Towards Automated Manufacturing for Cell Therapies.

Purpose Of Review: Many cell therapy products are beginning to reach the commercial finish line and a rapidly escalating pipeline of products are in clinical development. The need to develop manufacturing capability that will support a successful commercial business model has become a top priority as many cell therapy developers look to secure long-term visions to enable both funding and treatment success.

Recent Findings: Manufacturing automation is both highly compelling and very challenging at the same time as a key tactic to address quality, cost of goods, scale, and sustainability that are fundamental drivers for commercially viable manufacturing.

A Novel Hepadnavirus Identified in an Immunocompromised Domestic Cat in Australia.

High-throughput transcriptome sequencing allows for the unbiased detection of viruses in host tissues. The application of this technique to immunosuppressed animals facilitates the detection of viruses that might otherwise be excluded or contained in immunocompetent individuals. To identify potential viral pathogens infecting domestic cats we performed high-throughput transcriptome sequencing of tissues from cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).

Sustained, Low-Intensity Exercise Achieved by a Dynamic Feeding System Decreases Body Fat in Ponies.

Background: Obesity in horses is increasing in prevalence and can be associated with insulin insensitivity and laminitis. Current treatment strategies for obesity include dietary restriction and exercise. However, whether exercise alone is effective for decreasing body fat is uncertain.

Population dynamics of feral horses (Equus caballus) following above-average rainfall in a semi-arid environment of Australia.

Background: Recent record rainfall in much of semi-arid Central Australia is the most likely reason for a feral horse population increase in excess of normal. Uncontrolled numbers of feral horses have habitat degradation and animal welfare implications.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate the social structure of feral horses and assess their population growth rate following unseasonably high rainfall.

The feral horse foot. Part B: radiographic, gross visual and histopathological parameters of foot health in 100 Australian feral horses.

Background: It has been proposed that the feral horse foot is a benchmark model for foot health in horses. However, the foot health of feral horses has not been formally investigated.

Objectives: To investigate the foot health of Australian feral horses and determine if foot health is affected by environmental factors, such as substrate properties and distance travelled.