New Bolton Center

The Animal Model Core at Penn Vet New Bolton Center at the intersection of science and the rapid advancements in health care technology is an ecosystem supporting the continuum from discovery to invention to innovation in medical translation. We are invested in understanding the value proposition of emerging technologies under consideration and how they target unmet clinical needs. This process informs animal model development to enhance scientific rigor during in vivo studies in experimental or naturally occurring disease models. Studies can be iterative starting on a small scale leading towards pivotal non-clinical IND/IDE-enabling trials in support of FDA or OUS-FDA submissions.

The Agricultural Systems and Microbial Genomics (ASMG) Laboratory was established to support Dr. Dou and Dr. Pitta in their research endeavors.

Dr. Pitta is the ruminant nutritionist and microbiologist at the Center for Animal Health and Productivity (CAHP), New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania.

Research at the ASMG lab focuses primarily on the gut microbial composition of ruminants utilizing advanced molecular methodologies. The alimentary tract of a ruminant is colonized by millions of microbes living in a symbiotic relationship with the host. Therefore, knowledge of the microbial composition of the entire gut can provide insights into improving the overall health and productivity of the animal.

The advent of next generation sequencers has greatly enhanced our ability to explore community microbial populations. The ASMG lab has the capabilities to isolate bacteria and methanogens from the gastrointestinal contents of different ruminant species as well as apply multi-omic approaches to better characterize and understand the functional potential of rumen microbiota. The primary areas of focus include deciphering dietary-microbe, microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions that play essential roles in maintaining health and production while also minimizing negative impacts on the environment. Research efforts at ASMG are to understand the role of microbiota in ruminal methanogenesis and determine the impacts of different inhibitors on enteric methane inhibition, application of precision technologies to advance animal productivity, and early life microbial interventions to improve health and welfare, and productivity of dairy cattle. Please see Research Projects below for further details.

In addition, The ASMG group collaborates with other researchers and clinicians both within the University of Pennsylvania as well as at other institutions. Research findings are disseminated via publications and are presented at conferences. The ASMG group strives to educate and train next generation students in application of microbial genomics to help address global issues such as Food Insecurity, Climate Change, Sustainable Agricultural Systems, and Mitigation of Antimicrobial Resistance. Opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds, ranging from high school through postdoctoral are available at ASMG laboratory to further their careers in microbial genomics and its applications. 

Our Mission: The mission of the Equine Pharmacology Laboratory at New Bolton Center is to promote the welfare of the working horse and the integrity of sport through pharmacological and forensic research.

Learn about us and our research...

The Equine Behavior Program and Laboratory at New Bolton Center has grown from within the Section of Reproductive Studies.  Since the early 1980s the program, has had research as its core activity.  The program has included involvement in related clinical and teaching in the veterinary school and continuing education programs nationally and internationally.  The initial research focus of the laboratory was on stallion reproductive physiology and behavior. 

Early research concentrated on the physiology and pharmacology of libido, erection, and ejaculation, with immediate application to clinical problems in breeding stallions and with relevance to the understanding of human sexual dysfunction. 

Another long-standing research interest of our laboratory has been the effects of experience on sexual function.  In the 1990s our research and clinical work expanded beyond stallions to include reproductive and general behavior problems of horses.

The Behavior Lab is housed in The Havemeyer Barn at The Georgia and Philip Hofmann Center for Animal Reproduction. 

The Marshak Dairy is named in honor of Robert Marshak, the ninth dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine whose support was instrumental in establishing the farm. Built in 1996, the greenhouse dairy was the first of its kind and was recognized as a dairy of distinction in 1998. The greenhouse design uses natural lighting and excellent ventilation within the barn to promote a healthy environment for the cows.

The Marshak Dairy provides an easily accessible working dairy farm for research trials. In addition, the Dairy serves as a laboratory for teaching students on topics related to cow healthcare, preventive medicine, nutrition and food safety.

Joint injuries are overwhelmingly common in both human and equine athletes. Chondrocytes, the sole cell type in cartilage, are responsible for producing and maintaining the extra-cellular matrix (ECM), which affords remarkable tensile and compressive strength to the joint surface. Once damaged, cartilage has little to no ability to heal itself. Therefore, post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) commonly develops following joint trauma, whether sustained during an acute injury or accumulated overtime.

Lab Mission

• To improve cartilage repair using stem cell and gene therapy.
• To limit the long-term effects of joint trauma through gene therapy immunomodulation of the joint.
• To further elucidate the pathogenesis of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA).

Led by Katrin Hinrichs, DVM, PhD, DACT, the Harry Werner Endowed Professor of Equine Medicine and Chair of the Department of Clinical Studies-New Bolton Center, the Penn Equine Assisted Reproduction Laboratory (PEARL) performs both research and clinical work in equine assisted reproduction. The Laboratory conducts research into equine sperm capacitation (readiness for fertilization), oocyte maturation, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), standard in vitro fertilization, and equine embryo development, and is one of the few laboratories in the United States performing clinical ICSI to produce foals from client mares and stallions. Dr. Hinrichs has pioneered research in these areas, producing the first foal from ICSI and embryo culture in North America in 2003, and the first cloned horse foal in North America in 2005. 

Dr. Hinrichs’ research has established methods for equine assisted reproductive techniques that are now used clinically worldwide, including methods for successfully holding and shipping equine oocytes, for performing equine embryo biopsy, which allows genetic diagnosis of embryos before transfer to avoid production of foals with genetic diseases, and methods for successful vitrification (freezing) of expanded equine blastocysts, which allows embryos to be produced from older or valuable mares year-round while still supporting the production of foals that have early birth dates.

The Reference Andrology Laboratory provides complete testing of neat, cooled and frozen-thawed semen from mammalian and avian species. The primary purpose of these services is to aid practitioners in their differential diagnosis of individual/herd/flock reproductive problems.

These services are also frequently used by practitioners and studs as a third-party quality control component in an ongoing stud auditing process.

The laboratory strives to perform objective, validated techniques for assessing samples for the basic spermiogram parameters of sample volume, motility, morphology, and concentration. With advanced notification, we will also try to accommodate requests for supplemental assessment techniques on sperm subcellular structures. We also offer semen extender analysis and microbiological testing of the extended semen product and purified water used in extenders. 

Over the last decade, the members of the van Eps Laboratory have recognized key differences (and some similarities) in the initial events that lead to the three types of laminitis:

1. Sepsis-related laminitis (SRL)
2. Endocrinopathic laminitis (associated with insulin dysregulation/hyperinsulinemia)
3. Supporting limb laminitis (SLL)

A focus on these early events is leading to a better understanding of why laminitis occurs in different clinical situations and is helping to identify therapeutic targets.

Our goal is to identify the key pathophysiological events that lead to different forms of laminitis in order to develop clinically applicable means of preventing this crippling equine disease.