This article is part of the Behind the Design series published in the 2022 Clinic Innovation Guide. This article explores the design process for diagnostic screening tools offered by Basepaws, from the perspective from a key leader in the process.
The Problem
Historically, veterinarians practiced medicine responsively. Pet owners whose pet had illness or disease signs brought them in for veterinary care, and the veterinarian performed diagnostics and provided treatment to address the pet’s condition. However, there has been a shift — in more recent years, many veterinarians have turned their focus to preventive medicine.
In addition to advising owners to keep their pet’s vaccines up to date and provide year-round parasite prevention, veterinarians are promoting wellness care that includes more frequent check-ups, oral care, blood work and urinalysis to help improve pets’ quality of care. But these measures usually detect conditions only after a disease is at or on its way toward an advanced stage, limiting the ability to provide proactive care.
Genetic testing for pets became available in 2007, but because a blood test was required, the process was inconvenient, especially for needle-phobic pets. Pet owners wanted a simpler, easier method that would make the process more convenient.
In addition, pet owners could not interpret the results, and their veterinarians weren’t always eager to make health care decisions for their patients based on unfamiliar, third-party tests.
Basepaws uses Next Generation Sequencing, which is not limited by the need for prior data, allows for new gene variants to be discovered and provides greater flexibility over microarray techniques.
The Solution
If veterinarians had a convenient screening test to gain insights into their patients’ health before disease developed or became advanced, they could devise a comprehensive plan that would help improve the pet’s span of good health. Such optimal patient care requires a multi-modal approach:
- Predictive — Genetic testing can identify a pet’s risk for many diseases before signs manifest, so the veterinarian can plan in advance.
- Preventive — A pet owner who knows their pet is at high risk for a particular disease can be educated to recognize early stage signs when the condition is more easily managed.
- Personalized — Personalized care for each individual patient optimizes wellness.
- Participatory — Pet owners well informed about their pet’s health are better prepared to make decisions when issues arise. And, when presented with evidence concerning their pet’s risk, they are more likely to comply with the veterinarian’s professional recommendations.
The Innovation
In 2016, Basepaws entered the pet genetic testing market with a focus on how genetics can be used to improve pet health. Starting in 2017, Basepaws offered a genetic test for cats to reveal their unique breed profiles, genetic predisposition to disease, and signs of active dental disease. Basepaws combines genomic, oral microbiome, and health history data through both its clinical and citizen science research programs to inform the development and refinement of their pet health screening tools and identify pre-clinical indicators associated with disease. They are also expanding into canine health research, and opened enrollment with veterinarians for their canine clinical research programs. This makes their technology directly accessible to veterinarians to help them elevate their quality of care. Using a simple cheek swab, Basepaws products offer information about:
Breed analysis — Pet owners can learn about how similar their cats’ DNA is to the DNA of many other cats. Basepaws feline genomic database includes the DNA of cats in 21 top pedigree breeds, across four breed groups.
Genetic health markers — Pet owners can learn if their pet is at high risk for certain diseases. The test can identify 114 known feline genetic markers, including 64 markers for health conditions and 50 markers for traits.These genetic health markers can reveal risk for common diseases, including heart, kidney, thyroid, and skin disease, among others. Basepaws is also adding a canine genetic test option for veterinarians this year. The canine test offers a breed analysis and over 212 DNA health markers
Oral microbiome — Studies have demonstrated that the oral microbiome can be a powerful predictor of some systemic diseases, as well as dental conditions. Oral microbiome analysis can reveal the identity and relative abundance of microbial species in the mouth. The oral microbiome profile of an animal can be compared to the oral microbiome profiles of healthy animals and animals suffering from particular dental conditions. This comparison can reveal the likelihood that the animal is suffering from a particular dental condition, which also connects to their risk for developing secondary diseases associated with poor oral health.
To offer improved genetic information, Basepaws uses Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to decode genes. Many laboratories use microarray techniques to study genotypes, which has several disadvantages, including a slow response to the latest genetic discoveries, an inability to discover new gene variants, and difficulty in determining if a sample has one or two genetic marker copies. Basepaws finds NGS superior to microarrays because:
Prior data isn’t required — Publicly available feline genomic data is limited, but NGS requires no prior data.
New gene variants can be discovered — NGS allows for discovery of unknown variants.
Greater flexibility is provided — NGS does not require a hardware redesign every time a new gene variant is studied.
The information that Basepaws provides is instrumental in improving pets’ quality of life and increasing their span of good health. Veterinarians who have access to these screening tools will be able to devise individualized plans to help prevent certain diseases or address them before they become advanced, allowing pets to live longer, healthier lives.