Musculoskeletal Regeneration
Musculoskeletal regeneration, once considered a futuristic concept, is now a reality. We often don't fully appreciate our pain-free movement until we face the need for repairing bones, cartilage, muscles, ligaments, or tendons. While surgical progress has achieved remarkable feats, most repaired tissues still fall short of the original function. At VORL, our mission is to advance musculoskeletal regenerative treatments. We employ tiny biologically active molecules, either alone or enclosed in nanoparticles, along with stem cells and primary cells. As dedicated veterinarians, we extend these therapies to improve the health of our beloved pets and their caring owners.
Oral and Maxillofacial Regeneration
Canine or feline mandibles may need reconstruction due to removal of oral cancerous tissue. The VORL research projects consist of optimum techniques to reconstruct the mandible or temporomandibular joint to allow the animal to return to normal chewing function and facial appearance.
Musculoskeletal Transplant Immunology
At the VORL, we are working on using the discarded OCD cartilage as a novel cell source for engineering new cartilage tissue. This process is called tissue-engineering. Tissue-engineered cartilage needs to be robust and durable to provide long-term replacement tissue for canine patients. Our team is currently working on improving the functional properties of engineered cartilage to bring it closer to clinical implantation. We are also working on devising novel methods for implantation and surgical fixation of neocartilage in the diseased joint.