Gene Doping Workshop

Welcome and Greeting

Dear Delegates,

The development of veterinary sciences contributes to the health and welfare of racehorse, but also may create concerns of genetic doping as a new threat. In 2017, the Gene Doping Control Subcommittee was established at the IFHA to discuss the definition of gene therapy in the horse racing industry and the genetic doping for its misuse. In the AORC and ISBC, special committees were also established to confront the challenge of genetic doping and genetically modified racehorse concerns.

Moving forward, the development of methods to detect indiscriminate genetic manipulation are urgently needed. In this workshop, we invited two speakers, Drs. Ozawa and Baoutina, who are expert in the field of gene therapy and gene doping in human medicine and sport, respectively, to understand gene doping defined as “abuse/misuse of gene therapy” and to find out key aspects for gene doping detection.

We hope that this workshop will be an opportunity for participants to develop detection methods for gene doping.

Workshop Principles

Participants will understand:

  • - the increased risk of gene doping in racing industries
  • - what genetic doping is for us
    • gene doping to postnatal horses
    • genetically modified racehorses by genome editing of fertilized eggs
  • - detection methods of these genetic doping
  • - share the latest findings on gene doping

With a tour of the genetic laboratory to experience actual gene doping detection, participants will understand the expertise of analysts and which instruments are required for gene doping detection.

Success by any one of us is success for racing industries and all of us. Developing gene doping testing methods is a large undertaking. Therefore, cooperative and collaborative activities are essential to accomplish our goals. This workshop will provide a platform for connecting experts in various fields.

Dr. Kanichi Kusano and Dr. Teruaki Tozaki

Chairs of the Gene Doping Workshop

General Information

Conference planners and Organizers

Kanichi Kusano, PhD
Manager of Administrative Division, Racehorse Hospital Ritto Training Center,
Japan Racing Association, Japan
Chair, Gene Doping Control Subcommittee, IFHA
Teruaki Tozaki, Ph.D.
Technical Advisor, Genetic Analysis Department,
Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Japan
Member of the Gene Doping Control Subcommittee, IFHA

Sponsored by

  • Japan Racing Association

Supported by

  • International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) Gene Doping Control Subcommittee
  • Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AORC) Gene Doping ad-hoc committee
  • International Stud Book Committee (ISBC)

Organized Institute

  • Genetic Analysis Department, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Japan

Days

September 26 and 27, 2019

Conference Venue

Conference Room “Tatsuta Ⅰ” (6th Floor)
Utsunomiya Tobu Hotel Grande
5-12, Honmachi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi 320-0033, Japan

Program

Thursday, September 26 (Day 1)

Chairs: Dr. Kanichi Kusano and Dr. Teruaki Tozaki

  • Opening remark
    08:00
    Greeting from Chairs
  • Greeting
    08:05
    Greeting from Japan Racing Association
    08:10
    Greeting from Laboratory of Racing Chemistry
  • Plenary (Invited speakers)
    08:15
    Dr. Keiya Ozawa, Jichi Medical University, Japan
    Recent advances in gene therapy
    08:55
    Dr. Anna Baoutina, National Measurement Institute, Australia
    Gene doing detection: the final stretch
    09:35
    Break
  • General presentation
    09:50
    Dr. Kanichi Kusano, Racehorse Hospital Ritto Training Center, JRA, Japan
    IFHA gene doping control subcommittee UPDATE
    10:05
    Dr. Adam Cawley, Australian Racing Forensic Laboratory, Racing NSW, Australia
    Gene doping control in racing laboratories: AORC update
    10:20
    Dr. Natasha Hamilton, Equine Genetics Research Centre, Racing Australia, Australia
    Update on progress on the RA EGRC Gene Doping Detection program
    10:35
    Dr. Rohan Steel, Biological Research Unit, Racing Analytical Service Ltd. Australia
    Perspectives for gene doping in racehorses: detecting illicit laboratory activity
    10:50
    Dr. Mary A. Robinson, Biological Research Unit, Racing Analytical Service Ltd. USA
    Detection of Intra-articular Gene Therapy in Horses using Quantitative Real Time PCR in Synovial Fluid and Plasma
    11:05

    Dr. Teruaki Tozaki, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Japan
    Dr. Mio Kikuchi, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Japan
    Ms. Aoi Ohnuma, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Japan
    Dr. Taiichiro Ishige, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Japan

    Potential methods for detecting indiscriminate genetic manipulation in thoroughbred racehorses

    • General introduction
    • Droplet digital PCR detection of the erythropoietin transgene in horse plasma and urine for gene doping regulation
    • Multiple transgene detection using microfludic quantitative PCR from horse plasma for gene doping regulation
    • Whole genome sequencing of thoroughbred racehorses to detect genetically modified thoroughbred racehorses
    11:25
    General Discussion
  • Closing remark
    11:40
    Chairs

Friday, September 27 (Day 2)

Afternoon: Laboratory tour at the Laboratory of Racing Chemistry

Bus start: after the AORC scientific program or Lunch

Coordinated by the staff of Genetic analysis Department, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry

Genetic Analysis Department
  • Director: Dr. Shun-ichi Nagata
  • Senior Technical Advisor: Dr. Kei-ichi Hirota
  • Technical Advisor: Dr. Teruaki Tozaki
Genetic Analysis Section
  • Section Head: Dr. Hironaga Kakoi
  • Staff scientists:
    Dr. Mio Kikuchi
    Dr. Taichiro Ishige
  • Visiting Staff scientist:
    Ms. Aoi Ohnuma
  • Technical Assistants (Alphabetical order):
    Ms. Toshiko Ikeba
    Ms. Chieko Otsuka
    Ms. Tomomi Oya
    Ms. Harue Sato
    Ms. Hiroko Shimizu
    Ms. Noriko Tanaka

Contact:

Teruaki TOZAKI, Ph.D.

Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Japan

ttozaki@lrc.or.jp

gmd_iod02@or.knt.co.jp

Microfluidic real-time PCR

Multiplex real-time PCR detection of transgenes (screening tests)

Droplet digital PCR

Absolute Quantitative PCR detection of transgenes (confirming tests)

QX200TM AutoDG Droplet DigitalTM PCR System (Bio-Lad)

QX200TM Droplet Generator System (Bio-Lad)

(©2019 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved.)

https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-018-3815-6

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/10/3/243

Next Generation Sequencer & Bioinformatics analyses

Detection of genetically modified animals

Originally developed software

  • DopSeq: detection of inserted transgenes
  • Contradiction Counter: parentage verification at whole genome SNP and INDEL

(Collaborated with the Amelieff Corporation, http://amelieff.jp/english/)

A quadrupole-time-of-flight (Q-TOF) tandem mass spectrometer

Detection of therapeutic nucleotides

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