Integrative Biology and Equine Genetics

Global theme  

The BIGE team develops new knowledge in equine genetics and genomics to improve equine populations in terms of sporting ability, health and well-being.

Scientific issues

LThe team's mission is to provide the equine industry with methods for producing healthy, high-performance sport horses. We therefore develop research projects and applications in genetics and integrative genomics to improve the performance, health and well-being of horse breeds produced in France. Our research projects are grouped into two main areas: i) Genetics of sporting performance and ii) Genomics, health and well-being.

Expertise 

The BIGE team covers a wide spectrum of skills, from clinical to genomic, including quantitative genetics, bioinformatics, exercise physiology, functional genomics and molecular biology. These include: GWAS analyses of numerous sports performance phenotypes; genomic selection for performance; fine phenotyping techniques (gait, morphology, metabolomics, etc.); microRNA and non-coding RNA analysis; direct sequencing of mitochondrial RNA and DNA; mtDNA variability analysis; mitochondrial functional genomics; gut microbiota analysis; integrative analyses of heterogeneous omics data.

Research facilities 

• Partnership with IFCE and breeders' associations
• Attached to the doctoral school: ABIES (Agriculture Biology, Environment, Health)      
• Attached to Université Paris-Saclay