Gluck Professor Assisted With FDA Approval Of COVID-19 Testing Device

Dr. Ted Kalbfleisch, an associate professor at the University of Kentucky in the Gluck Equine Research Center, was a member of a research team that sought emergency FDA approval for a veterinary device to be used to help test for COVID-19.

Veterinarians have had the ability to run real-time assays in the field for years. One of the commonly used devices was developed by MatMaCorp out of Lincoln, NE. The self-contained unit is about the size of a laptop; it can provide results to vets in one to two hours, without requiring the horse to be brought to an equine hospital.

It was quickly realized that this technology, which is familiar to veterinarians, could play a vital role in the fight against COVID-19 in humans. Kalbfleisch and other members of the team were able to get the unit approved by the FDA; the COVID assay it tests for has now been approved for use in CLIA-approved laboratories. Future research will focus on a device that can be utilized in the field for COVID-19 testing.

Read more at EquiManagement.

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Horse Owner And Manager Input Needed: 2021 Equine Industry Survey Launched

American Horse Publications (AHP) has launched its fifth Equine Industry Survey, which can be found here. Horse owners who live in the United States, are 18 years of age and older, and who currently own or manage at least one horse are invited to complete the survey by March 30, 2021.

The survey, which is conducted every three years, will gauge participation trends and management practices in the U.S. equine industry, identify critical issues facing the equine industry as perceived by those who own or manage horses, and better understand issues pertaining to horse health.

The online survey is made possible by a sponsorship from Zoetis, the leading animal health company dedicated to improving equine wellness, every day. Zoetis has sponsored the survey since its inception in 2009.

“Zoetis is proud to continue our sponsorship of the AHP Equine Industry Survey,” said Jeannie Jeffery, vice president of the Zoetis U.S. equine business. “We hope that the survey will continue to help identify successes and opportunities for improvement in the equine industry that horse owners, veterinarians and professionals can unite to resolve.”

“AHP is grateful for its partnership with Zoetis to provide ongoing and vital data on the trends in horse care, management, and welfare of horses in the U.S.,” said Christine W. Brune, AHP executive director. “We appreciate the collaborated effort of AHP members and the industry in promoting this survey and will strive to maintain or exceed previous responses in 2021.”

The study is anonymous; this means that no one–not even members of the research team – will be able to associate information that is given with respondents. When the survey results are tallied, only aggregated results will be presented.

The survey sponsor and AHP members who promote the survey will receive complete results of the 2021 survey to release through their own channels up to 60 days prior to release of the survey results to the AHP membership. The general equine industry may request a summary of this new information by contacting the AHP office at ahorsepubs@aol.com in October 2021.

Horse owners and enthusiasts are invited to promote the survey by sharing this link with horse-owner groups and individual horse owners. The more information we collect, the better we make our world for horses.

The 2021 AHP Equine Industry Survey is being conducted by American Horse Publications (AHP). Dr. C. Jill Stowe is providing consulting services for data collection and analysis to the AHP. Dr. Stowe is currently an associate professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky.

Take the survey here.

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Sesamoid Bones: They Take A Lot Of Pressure And Raise A Lot Of Questions For Researchers

As racing continues its quest to reduce injury rates, one key area of interest for many experts is the proximal sesamoid bones.

Most racing fans who have heard of sesamoid bones know about the two small, triangular bones held inside the suspensory ligament that form the back of the equine ankle, but horses (and humans) actually have other sets of sesamoids in the body. The two that form each ankle are called the proximal sesamoid bones. The human kneecap or patella is present in the horse as a component of the stifle and is also considered a type of sesamoid bone. The navicular bone in the internal structures of the hoof is also a type of sesamoid. Sesamoids exist because they reduce friction on joints by gliding over the joint's surface, helping to pull the limb back and forth.

The proximal sesamoid bones are part of the ankle or fetlock, which drops down toward the racing surface to absorb the horse's weight during a footfall. The joint flexes farther down the harder the foot falls. The elastic tendons and ligaments (particularly the suspensory ligament) are crucial during this shock absorption procedure, and the proximal sesamoids are hard at work in this moment too – which may mean it's not surprising that they're a common source of injury.

Existing research suggests that sesamoid fractures or suspensory apparatus failures are associated with 30 to 50 percent of fatal injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses. At a recent virtual session of the University of Kentucky's annual Equine Showcase, researchers said that makes them a crucial area of study – but we have to start from the beginning.

Scientists would like to know how the structure of the proximal sesamoids changes in response to intense exercise like racing. We know bones change their shape and structure in proportion to the amount and types of forces placed on them through exercise in a process called bone remodeling. (You can learn more about bone development and remodeling here.) It would be helpful to know if somewhere in that process, sesamoid bones undergo abnormal changes that could signal or predispose an upcoming fracture.

According to Dr. James MacLeod, researcher and faculty member at the Gluck Equine Research Center, scientists first need the answers to more basic questions about proximal sesamoids. In order for researchers to know what is considered an abnormal structural change, they have to know what's normal for these particular bones – what size, shape, and internal structure is typical? How do they develop? When do they develop? How much variation is there in size, shape and structure between individuals, between breeds and between sports?

Unfortunately, MacLeod said, existing science is somewhat light on the answers to these questions.

“It turns out that in the horse, very little information was published about proximal sesamoid bone development and maturation in a normal sense,” he said.

When trying to answer the basic question of when these bones develop, MacLeod and his colleagues dug up two publications in textbooks suggesting that these particular bones don't begin to form in a developing equine fetus until very late in gestation, between Day 290 and 330 in what's typically a 340-day gestation. The end of ossification (hardening) for the bones was, according to these textbooks, complete at around month three or four of the foal's life.

“We had evidence right away that there was much more to know about the development of proximal sesamoid bones,” he said.

Soon after the research team began their inquiries, Dr. Emma Adam, assistant professor at Gluck, used advanced imaging to discover that the very beginnings of cartilage (which would eventually transition to bone) were beginning to form in what would become the fetlock at Day 46 of gestation. At that point the fetus was only three centimeters long, with a tiny forming limb only three millimeters long.

Currently, MacLeod and his colleagues are in the process of learning more about the variability of the bones in adults, assembling lots of samples from horses who have died for reasons independent of development or injury to the sesamoid bones. Researchers want to study them grossly (recording observations detectable without a microscope) as well as at a microscopic level. They're looking at elements like bone volume, which refers to the amount of a bone that is minerals. Researchers already know that sesamoid bone volume increases with age as an animal matures and the bone itself grows. Next, MacLeod said, we need to learn how bone volume may change when the horse grows old enough to begin exercise.

Another element that could be important in microscopic bone changes is the trabeculae, which are the bands or thin rods of tissue that together make up the hard structural elements of the bone. MacLeod hopes researchers will learn more about the orientation of these little beam-like supports – are they isotropic, meaning their orientation creates a look of sameness throughout a sample, or are they anisotropic, meaning many of them lie in a single, similar orientation? This matters because it impacts how easy a substance is to break. If you think about chopping an anisotropic piece of wood, he points out, it's easy to do with the grain because all the strands of the block's interior structure are pointing more or less the same direction. If you chop against that grain, it suddenly becomes tougher. With an isotropic substance like metal, its components are oriented in all different directions at a cellular level, making it equally difficult to cut or split no matter how you approach it — there's no area or angle of weakness on a microscopic level.

The initial step to understanding these elements of the bone's structure is to get as many samples as possible from a wide cross section of ages and breeds. Those breed differences could be really important, too — it won't help racehorses if the team develop their sense of normal sesamoid bones from Shetland ponies.

“You'd certainly expect [to see differences],” he said. “The skeletal system in general matures differently between different breeds. Small horses and ponies actually mature faster than larger horses.”

There could also be important differences in what's “normal” between male and female animals, as well as large, heavy-bodied and fine-boned horses within the same breed.

For now, MacLeod said his team has more questions than answers, but he is hopeful that soon – maybe even by next year's annual equine research showcase – he can provide some.

“I think as we ask the questions, as we generate quality data sets, as we advance imaging technologies, I think we will be able to answer those questions,” he said.

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Leading Horseracing Organizations Partner With UK To Support Research Efforts To Improve Surface Safety

While 2020 has largely seen tracks closed for in-person fans, racing has continued. So have the sustained efforts of a group of tracks and industry organizations that formed a partnership early in the year to collectively support the surface safety research efforts at the University of Kentucky.

Churchill Downs, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Keeneland, the New York Racing Association, Inc. and The Stronach Group have pledged resources to bolster this unprecedented research initiative as part of their combined efforts to increase safety and transparency in the sport of horseracing.

The aim of this fund is to improve the safety of horseracing by supporting equine surfaces and safety research under the direction of Mick Peterson, director of equine safety and researcher in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering in UK's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Peterson joined UK's team in 2016 and is nationally and internationally recognized for a career in track surface safety research and testing. The position of director of equine safety was created this year by the college to support the industry through the continued development of technologies to ensure safety of surfaces for racehorses and all performance horses.

“The UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is committed to our signature equine industry in all ways. In particular, we are dedicated to all aspects of safety in our sport,” said Nancy Cox, UK vice president for land-grant engagement and college dean. “This gift allows us to do important research to assist Thoroughbred racing and to create a pipeline of experts to serve racetrack safety.”

Since Peterson joined the UK team, much progress has been made in supporting surface safety efforts. In 2019, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association committed $100,000 to transform a large industrial research laboratory located on the UK campus. And during The Jockey Club Round Table in 2019, The Jockey Club committed to supporting the efforts of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, led by Peterson, and its ability to serve the equine industry.

“The selection and maintenance of racing surfaces has the potential to reduce catastrophic injury rates. Providing a consistent surface also helps trainers and owners make sound decisions for the welfare of their horses,” Peterson said.

Under the direction of Peterson, the lab has been particularly effective at reinforcing the welfare and safety commitment through its central testing laboratory for dirt, turf and synthetic surface materials. To date, testing has included more than 70 different racing and training tracks around the world. Equipment development from the lab includes riding crop design assessment, testing maintenance equipment and performance tests of starting gate and rail padding.

In the industry-supported role of director of equine safety, Peterson will develop a discovery research program and provide contemporary testing capabilities. Part of this vision includes establishing a national and international center of excellence for safety of the equine athlete, training the next generation of equine surface safety experts and collaborating extensively with racetracks. This collaboration will foster translational research by identifying the research and technology needs for the UK Racetrack Safety Program.

Through the support of participating tracks and organizations, Peterson's work will help develop innovative technologies to assess track safety, working collaboratively with veterinarians, biologists and others to develop models for track surfaces that promote optimum safety and performance. This will include maintaining the precision, accuracy, integrity and interpretation of all analytical data to support the industry.

Read more here. 

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