Binghamton Research Magazine - Spring/Summer 2012 - (Page 17)

“I TELL MY CLIENTS THAT THIS IS NOT A WAY TO BREED SUPERHORSES. WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS DECREASE THE NUMBER OF SUBSTANDARD HORSES THAT ARE PRODUCED.” — Steven Tammariello, biologist and founder of ThoroughGen Now it’s possible to boost the odds of getting a winner with a simple genetic test. ThoroughGen, founded by Binghamton biologist Steven Tammariello, performs genetic testing on horses. The company is one of four competing in the equine genetic-testing business. ThoroughGen offers a basic threegene test for Thoroughbreds at a cost of $175. It screens for one gene that is vital to energy production and two tied to muscle function. Energy production is linked to stamina, muscle twitch to speed. For an added fee, the company will check for additional genes associated with behavior and soundness, including bone density and heart size. The behavior genes indicate whether a horse is likely to be trainable, and soundness is a critical concern since some racehorses are prone to breakdown. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” says Tammariello, noting that the horse has some 21,000 genes. The business really takes off at horse sales, where potential buyers want to find out if they’re getting a horse with promise. ThoroughGen and its partner, Performance Genetics, deliver results overnight, a critical consideration at a horse sale where buyers have to make up their minds quickly. Tammariello carts a portable testing device to sales. “If I receive a sample by 4 p.m., I can give clients results the next morning,” he says. Just one strand of hair from the horse’s mane is all he needs. The field is so new that it’s still fighting pockets of resistance. “If someone comes to a sale expecting to sell their horse for $400,000, I can understand why they would be nervous that we might say the horse has a flaw,” Tammariello says. Still, for many breeders in the Thoroughbred industry, genetic testing is the future. And it’s the future for other breeds of horses as well, not just the racers. “If buyers want to find out what makes the strongest Belgians, we can do that,” Tammariello says. “I’ve been contacted by an Argentinean group that wants to figure out which gene variants are found in a top polo pony. We can look at any variation that anybody wants to look at, in any breed of horse.” Of course, the tests aren’t foolproof. The right genes don’t guarantee a winner; the wrong genes don’t guarantee a loser. But the tests do boost the odds of picking fast horses and avoiding slow ones. “Only a small percentage of horses overcome genetic flaws,” Tammariello says. Binghamton University • BINGHAMTON RESEARCH • Spring/Summer 2012 ! Genetic testing of Thoroughbreds could help breeders predict which pairings are likely to produce promising foals, thereby reducing the population of horses that aren’t fit for racing. 17

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Binghamton Research Magazine - Spring/Summer 2012

Binghamton Research Magazine - Spring/Summer 2012
Contents
About Binghamton Research
Welcome
Briefs
Digital defenders
Jockeying for genetic advantage
The unfiltered truth
Spring awakening
Wall Street watchdog
Principles of the universe demand principled engineers
Engineering and Science Building
Graduate research
Undergraduate research
A piece of the puzzle
Crossword puzzle

Binghamton Research Magazine - Spring/Summer 2012