker Analytics Corporation of Petersburg, Kentucky, is working on what company officials claim is the world's first equine metabolome platform. The firm believes its methodology could eventually be used to dovetail with a version of the Equine Biological Passport (EBP), which is similar to the tool that the World Anti-Doping Agency uses to test and track elite-level human athletes.

The “metabolome” refers to chemicals in the biological organism that represent the products of metabolism. Every animal has a unique metabolic signature that can be identified by monitoring metabolite markers. In equines, metabolomes could be used to facilitate understanding of the specific traits of horses, providing precise measurements of the biological effects of training, nutrition, environment, medication or drugs.

“It's individualized medicine,” said Dr. Emily Plant, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Montana who is also a research specialist for EquiMarker. “It's a fingerprint for each horse. When we can access very micro-individual markers on top of existing methods, it will really expand what we're able to do. We call this the 'systems biology' approach.”

The EquiMarker methodology shares similarities with research that Dr. David Nash of Lexington, Kentucky, is undertaking to fuse illegal drug eradication with overall equine health optimization. In a Jan. 23 TDN story, Nash outlined his plans “to create a stand-alone, not-for-profit entity that is free to collaborate broadly around the world” via an EBP-like system.

EquiMarker differs in that the company is a for-profit firm that intends to draw upon the expertise of various specialists. The research is headed by University of Cincinnati scientists Dr. Paul Rosevear and Dr. Hamid Eghbalnia. Bloodstock agent Thomas Clark and TDN pedigree analyst Bill Oppenheim will serve as racing industry liaisons. Plant works with Oppenheim on Stallion Spectator Ratings, and she also has expertise pertaining to statistical studies within specific industries.

“I think the unique thing is the background of the people involved,” Plant said. “We're in this because we're horse people and we want to do the right thing, and we have the skills and abilities to make this happen.”
Because the company is just entering its launch phase, Plant said she could not disclose details about specific goods or services the company might have in the pipeline. But in general terms, she said “we want to have products that will be usable for the assessment and diagnosis for disease, performance assessment, and testing for drugs.”

Metabolomics is already considered “cutting edge” in human biomarker monitoring, Plant said. She explained how researchers already use this methodology in human athletes to obtain “a very detailed view” that encompasses training progress, disease prediction, and being able to spot biomarker-related “red flags” that signal doping abnormalities–even if tests don't yet exist for the drugs being used. 

“We'd like to be able essentially use those same theories as applied to horses,” Plant said. In order to do that, “basically, you triangulate different pieces of information.”

In a Thoroughbred, Plant said two sides of that fundamental triangle are already well known: A horse's genetics (based on pedigrees that can be traced back centuries) and its phenotype (which can be derived from speed and stamina data in performance records).

“And then when you add metabolomics and an individual look at how that system is performing, that's when you have this ability to triangulate and really do amazing things in medicine and performance,” Plant said. 

In its formative stage, Plant said EquiMarker will be concentrating on “constructing the metabolome,” which involves taking biomarker samples from a population of perhaps 600 to 1,000 horses to determine baseline values. 

“Then once you have the baseline, you can look at unusual or abnormal values,” Plant said.

Such a baseline could be a precursor to merging the EquiMarker research with the implementation of an EBP. 
“Right now [a baseline database] does not exist,” Plant said. “Nobody has done that before for horses. So we have to do that first before we can do anything else. The EBP will have to be supported by some sort of testing methodology that will allow you to detect changes from the norm.”

Plant said EquiMarker has had discussions with various industry organizations, but that she is not at liberty to discuss potential partnerships. Plant said the firm is cognizant of racing's reputation for supporting new technologies in theory while being unwilling or unable to come up with funding for them.

“It could be difficult,” Plant said. “I guess the only thing that I'd say is that this methodology can not only test for and deter cheaters, but lead to a healthier population if we have a better way to assess health and welfare. I think that the benefits are going to be so great for this that it's going to be worth [industry investment].”

Plant said EquiMarker will be forging ahead with its research while simultaneously trying to line up potential partners and customers.

“We going to start building the metabolome imminently and we believe that within the next year that we will have made significant progress,” Plant said. “We're starting this right away because the industry wanted this yesterday, and we wanted to provide it yesterday. So we're ready to move.”