BREED Diagnostics

22/05/2025

Our very own Aleona Swegen upping the game for S***mSafe!

Introducing the first cohort of the Newcastle Permanent Innovation Accelerator Program! Meet The University of Newcastle, Australia and HMRI researchers tackling major health challenges:

⚪ Dr Anna Behler from HMRI's Brain Neuromodulation Research Program: Developing a tool to assess hearing through visual behaviour monitoring.

⚪ Dr Gabrielle Briggs from HMRI’s Injury and Trauma Research Program: Creating a rapid test for early sepsis detection.

⚪ Dr Kirsten Coupland from HMRI’s Heart and Stroke Research Program: Innovating a pharmacological method to induce hypothermia for stroke treatment.

⚪ Dr Aleona Swegen from HMRI's Infertility and Reproduction Research Program: Enhancing IVF success with a new s***m storage medium.

Launched as part of the $2 million Newcastle Permanent Innovation Partnership, this program offers funding, mentorship, and industry connections to turn groundbreaking research into real-world healthcare solutions.

Over 12 weeks, these four early-career researchers will engage in a personalised program, culminating in a demo day where they present to industry leaders and investors. Each participant will receive $20,000 to accelerate their project, with one researcher eligible for a prestigious $200,000 award.

Learn more about the Newcastle Permanent Innovation Accelerator Program and the inaugural cohort:
https://okt.to/GZmJ8z

27/03/2025

ISER XIII Flashback Monday! 🇧🇷🐎🧪

Isabel Catalina Vélez et al. presented their research, titled "Effect of a dietary antioxidant supplementation on semen characteristics of the Colombian horse."

Here’s a quick snapshot 📸:

📖 Background and study aim:
- Cooling equine semen increases reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage s***m membranes.
- This study evaluated whether an antioxidant-rich dietary supplement improves semen quality in Colombian Creole stallions.

💉 Methods:
- Six stallions (5–15 years) were collected three times per week for 20 weeks.
- They were randomly assigned to a control or supplemented group, receiving a mix of vitamins, amino acids, and minerals (Natural Fertility®).
- Semen was assessed for motility, morphology, acrosomal integrity, membrane function, ROS levels, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC).

📊 Results:
- Supplemented stallions' had higher s***m acrosome integrity (82.9% vs. 78.5%) and increased seminal plasma antioxidant capacity.
- S***m beat cross frequency was higher in supplemented stallions (36.7 Hz vs. 32.7 Hz).
- Individual responses varied—some stallions showed improved motility, while others had reduced motility.

📥 Take-home message:
- Antioxidant supplementation can enhance s***m quality and seminal plasma antioxidant capacity, but effects may vary between stallions.

Find the full abstract here: 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104620

27/03/2025

Attention Equine vets!

Go to beautiful NZ to learn OPU and then send your oocytes to us at the University of Newcastle for ICSI!

Attention vets! We are inviting expressions of interest for our OPU training course in July 2025. Please email embryos@equibreedart.com to secure your place:)

18/06/2024

A great PhD opportunity in bull reproduction in the UK!

01/05/2024

A great PhD position is available at the University of Bologna!

18/04/2024

This will be a great meeting! Get yourself to Fortaleza, Brazil!

17/04/2024

Look at the latest S***mSafe research!

Post-thaw storage of s***m in S***mSafe for up to 24 hours before AI using a fixed-time protocol 🙌

https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.14096?af=R

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Our paper is published in the Equine Vet Journal. This will revolutionize our frozen semen AI options! We can just AI mares with frozen semen at 9am now!

Kindly funded by New Zealand Equine Research Foundation

Attention vets! and www.nzerf.co.nz
MVS EquiBreed
Blue Blood Equine
Rangiora Vet Centre Equine
Cambridge Equine Hospital
Equus Veterinary Reproduction and Consultancy
Equestrian Sports NZ
BREED Diagnostics
VetEmbryo ApS
VDL Stud
Van Olst Horses
GFE Groupe France Élevage

08/04/2024

Another great flashback from ISER 2023 :)

🔬 ISER XIII Flashback Monday!🐴

Ariadna López and team present an innovative ex vivo model for fibrosis research using mare endometrial explants, marking a significant advancement in the study of equine endometrosis.

🧫 Study Insights:
- Healthy mare uteri, collected during the reproductive season, provided endometrial biopsies for this study. Researchers evaluated these explants for up to 96 hours, focusing on viability, RNA integrity, and expression of genes relevant to fibrosis.
- The model proved viable for up to 48 hours, with explants maintaining RNA and protein quality, alongside measurable gene expression.

📉 Findings:
- Viability and quality of RNA and proteins remained high for the first 48 hours but began to decline after 72 hours, underscoring the importance of this critical window for research.
- Expression of fibrosis-related genes showed meaningful patterns over time, offering insights into the process of fibrosis and potential treatment effects.

💡 Implications:
This model opens up new possibilities for testing anti-fibrotic treatments for mare endometrosis and offers a new lens through which to examine and combat equine endometrial fibrosis.

Find the whole abstract, titled 'Assessment of the viability and quality of equine endometrial explants as a potential ex vivo model for fibrosis research' here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080623005294

01/04/2024

12/03/2024

🌟 Exciting News Alert! 🌟

Get ready for some fantastic discounts! 🎉

We're thrilled to announce our exclusive discount plan:

🔹 $50 off for 4A members
🔹 $50 off for CBRA members
🔹 $50 off for ABRAA members
🔹 $50 off for participants from Latin American or developing countries*

Don't miss out on these amazing savings! Simply email us at cbra@cbra.org.br to request your discount coupon.

Visit the conference website at www.even3.com.br/4a2024