Evaluating the Unique Transcriptome Profiles of Individual Equine Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Improve Regenerative Therapies

Fellow: Charlotte Marx

Mentor: Gerlinde Van de Walle

Baker Institute for Animal Health
Sponsor: Morris Animal Foundation
Grant Number: D20EQ-406
Title: Evaluating the Unique Transcriptome Profiles of Individual Equine Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Improve Regenerative Therapies
Project Amount: $100,000
Project Period: April 2020 to March 2022

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): 

It is well recognized in human regenerative medicine that the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatments is highly dependent on the intrinsic heterogeneity of MSC preparations. In contrast, no such detailed information is available for equine MSC. A newly developed molecular technology, named single cell RNA-sequencing (sc-­RNAseq), can determine the transcriptomic profiles of individual cells within a mixed population. We recently used this technique to profile individual equine MSC in populations isolated from 3 different tissue sources: bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue (AT), and peripheral blood (PB). Our long-­term goal is to better understand the characteristics of equine MSC in order to fine-­tune protocols for successful MSC therapies in equine regenerative medicine.