There is an urgent need for a safe and effective treatment for recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) or ‘roaring’ in performance horses. Laryngeal reinnervation is promising in that it offers a more physiologic technique with far fewer complications than prosthetic laryngoplasty, however, to become widely adopted the recovery time must be reduced so that horses may resume racing within 6 months.
Recent advances in the study of laryngeal myology and the actions of neurotrophins have led to the development by our collaborators of novel methods that enhance reinnervation of laryngeal muscles in several animal models.
Thoroughbred breeders, owners and trainers, the veterinary research community and scientists in the fields of skeletal muscle regeneration will be interested in the results generated from this RIRDC project.