ASSISTED reproduction technologies are now at the forefront of top-level sport horse production.
Next week’s Equine Reproduction Symposium at the Cliff at Lyons will see a world class panel of Irish and international speakers come together to discuss the cutting edge in each respective reproductive discipline.
There will be three sessions delivering the latest information to maximise breeding success in sport horses with particular focus on assisted reproductive technologies such as embryo transfer (ET), ovum pick up (OPU), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), cloning and egg freezing.
The Cliff at Lyons provides quality hospitality and fine dining as the backdrop for this exciting event.
Katrin Hinrichs DVM PhD DACT
Dr Katrin Hinrichs is a professor and Patsy Link Chair in mare reproductive studies at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Texas A&M University. Dr Hinrichs has pioneered research into equine assisted reproduction, producing the first cloned horse in North America and developing the first successful programme for equine ICSI and in vitro embryo production in the US.
Her research has led to new methods for shipment of immature oocytes, biopsy of equine embryos, and for cryopreservation of expanded equine blastocysts, all now utilized worldwide.
Karen Wolfsdorf DVM DACT
Dr Karen Wolfsdorf is an equine reproduction specialist at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, one of the oldest veterinary practices in the world. In 2002, Dr Wolfsdorf became one of the first two female Members of the Practice.
She spends her time working as a field veterinarian and as a specialist at the McGee Fertility Centre. She has authored many chapters on equine reproduction as well as lectured worldwide and published research. Dr Wolfsdorf and her husband are involved as owners and breeders in the thoroughbred industry and have two daughters who ride pony hunters.
Niamh Lewis BVM&S DACT DECAR PhD MRCVS
Dr Niamh Lewis is a European and American boarded equine reproduction specialist with particular expertise in assisted reproduction techniques such as ICSI. Niamh has worked in Ireland, Australia, UK, USA and Saudi Arabia.
Niamh set up the first commercial ICSI centre in the UK in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, Twemlows Stud Farm and Karen Schnauffer. Most recently, Niamh completed a PhD on optimizing the ICSI process. Niamh is now the director of Equine Fertility Solutions, which offers equine reproductive consultancy, continued professional development and locum services.
Tullis Matson ARAgS
Tullis Matson formed Stallion AI Services Ltd in 2000, which is now one of the most successful stallion collection centres in Europe, offering semen collection services, fertility assessment and worldwide semen export. Stallion AI Serivces Ltd has collected from over 1100 stallions, across 51 different breeds.
Tullis has carried out research into semen collection, stallion fertility and cryopreservation methods of equine semen and embryos.
He has developed bespoke extenders for stallions, harvested semen from post castration testicles and most recently established pregnancies from sex-sorted semen.
Barbara Murphy BScEq, PhD, GDipUTL
Dr Barbara Anne Murphy is Head of Equine Science and Programme Coordinator of the BAgrSc Animal Science Equine degree within the School of Agriculture and Food Science at University College Dublin (UCD).
Her current scientific research relates to how circadian and circannual rhythms are involved in important reproductive phenomena and how disruption of these rhythms impacts growth, health and performance in the equine and bovine species. Barbara is also founder and CSO of Equilume Ltd, a spin-out company from University College Dublin.
Patrick Brogan BSC BVSc MANZCVSc DACT
Patrick Brogan is an American boarded specialist in equine reproduction and director of Equiception, a specialist reproduction service based in The Netherlands currently offering AI, ET and OPU.
Patrick graduated from the University of Sydney in 2005 and in 2012 arrived in The Netherlands to commence a residency at the University Of Utrecht.
Applied clinical research in semen storage and embryo transfer has formed the basis of his work to date. He has recently become a member of the KWPN and bred his first foals in 2015.
Stephen Troup BSc PhD
Stephen Troup has worked in the field of human clinical embryology for over 30 years starting in Manchester, where he completed a PhD in male infertility. Stephen was the Scientific Director of Liverpool Women’s Hospital’s Hewitt Fertility centres, one of the UK’s largest providers of assisted conception and is now is the current President of the UK’s Association of Clinical Embryologists (ACE). Steve is an Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Liverpool, where he supervised the development of the equine ICSI lab. He now works independently as a consultant reproductive scientist based in the UK.
Alison Corbally
Alison Corbally is the director of Breeding and Programmes at Horse Sport Ireland. Within this role, Alison combines her two passions of breeding and education. She is responsible for all national breeding initiatives and the four studbooks licenced to Horse Sport Ireland by DAFM, and for all national education and breeding programmes delivered by Horse Sport Ireland throughout Ireland.
She also previously managed Ireland’s first embryo transfer centre. While working, she is currently undertaking a PhD in UCD on ‘Development and use of genetic resources to enhance the economic model for Sport Horse Production in Ireland’.