Improving Stem Cell Treatment Success

Stem cell therapies have the potential to improve the outcome of potentially severe and life-ending musculoskeletal injuries in horses. However, sometimes the recipient's immune system will destroy transplanted stem cells if the immune system perceives the introduced cells as foreign. To improve stem cell treatment success, researchers will examine if a novel cell culture treatment can be used to prevent the immune system from destroying donor stem cells. This study will help researchers better understand the cellular regulation of the molecules that initiate immune responses and advance the development of convenient and effective “off-the-shelf” stem cell therapy.