Laboratory for Equine and Comparative Orthopedic Research
Overview
The Laboratory for Equine and Comparative Orthopedic Research is a multifaceted, state of the art laboratory for the study of orthopedic injury and disease. Areas in the laboratory are dedicated to various kinds of testing including microstructure, gene expression, cell/tissue culture, mechanical properties and motion analysis. The wide range of research in the LECOR supports a variety of opportunities for graduate students and research trainees at all levels. Fellow researchers, students and visiting scientists are always welcome.
Biomechanics
Two materials testing systems are available within the LECOR. They are used for mechanical testing of medical devices and materials. Several devices designed and tested in the laboratory have received patents. The GraftGrab, a device to fix soft tissue to bone for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery, was recently patented by LSU. Current studies include testing devices to repair broken bones in horses and humans. The Graft Grab is licensed to Tesa Medical, Inc.
Cell Culture
Tissue regeneration with stem cells is a major focus in the laboratory. There are a number of ongoing investigations to determine the properties of different stem cells and to select the best stem cell/carrier combinations to grow tissues like bone, ligament and cartilage. Members of the laboratory are also studying differences in stem cells from species like the horse and cat. This information is important to develop stem cell therapies for the repair of tissue damaged by injury or disease.
Motion Analysis
The LECOR is one of a handful of laboratories in the United States that has the ability to perform comprehensive motion analysis in multiple species, including the horse. This allows laboratory members to test different ways to reduce pain from conditions like osteoarthritis and navicular disease. Various medicines, shoeing techniques and integrative medicine approaches are tested to determine how well they reduce lameness and restore normal gait. We are also working on a computer program to match horses with riders for physical therapy by determining the amount of force horses transfer to the rider as they move.
We used a three-dimensional motion analyzer system to quantify wrist extension, radial-ulnar deviation and range of motion using digital devices and compared them to their traditional counterparts, in dominant and non-dominant hands of male and female professionals.
Laminitis and Stem Cells
The laminitis project looks to characterize equine hoof laminar progenitor cells from normal and laminitic hooves. Involved assays are cell doubling assays, differentiation assays, qRT-PCR, flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) assays. We found those cells share similar in vitro cell expansion and plasticity with other reported progenitor cells and they present both ectodermal and mesodermal characteristics.
Pancreatic Differentiation Beads
Establishment of pancreatic islet from feline reproductive organ-derived mesenchymal cells.
Magnetic beads were embedded within pancreatic islet to limit mobilization and allow tracking following implantation.
Ongoing Research
| Research Partner | Description |
|---|---|
| PALL | Intra-articular Filter-derived Platelet Therapy to Alleviate Equine Lameness |
| National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism | Chronic Binge Alcohol Administration Disruption of Bone Homeostasis |
| Winn Feline Foundation | Characterization of Adult Feline Stem Cells |
| Canine Health Foundation | Fresh and Revitalized Multipotent Cells from Canine Adipose Tissues |
| Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Inc. | Equine Bone Regeneration with Adult Stem Cells |
| National Science Foundation | Forces of Horses: A Quantitative and 3-Dimensional Equine Model |
Publications
Singh S, Nyberg EL, O'Sullivan AN, Farris A, Rindone AN, Zhang N, Whitehead EC, Zhou Y, Mihaly E, Achebe CC, Zbijewski W, Grundy W, Garlick D, Jackson ND, Taguchi T, Takawira C, Lopez J, Lopez MJ, Grant MP, Grayson WL. Point-of-care treatment of geometrically complex midfacial critical-sized bone defects with 3D-Printed scaffolds and autologous stromal vascular fraction. Biomaterials. 2022 Mar;282:121392. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121392. Epub 2022 Feb 1. PubMed PMID: 35134701.
Barras ED, Hampton CE, Takawira C, Taguchi T, Nourbakhsh A, Lopez MJ. Hemodynamic Changes in Response to Hyperacute Spinal Trauma in a Swine Model. Comp Med. 2022 Feb 1;72(1):30-37. doi: 10.30802/AALAS-CM-21-000067. Epub 2021 Nov 23. PubMed PMID: 34814974; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8915416.
Yoo A, Short C, Lopez MJ, Takawira C, Islam KN, Greiffenstein P, Hodgdon I, Danos DM, Lau FH. Dehydrated Human Amniotic-Chorionic Membrane Reduces Incisional Hernia Formation in an Animal Model. J Surg Res. 2022 Feb;270:477-485. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2021.10.019. Epub 2021 Nov 17. PubMed PMID: 34800794.
Taguchi T, Zhang N, Angibeau D, Spivey KP, Lopez MJ. Evaluation of canine adipose-derived multipotent stromal cell differentiation to ligamentoblasts on tensioned collagen type I templates in a custom bioreactor culture system. Am J Vet Res. 2021 Nov;82(11):924-934. doi: 10.2460/ajvr.82.11.924. PubMed PMID: 34669492.
Yang Q, Lopez MJ. The Equine Hoof: Laminitis, Progenitor (Stem) Cells, and Therapy Development. Toxicol Pathol. 2021 Oct;49(7):1294-1307. doi: 10.1177/0192623319880469. Epub 2019 Nov 19. Review. PubMed PMID: 31741428.
Aulakh KS, Lopez MJ, Hudson C, Gaschen L, Fabiani M, Beale B, Andrews FM, Liu CC, Lattimer J. Prospective Clinical Evaluation of Intra-Articular Injection of Tin-117m (117mSn) Radiosynoviorthesis Agent for Management of Naturally Occurring Elbow Osteoarthritis in Dogs: A Pilot Study. Vet Med (Auckl). 2021;12:117-128. doi: 10.2147/VMRR.S295309. eCollection 2021. PubMed PMID: 34113552; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8187093.
Wang P, Takawira C, Taguchi T, Niu X, Nazzal MD, Lopez MJ. Assessment of the effect of horseshoes with and without traction adaptations on the gait kinetics of nonlame horses during a trot on a concrete runway. Am J Vet Res. 2021 Apr;82(4):292-301. doi: 10.2460/ajvr.82.4.292. PubMed PMID: 33764831.
Taguchi T, Lopez MJ. An overview of de novo bone generation in animal models. J Orthop Res. 2021 Jan;39(1):7-21. doi: 10.1002/jor.24852. Epub 2020 Sep 23. Review. PubMed PMID: 32910496; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7820991.
Takawira C, Arsuaga-Zorrilla CB, Wilson L, Taguchi T, Dietrich MA, Stout RW, Lopez MJ. Association of Chronic Myelogenous (Basophilic) Leukemia and the BCR/ABL Mutation in a Yucatan Barrow (Sus scrofa domestica). Front Vet Sci. 2020;7:575199. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.575199. eCollection 2020. PubMed PMID: 33251261; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7674400.
Chen D, Wu JY, Kennedy KM, Yeager K, Bernhard JC, Ng JJ, Zimmerman BK, Robinson S, Durney KM, Shaeffer C, Vila OF, Takawira C, Gimble JM, Guo XE, Ateshian GA, Lopez MJ, Eisig SB, Vunjak-Novakovic G. Tissue engineered autologous cartilage-bone grafts for temporomandibular joint regeneration. Sci Transl Med. 2020 Oct 14;12(565). doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb6683. PubMed PMID: 33055244.
Personnel
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Mandi Lopez, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVS | Director and Professor of Veterinary Surgery | [email protected] |
| Catherine Takawira | Research Associate | [email protected] |
| Rita Aoun | PhD Student | [email protected] |
| Takashi Taguchi | PhD Student | [email protected] |
PhD Opportunity
The LECOR has openings for graduate students working toward the PhD degree. We work on a range of comparative orthopedic projects including animal locomotion, stem cell research, bone histology, medical device design, and 3D modeling. Potential graduate students with diverse backgrounds in biology, engineering, computer science and molecular biology are encouraged to apply. Evaluation techniques include cellular molecular, genetic (RNA and DNA) and compositional analysis, histology, cell culture, biomechanical testing, kinetics, and kinematics. Additionally, design and implementation of medical devices is a key focus in the laboratory. Email Dr. Lopez for more information (include your research interests and CV) at [email protected].