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Thoroughbred horses are prone to tendon injuries that can cut short the racing career of a champion, or even force the death of the animal. Even if the tendon can be healed, it can never return to its full strength and often fails again. A recent discovery, using stem cell research developed at the Royal Veterinary College in North London, is changing that bleak prognosis.
Curator’s notes
This is a story with far-reaching implications for human stem cell research, although this element – with its moral as well as scientific consequences – is not explored here. The reporter explains the actual process and how the animal is healed.
Even when the stem cells are taken from a completely different part of the animal, they become tendon cells when they are applied to that part of the body and the horse is completely restored. In order to avoid rejection, they must be the horse’s own stem cells.
