Study finds equicenta CTM outperformed standard care in horses
Bottom line
A new multicenter clinical trial in Frontiers in Veterinary Science found that cryopreserved umbilical allograft equicenta® CTM outperformed clinician-selected standard of care for appendicular musculoskeletal injuries in performance horses. The prospective, open-label study enrolled 138 client-owned horses across eight equine practices and followed them for up to 26 weeks. Compared with non-steroidal standard-of-care options selected by treating clinicians, equicenta® CTM was associated with earlier improvement in pain and swelling by 2 weeks, better lameness scores by 4 weeks, and stronger return-to-performance outcomes at 26 weeks. Horses treated with the product had 2.72-to-1 odds of returning to or exceeding prior performance, and injection-related adverse events were reported more often in the standard-of-care group, especially for joint injections. (frontiersin.org)
Why it matters: For equine veterinarians, the study adds prospective controlled data to a regenerative medicine category that often relies on smaller case series or less standardized comparators. The trial was designed to reflect real-world practice, with clinicians using their usual non-steroidal biologic approaches in the control arm, including PRP, PPP, exosomes, and stem cell products. That makes the findings more relevant to day-to-day lameness management, particularly for practices weighing an off-the-shelf allograft against autologous or multi-step biologic options. The paper also arrives as regulators continue to scrutinize animal cell and tissue products; FDA says no ACTPs are currently approved, underscoring the importance of published safety and effectiveness data when veterinarians counsel pet parents and competitive horse clients. (frontiersin.org)
What to watch: Whether follow-up studies narrow the evidence by lesion type, compare equicenta® CTM head-to-head with specific biologics rather than mixed standard of care, and clarify its regulatory path and uptake in equine sports medicine. (frontiersin.org)
Key facts
- Product
- equicenta® CTM
- Type
- Cryopreserved equine umbilical tissue allograft
- Study design
- Multicenter, prospective, open-label controlled trial
- Sample size
- 138 client-owned performance horses
- Sites
- Eight equine practices
- Condition
- Appendicular musculoskeletal injuries
- Comparator
- Clinician-selected non-steroidal standard of care, including PRP, PPP, exosomes, and stem cell products
- Follow-up
- Up to 26 weeks
- Key finding
- Earlier improvement in pain and swelling by 2 weeks, better lameness scores by 4 weeks, and stronger return-to-performance outcomes
- Return-to-performance result
- 2.72-to-1 odds of returning to or exceeding prior performance
- Safety finding
- Injection-related adverse events were reported more often in the standard-of-care group, especially for joint injections
A newly published pragmatic controlled trial suggests equicenta® CTM, a cryopreserved equine umbilical tissue allograft, may improve outcomes for lame performance horses compared with clinician-selected standard of care. In the Frontiers in Veterinary Science study, 138 client-owned performance horses with appendicular joint, tendon, or ligament conditions were enrolled across eight practices, with results showing earlier improvement in pain and swelling, better lameness outcomes, and stronger return-to-performance measures for the allograft group through 26 weeks. (frontiersin.org)
The backdrop here is a busy and sometimes uneven equine orthobiologics market. Lameness remains a major driver of poor performance, loss of use, and early retirement in sport horses, while clinicians have had to choose among a growing mix of platelet products, stem cell preparations, exosomes, and tissue-derived injectables with variable levels of evidence. The authors explicitly framed this trial as a real-world test rather than a tightly standardized efficacy study, comparing equicenta® CTM against the range of non-steroidal biologic approaches veterinarians already use in practice. (frontiersin.org)
The key findings were clinically meaningful. All enrolled horses completed the 12-week veterinary follow-up, and 135 of 138 surviving horses completed 26-week assessment. Compared with standard of care, cumulative improvement with equicenta® CTM appeared by 2 weeks for pain and swelling, by 4 weeks for lameness, and remained superior through 12 weeks for all primary clinical outcomes. At 26 weeks, mean and cumulative performance scores were significantly better in the equicenta® CTM group, with odds of returning to or exceeding prior performance favoring the product by 2.72:1. Client-reported body condition, hair coat, overall health, and quality-of-life scores also favored the allograft. (frontiersin.org)
The study also included secondary measures that go beyond subjective lameness scoring. Kinematic gait analysis in a subset of horses showed significantly greater improvement in asymmetry measures with equicenta® CTM, especially in forelimb lameness at impact and push-off. Ultrasound-based tissue remodeling findings were particularly notable in ligament injuries: no ligament cases in the standard-of-care group reached the study’s predefined “responding” threshold at final assessment, compared with 36% of equicenta® CTM ligament cases. The paper notes the tendon subgroup was underpowered, so those results should be interpreted more cautiously. (frontiersin.org)
Industry reaction has been predictably positive. In an August 6, 2026 Business Wire release, Equine Performance Labs highlighted the study as evidence that a single ready-to-use injection can outperform standard care while avoiding harvesting or patient-side processing. That framing will resonate with ambulatory and referral clinicians looking for more consistent workflows, though it’s worth noting the release comes from the product’s company and should be read alongside the peer-reviewed paper rather than in place of it. I did not find independent third-party expert commentary directly responding to this specific study, but the broader literature and professional discussion around equine biologics continues to emphasize the need for standardized products and controlled comparative trials. (markets.financialcontent.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this study stands out less because it proves regenerative medicine has arrived, and more because it raises the evidence bar in a category where head-to-head comparative data are still limited. The control arm reflected actual field practice, including PRP, PPP, exosomes, adipose-derived cells, bone marrow-derived cells, shockwave, rehabilitation, and other ancillary care, which improves the study’s practical relevance. At the same time, the open-label design, heterogeneous lesions, and optional rescue crossover mean the results are best viewed as strong practice-based evidence, not the final word on efficacy for every indication. (frontiersin.org)
There’s also a regulatory angle. FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine says animal cells, tissues, and cell- and tissue-based products fall under its ACTP framework, and the agency states that no ACTPs are currently FDA-approved. FDA has also issued guidance documents on manufacturing, donor eligibility, and regulatory expectations, while taking enforcement action against some illegally marketed products. For equine practitioners, that means published clinical outcomes matter, but so do manufacturing consistency, donor screening, labeling, adverse-event monitoring, and transparency about a product’s regulatory status when speaking with pet parents and trainers. (fda.gov)
What to watch: The next step is more precise evidence, especially lesion-specific trials, direct comparisons against individual biologics such as PRP or APS, and longer-term durability data beyond 26 weeks. It will also be worth watching whether equicenta® CTM generates broader independent commentary, additional peer-reviewed replication, or any publicly visible movement in the FDA ACTP risk-review pathway. (frontiersin.org)