For the seventh consecutive year, the board of directors of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation has allocated over $1 million in funding for equine research. A total of $1,638,434 in 2021 will fund 12 new projects at 12 universities, 12 continuing projects, and two career development awards worth $20,000 each. The amount represents the most the foundation has ever allocated in a year and brings the foundation's totals since 1983 to more than $30.6 million. These funds have underwritten 396 projects at 45 universities. The foundation is the nation's leading source of equine research funding.
“We are heartened by the continued commitment of universities to supporting equine veterinary research throughout these difficult times and that we are able to distribute more funding than ever before, enabling us to help horses of all breeds and disciplines,” said Dell Hancock, chair of Grayson.
The diverse research includes the following new projects:
• Passive Immunization of Foals with RNA-AB against R Equi: Jeroen Pollet, Baylor College of Medicine
• Hyperthermia and Acidosis in Exertional Muscle Damage: Michael Davis, Oklahoma State University
• Developing an Improved Serological Test for Strangles: Noah Cohen, Texas A&M
• Mitigation of Equine Recurrent Uveitis through SOCS: Joseph Larkin, University of Florida
• Environmental Origins of Equine Antimicrobial Resistance: Brandy Burgess, University of Georgia
• Treatment of Joint Injury with Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Thomas Koch, University of Guelph
• Optimizing Bone Growth to Reduce Equine Fracture: Mariana Kersh, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• New Generation Equine Influenza Bivalent VLP Vaccine: Thomas Chambers, University of Kentucky
• Injury Prediction from Stride-Derived Racing Load: Chris Whitton, University of Melbourne
• Predicting Exercising Arrhythmias with Resting ECGs: Molly McCue, University of Minnesota
• Understanding and Preventing Supporting Limb Laminitis: Andrew Van Eps, University of Pennsylvania
• Diagnosis of Incipient Condylar Stress Fracture: Peter Muir, University of Wisconsin-Madison
In addition, the Storm Cat Career Development Award grants $20,000 to Dr. Callum G. Donelly of the University of California, Davis, who is considering a career in equine research and has a project titled “Proteomic Investigation of Equine Spinal Ataxia.” The Elaine and Bertram Klein Career Development Award grants $20,000 to prospective equine researcher Dr. Aileen Rowland of Texas A&M University, whose research focuses on the efficacy of xenogeny-free mesenchymal stem cells for osteoarthritis.
For more information on current research, visit Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.
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