Directed Stem Cell Therapies for Equine Neurologic Disease
Principal Investigator: Bettina Wagner
Fellow: Sally Ness
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):
Diseases affecting the brain and spinal cord are frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in equine veterinary medicine. The limited reparative capabilities of the central nervous system (CNS) following injury often results in permanent loss of function despite aggressive medical and surgical therapies. Recent work in other species, including man, suggests that regenerative modalities such as stem cell therapy can mitigate neuronal injury, improve functional outcome, and offer hope for classically incurable neurodegenerative and neurotraumatic disorders. We hypothesize that stem cells derived from prenatal, periparturient, and adult tissue sources will improve functional recovery in equine neurologic diseases.