Amanda Adams, PhD, associate professor at the University of Kentucky (UK) Gluck Equine Research Center, is seeking donations of horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, also known as equine Cushing’s disease) for her research studies at UK.

Adams’ research focuses on equine immunology in aging, obesity/metabolic syndrome, and stress. Her program is unique in that she has established and currently maintains herds of aged, obese, and metabolic syndrome horses at UK, with the goal to improve the health and well-being of these “special needs” horses.

The aging component of her program focuses on understanding how old age affects immune responses, with particular interest to vaccination and the inflammaging process. She is also working on understanding the impact of nutritional interventions and endocrine disease (such as PPID) on these responses.

The obesity component of her program investigates the effects of obesity, in particular EMS. The goal is to identify novel diagnostics and treatment plans that target both the inflammatory and metabolic component of EMS, in order to monitor and prevent endocrinopathy-associated laminitis.

Lastly, her research involves investigating models of stress, both weaning and transport stress, and its impacts on immune and metabolic function.

For more information on donating a horse to her program, visit gluck.ca.uky.edu/sites/gluck.ca.uky.edu/files/ppiddonation2018.pdf.