Stem cell therapy shows promise for equine and human joint injuries

Researchers at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), University of Guelph are studying joint health in horses and the regenerative possibilities of stem cell therapy to help unlock answers for our equine companions with the aim to ultimately translate those solutions to human health. Joint pain, once considered an ailment of aging, is now recognized as one of the most common orthopedic conditions in the human and equine world.

Dr. Thomas Koch, a professor in the Ontario Veterinary College department of biomedical sciences, isolated mesenchymal stem cells from the umbilical cord blood of newborn foals. He has since focused his work on determining how these cells can be used to treat joint pain and damaged joint cartilage in horses and dogs with spontaneous disease.

Koch is also founder and chief operating officer of eQcell, a veterinary regenerative medicine company. eQcell was a contestant in the 2019 Gryphon's LAAIR Pitch Showcase and Pitch Competition. It gives veterinarians and trainers an opportunity to repair injured equine athletes with cutting edge stem cell therapies.

Read the full article on the OVC website: Easing The Pain - Stem Cell Therapy Shows Promise For Equine And Human Joint Injuries