HGTD - What is a Breed Relevance Rating?

To better support dog owners, the veterinary community, and dog health advisors, in 2020 we introduced Breed Relevance Ratings in the HGTD. Below you will find an explanation of what the Breed Relevance Rating (BRR) is and why it is important.  A work in progress... the BRR is a dynamic index that may change as new information becomes available.  To summarize the HGTD database relevance rating indicates the level of available evidence supporting the application of a specific genetic test for a specific breed/type.Currently, the relevance rating is based on a wide variety of evidence sources. This includes peer-reviewed research papers, recommendations from the original researchers/test developers, input from additional experts including veterinary specialists, and breed experts. It is hoped that, by being more informative about what we currently know or do not know about a specific test for a specific breed, that dog health advisors and owners can make more informed decisions.  Remember, this Breed Relevance Rating is not everything we need to know about the disease or characteristic; it is focused on the genetic test. UPDATE - see new, simplified rating system... same basic message!

A recent publication authored by members of the HGTD puts forward a suggested system of standards and guidelines for canine genetic testing laboratories. Standards and guidelines for canine clinical genetic testing laboratories

• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00439-018-1954-4

  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ See the IPFD commentary on this publication, in the context of Improving Canine Genetic Testing. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ First Online: 13 November 2018... The paper sets out a series of standard requirements the authors feel should provide both minimum and optimal standards for any canine genetic testing laboratory, including: personnel, facilities, quality practices, privacy issues, and a section on test validation and results reporting. A self-assessment check list is also available. While not all aspects of the self-assessment will be applicable to all genetic test providers, it is one way that test providers may choose to improve the quality of direct to consumer genetic testing.  

This article describes the role of Genetic Test Providers (GTPs) in the Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs (HGTD) initiative, provides information on who they are and why they participate, and defines processes and levels of participation for current and prospective collaborating GTPs.

Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs (HGTD) - YouTube A tool to help dog owners, breeders and veterinarians, the HGTD is an online searchable database providing information on genetic tests available for dog breeds, information on the tests themselves and quality control measures used by genetic test providers participating in the HGTD.

• HGTD playlist

             

How to Use The HGTD:
Welcome to the Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs resource. This resource is designed to improve standardization of, and access to, robust genetic testing to support health improvements and a sustainable future for healthy dogs. Here, you’ll find a wealth of information on Genetic Testing Providers (labs); genetic tests, and tests by breed. There are two major components of the HGTD: the Quality Testing Database and Genetic Counselling resources (still in development).  
 

Here we offer answers to some frequently asked questions about the Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs.

Mode of Inheritance terms referenced in the HGTD

Understanding accreditation, especially on an international scale, can feel like a daunting process. This brief overview may help you identify what types of accreditation are important to you, when choosing your genetic test provider.

You will see these terms/acronyms referenced in the lab's and or tests listings, and general information on terms. 
   

Here you will find information on organizations throughout the world that are involved in matters of accreditation and establishing industry standards utilized by medical professionals and/or veterinary practitioners. Best standards and practices policies, procedures and considerations are developed to include those that affect human or veterinary testing laboratory operations.  

  Click on a link below or scroll down to view each section:
  HGTD In The News HGTD News From IPFD Initiative Background Executive Summary Timeline  

Contact us to explore opportunities for Sponsorship and Collaboration: 

Marc Ralsky CEO - marc.ralsky@ipfdogs.com
Aimée Llewellyn-Zaidi, HGTD Project Director - aimee.llewellyn-zaidi@ipfdogs.com

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HGTD In The News   October 2023: Vet Record Editorial on the Genetics of Pedigree Health   September 14, 2020: IPFD Mentioned in Articles on Australian Labradoodle DNA Study (The Guardian, The Conversation)

  September 13, 2019: HGTD Interview in Story from ABC 10 (Sacramento, CA)
    May 16, 2019: HGTD Gets Mention in Story from WGME CBS 13 (Portland, ME)   March 8, 2019: USA Today article: DNA testing kits for dogs are super popular. But the testing has some veterinarians pushing standards   February 11, 2019: The Associated Press (and various media) article: Dog DNA Testing Takes Off, and Generates Debate   November 12, 2018:
HGTD featured in The Atlantic: What Vets Think of ‘23andMe for Dogs’
 
October 3, 2018:
IPFD submission responding to “Pet genomics medicine runs wild” published in Nature

Visit our IPFD in the Media section for more published articles, commentaries, etc. from outside organizations that reference the HGTD or IPFD. Items in this section related to the HGTD specifically are also presented together in the article In the News: Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs.     HGTD News from IPFD December 19, 2018:
Update on the Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs (HGTD)
Visit our IPFD News section for more news related to the HGTD and other IPFD news.      

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HGTD Initiative Description The IPFD Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs (HGTD) is a multi-stakeholder, collaborative effort to create an open access, sustainable online resource that:

• Catalogs information provided voluntarily from genetic test providers (GTPs) including information on their company and services, quality measures and expertise, tests offered and more. We are continually engaging more GTP participants.
• Has collated and assembled existing and new resources for genetic counselling and education; and provided the foundation for further developments.
• Will host expert panel reviews of genetic tests and their application.
• Plans to include a program for standardized proficiency testing and potentially peer review and audit.

A related development, the Health Strategies Database for Dogs, includes a comprehensive list of conditions (potentially inherited) by breed, country and organization or group who has developed recommendations (i.e. Health Strategy Providers). This resource will support counseling that considers not only those conditions for which there is a genetic test, but also all those breed disorders/ characteristics that impact health and well-being in breeds. Our Steering Committee includes: Aimee Llewellyn-Zaidi, HGTD Project Director, IPFD; Diane Brown, AKC Canine Health Foundation; Matthew Breen, North Carolina State University; Cathryn Mellersh, Animal Health Trust; Sofia Malm, Swedish Kennel Club; Wim van Haeringen, VHL Genetics, Netherlands; Sue Pearce-Kelling, Optigen; and Eddie Dzuik; Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). IPFD, our Partners and other stakeholders in this initiative recognize the input and work of many other experts and organizations in addressing the use of DNA tests in dogs. The Harmonization initiative is working to further engage numerous experts to participate in panels to develop the resource, provide evaluation of tests and work to advance genetic counseling. IPFD actively engaged Leadership Sponsors (see below) to help develop the HGTD Quality Database. These collaborators include international genetic test providers (GTPs), academic institutions, the Hereditary Disease Committee of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association and other important dog health organizations. A prototype was presented at the 3rd International Dog Health Workshop and at the 9th Canine and Feline Genetics and Genomics meeting in Minnesota, May 2017. Beta testing of the Quality Database was completed in early 2018, and it was launched on 7 May 2018. Since the launch, there has been a surge of interest from both the public, and potential new collaborators. The HGTD database was the culmination of months of hard work, building of new collaborations, fundraising, and data management. One of the major IPFD projects, it arose from discussions at the International Dog Health Workshops (IDHWs); the HGTD is a proud achievement, exemplifying the IDHW tagline:  Information – Collaboration – Action! We have been pleased to find that people are already using the HGTD Database to help find the right international genetic test provider, and testing information, for their dogs. By publishing details on a test provider’s measure of quality, business and research information, and tests provided – as well as information on hundreds of breed-specific DNA tests – dog owners and health professionals are able to make the most of this project. The growth and development over 2018, and the positive interest from diverse professional and public media - from JAVMA to The Atlantic -  has been reassuring that this project is both timely and needed in the world of genetic testing.  It has also become apparent that IPFD has an important role to play as an independent voice in discussions on the complex world of genetic testing.  See, for example, our response to an article in Nature, where we are able to provide a balanced view of issues.  See also, a Improving Canine Genetic Testing, a discussion on standards for GTP labs and broader challenges. This is a field with a diverse array of stakeholders, and encouraging discussions will continue to be part of our role. Since its launch in 2018, IPFD’s Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs (HGTD) has grown to include information on 82 international genetic test providers (GTPs) with 40+ actively participating in 26 countries (as of Fall 2023). Our searchable genetic phenes database currently holds information on 300+ phenes across all breeds/types, and provides a plethora of information on each phene: links to OMIA, gene + mutations, a simple and advanced disease description, inheritance details, links to original publications, patents/licenses, comments from the original researchers/experts on application, and breed specific information (such as research/validation) - where possible.  Our goals moving forward are to continue to engage with researchers, veterinary experts, and test providers, and also to focus on the development of an expert panel for reviewing genetic testing resources, as well as interactive educational tools for consumers. In addition, we are looking for collaboration to address some common problems across genetic testing, such as nomenclature of genetic tests - which has been a significant challenge in harmonizing across international researchers and test developers.  We are pleased that we continue to have sponsorship and support from many of our key Leadership Sponsors to develop our work. We would welcome anyone with an interest in contributing to, or participating in, the HGTD project to contact us. We are particularly keen to engage with academic and research institutions providing testing, who are concerned about ensuring genetic testing is a beneficial and responsible resource.   

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Key HGTD Supporters Read more about our HGTD Contributing Leadership Sponsors, Leadership Collaborators, GTP Sponsors & Supporters, and GTP HGTD Project Initiators here.      

Contact us to explore opportunities for Sponsorship and Collaboration: 

Marc Ralsky CEO - marc.ralsky@ipfdogs.com
Aimée Llewellyn-Zaidi, HGTD Project Director - aimee.llewellyn-zaidi@ipfdogs.com        

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