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    Equine Pharmacology Laboratory

    our mission

    The Equine Pharmacology Laboratory at New Bolton Center provides accurate information to policy makers and enforcers, veterinarians, and horsemen on therapeutic and non-therapeutic drug use in race horses to help ensure the integrity of the sport, and more importantly the welfare of the horse during those intense and exciting two minutes of competition.

    Overview

    The Penn Vet Equine Pharmacology Laboratory works closely with the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory (PETRL), which performs equine drug testing for racetracks in the Commonwealth. Mary Robinson is its acting director.

    The PETRL group has developed methods to identify and quantify a large number of drugs in horse blood or urine. PETRL continues to develop novel methods for screening, confirming, and quantifying the presence of illegal drugs in race horse plasma or urine samples.

    Because of the strong longstanding support from the PA Racing Commission(s) the Penn Vet/PETRL group has been able to provide leadership in drug testing research.

    horse wearing mask

    Our Research

    Studies are performed to optimize clinical therapy for diseases commonly affecting race horses, and to determine the length of time needed following treatment before the horse can safely and ethically return to racing. The identification of biomarkers to monitor disease progression, and the effects of drug treatment on biomarkers, are also being pursued.

    Requests & Forms

    Pharmacology Consult Request

    If you are interested in requesting a consult, please fill out the pharmacology consult request form.

    Split Sample Analysis

    Individuals submitting a split sample need to download and fill out the Split Sample Form (PDF) and send it to the following email PETRL-test-request@vet.upenn.edu.

    Find Us

    University of Pennsylvania

    School of Veterinary Medicine
    New Bolton Center
    382 W. Street Road
    Kennett Square, PA 19348

    Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine Named Winner of 2024 Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence

    Mary A. Robinson, VMD, PhD, DACVCP, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) assistant professor of Veterinary Pharmacology and director of the New Bolton Center Equine Pharmacology Research…

    PA Horse Breeders Donate $150,000 to Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center to Advance Biomarker, Blood Doping Research

    The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association announced a $150,000 donation to the Equine Pharmacology Laboratory at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center that will support continued revolutionary research in equine biomarkers.

    A group of race horses in a race.

    New test can detect presence of gene doping in equines, say Penn Vet researchers

    Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) have successfully developed a new test to systemically detect the local administration of illicit, gene doping therapies in…