Early pregnancy in the mare: mechanisms of immune recognition and novel assays for pregnancy testing

Mares suffer from high rates of early pregnancy loss and pregnancy testing is currently limited to ultrasound detection at 14 days gestation. This project seeks to better understand how pregnancy is established in the horse, and to develop a simple blood test for diagnosing pregnancy in the first week. The project will study how the immune system is involved in establishing pregnancy by looking at individual antibody-producing cells of pregnant mares. Biomarkers for pregnancy diagnosis previously identified will be worked up further to determine the best methods to detect them in a clinical setting, and to incorporate cutting edge assay technology that will ensure the assay is maximally sensitive. This will lead to increased breeding efficiency in the thoroughbred industry, and ultimately help develop clinical interventions to reduce the rate of early pregnancy loss.