Equimol
Our projects cover several aspects of orthopaedics. The projects can be divided into five main areas: Articular joint biology and pathology, the spine, cell therapy and stem cells, inflammation, and metabolism (including blood glucose and blood oxygen).
Find more detailed information on the projects under each category.
Articular joint biology and pathology
- Cartilage
- Cartilage derived retinoic acid sensitive protein (CD-RAP) as an in vitro and in vivo marker of cartilage synthesis
- Cartilage development - role of retinoic acid, CD-RAP, and retinoic acid receptors (RAR/RXR)
- Cartilage variations between joints - effect of impact and inflammation
- Synoviocytes and synovial membrane
- Markers of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS)
- Dedifferentiation of FLS in culture?
- Association between OCD score and synovial parameters
- Tendons
- IGF-1 and ageing
- Tenocytes and ageing
Spine - cervical and thoraco-lumbar
- Facet joints
- Cervical facet joints - anatomy and diagnostic/therapeutic techniques
- Thoraco-lumbar facet joints - anatomy and diagnostic/therapeutic techniques
- Synovial folds in equine cervical facet joints
- Kissing Spines Syndrome
- Interspinous distances in warmblood foals
- Reliability of radiography for diagnosis of kissing spine syndrome
- Equine myofascial structures
- Characterisation of equine myofascial structures, including myofibroblasts, innervation of myofascia, and types of nerve receptorers present in different parts of the myofascial connective tissue
Stem cells / cell therapy / progenitor cells
- Cell therapy
- Selection of the best possible cell source for cell therapy in orthopaedic disorders – tissue formation potential and response to an inflammatory micro-environment. A comparative study between stem cells and adult chondrocytes and osteocytes (3-year FTP Research Council project)
- Stem cells
- Adult stem cells - isolation, characterization, potential for therapy
- Umbilical cord blood stem cells
Inflammation and the musculoskeletal system
- Role of inflammation in cartilage repair
- Can Leukotriene 4 (LTC4) improve cartilage regeneration?
- Role of inflammation in tissue repair
- Inflammation and chondrogenesis - MSCs and mature chondrocytes
- Equine serum amyloid A (SAA)
- SAA expression in articular joints including chondrocytes and synoviocytes
- The equine serum amyloid a (eqSAA) gene - description and characterization of eqSAA genes and isoforms
Metabolic syndrome, blood glucose and oxygen
- Adipose tissue and adipokines
- Neck fat deposits and laminitis - a molecular connection
- Biochemical processes in laminitis
- Effect of adipokines on joint metabolism in an obese mini pig model
- Continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS)
- Validation in horses
- Blood glucose and exercise
- Blood glucose and hyperlipaemia in ponies