Lisa Pfister (BScEng'16, MTME'17) has created a technology that has the potential to forever change the equine breeding industry. Pfister, a graduate of UNB's technology management and entrepreneurship (TME) program, grew up around horses, watching her mother ride, but never took an interest in them herself. It wasn't until age 12 when she rode for the first time that everything changed. “As soon as I got on the horse, I thought okay, this is pretty cool, I think I'll do it.”
When the mare she had been riding began to near the end of its sport horse career, Lisa became interested in the idea of breeding. By 2014, her mares had their first set of foals. To learn more, she decided to take a job as a summer breeding intern on Prince Edward Island. “It was a bit different considering I was doing civil engineering the other eight months of the year,” she says. She learned that mares usually gestate between 320 and 370 days, making foal watch an important part of the job. One of the ways to estimate a due date is through testing the pregnant mares milk. Typically, this is done using test strips and then comparing them to a colour chart – much like in a chemistry class. “It is scientifically proven that you've got certain chemistry levels in the milk that go up or down depending on how close they are to giving birth and that's how you predict when it will actually happen.” Another method is to sew a device into the horse that triggers an alarm when they begin to give birth. She tried this method, but when the mare began giving birth the alarm did not go off and the foal was upside down. If she hadn't been on site, both the mare and the foal could have died.
After that experience she thought, “there must be a better way.” It was her engineering mind that inspired her to keep a record of milk tests and birth dates and she began to notice trends in the data. With that information, she was able to create an algorithm that lead to the inception of PFERA Inc.
The animal-health biotechnology automates and significantly increases the robustness of the milk testing process. Once a sample has been obtained, it is inserted into the device, which tests certain ion concentrations and chemistry levels. The results are then sent to the user's smartphone, eliminating human error as there is no need to interpret the test strip.
Thanks to her algorithm, Pfister's technology can predict birth date and time down to six to 12 hours, which surpasses the range and reliability of any of the industry's competitor's products.
“The additional advantage of the system is the statistical analysis and trend monitoring of the results, which further enhance the accuracy through the implantation of an adaptive algorithm,” Lisa explains. “The algorithm enables customized predictions based on the mare's unique signature.” This non-invasive system keeps the welfare of the horse its top priority. Thanks to her algorithm, Pfister's technology can predict birth date and time down to six to 12 hours, which surpasses the range and reliability of any of the industry's competitor's products.
While nearing the end of her bachelor of civil engineering degree at UNB, a friend suggested that she look into the Technology Management and Entrepreneurship (TME) graduate program. She knew she wanted to start her own business, so the program seemed like a great fit. “It's been, if anything, like a launchpad. TME has been a great help to me, with its network and resources that are available to the students of the program as a part of the curriculum. Whether it's information about intellectual property advice or general business advice, there is always someone willing to listen and help.”
In February, supported by TME, Pfister presented her research at a conference in Grantham, England. She received very positive and encouraging feedback from the equine community and raised significant interest in her work. Her poster, presented at the conference won the award for best student research poster. “I thought wow, I don't think I ever would have gotten this opportunity without the help and guidance of UNB and TME.”
With her patent pending, the future is bright for PFERA Inc. In April, she will launch a pilot project on Prince Edward Island with three different farms and a veterinarian using her software. Pfister has had requests and interest from breeders around the world and in 2018, she will be able to release the software and milk analysis system to the public. When asked how her work might change the field of equine reproduction, “Oh the field? I'm planning on completely disrupting it,” she says with a smile.
