Proteomics equine blood test gives racing edge

Proteomics International has delivered another strong data set from its precision diagnostics pipeline. The company has revealed that its unique, majority-owned “OxiDx” blood test for Thoroughbred racehorses shows a strong correlation between horses racing with low levels of oxidative stress and those that are more likely to win or place in a race.

The company’s 66 per cent owned subsidiary OxiDx is today presenting the findings at the Australian Physiological Society’s annual scientific meeting, with the results marking a meaningful step towards commercialising a first-in-class biomarker test aimed squarely at the multi-billion-dollar horseracing industry.

The results of Proteomics OxiDx blood testing trials are being presented today in Sydney at the Australian Physiological Society (AuPS) Annual Scientific Meeting.

A new study assessed 75 racehorses across 216 competitive events. It established an individual oxidative-stress baseline via a proprietary blood test for each animal before tracking their daily readings across a full season, both before and after races. Horses determined by the OxiDx blood test to be racing without oxidative stress accounted for a remarkable 88 per cent of all top-three finishes and were 76 per cent more likely to place and 49 per cent more likely to win compared to stressed counterparts. The dataset was statistically emphatic with a less than 0.01 per cent chance of being randomly generated and importantly for trainers and owners, points to a measurable physiological variable that correlates strongly with performance outcomes.

Proteomics International managing director Dr Richard Lipscombe said the results confirm the OxiDx test’s ability to give trainers a clearer picture of a horse’s readiness and recovery. The technology measures a sensitive systemic oxidative-stress biomarker - something that has historically been difficult to quantify but is closely linked to hard to determine muscle damage, compromised recovery and elevated injury risk. With 85 per cent of Thoroughbreds sustaining at least one injury during their two- and three-year-old seasons, a non-invasive, evidence‑based monitoring tool has obvious commercial appeal.

The new study builds on earlier peer‑reviewed work published in Veterinary Medicine and Science, which showed the OxiDx test could detect and track recovery from exercise‑induced muscle damage. In that study, oxidative‑stress levels typically peaked 48 hours post‑race and in some horses remained elevated for more than a week—emphasising why early return‑to‑training decisions can compound undetected muscle injury.

The racing industry represents a deep commercial channel for Proteomics. Globally, the Thoroughbred sector is valued at more than A$400 billion, while in Australia alone it exceeds $9 billion. Notably, Australia is home to the largest number of racecourses of any country in the world hosting globally recognised marquee events such as The Melbourne Cup and The Everest. And across the industry, performance variability and musculoskeletal injury remain the most expensive operational headaches for trainers with the OxiDx test set to specifically address both.

Proteomics says partnership discussions with industry groups are underway and that the equine launch will precede a planned expansion into elite human athletics.

While the current focus is on performance biomarkers for racehorses, OxiDx sits alongside Proteomics International’s expanding suite of precision diagnostics built using its “Promarker” biomarker‑discovery technology. The technology identifies protein fingerprints in a standard blood sample to detect and predict disease earlier and more accurately than prevailing standards of care.

The company is currently commercialising four first‑in‑class tests. Remarkably, PromarkerD predicts diabetes‑related chronic kidney disease up to four years before symptoms appear and has demonstrated exceptional accuracy, with AUC values of 0.88 and negative predictive value up to 97.4 per cent. “PromarkerEndo” is a blood test for diagnosing endometriosis, validated on more than 900 individuals while PromarkerEso detects esophageal adenocarcinoma with high accuracy across all stages, including early‑stage disease where outcomes improve significantly. Together with OxiDx, the suite forms a precision‑diagnostics arsenal targeting multi‑billion‑dollar global markets.

Proteomics now finds itself accelerating multiple roll‑outs, scaling its US and Australian testing footprint and developing partnerships across sports science, women’s health, oncology and metabolic disease. Today’s OxiDx data adds another point of validation to a platform built around detecting physiological change long before it becomes visible - whether in racehorses or in humans.

And it just might give trainers an edge when it comes to that difficult decision to race or spell a horse.

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