The new canine cell line, which is commercially available, supports a national push for more efficient and ethical research.

Before testing new therapies in animals, researchers now have a more efficient starting point — lab-grown canine muscle cells that can help identify what works and what doesn’t.

Developed at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS), the Myok9 cell line is a lab-grown canine muscle cell model that allows scientists to evaluate treatments in a controlled laboratory setting before moving into further studies.

The approach supports a growing national effort to reduce animal use in research while maintaining scientific progress, particularly in fields focused on developing new therapies. The Myok9 cell line is now commercially available through multiple vendors, including one of the world’s largest cell line distributors.

“The whole purpose is to first reduce the number of animals in research and create a model that researchers can easily access and test therapies before moving into animal studies,” said Dr. Peter Nghiem, an associate professor in VMBS’ Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences and the principal investigator for the project.

A More Reliable Model For Muscle Research

The Myok9 cell line is derived from canine myoblasts — precursor, or primary, cells that play a critical role in muscle repair and regeneration, making them an important focus for studying muscle-related diseases. In the body, these cells naturally develop into muscle tissue over time.

Traditionally, researchers rely on primary cells collected directly from animals or people. While useful, those cells have a limited lifespan in the lab, typically surviving only a few rounds of replications before they stop dividing and die.

“When primary cells die off quickly, it limits how many treatments researchers can test and how long they can study them in the lab,” Nghiem said. “That can slow down the early stages of therapeutic development.”

To overcome this limitation, researchers “immortalized” the Myok9 cells by introducing a protein that allows them to replicate far beyond the normal limit; this extended lifespan makes the cells significantly more durable and easier to work with in laboratory environments.

One of the most valuable uses of the Myok9 cell line is in early-stage therapeutic testing, helping researchers identify which treatments are most promising before moving into animal studies. By screening therapies in the lab first, researchers can reduce the number of animals needed during the earliest stages of testing.

Because the cells are less sensitive to handling and experimental conditions, researchers can also test therapies more consistently in the lab.

“You can give them treatments like gene editing or gene therapy to see if it actually works,” Nghiem said. “If it does, then you can move on to the next phase of testing.”

Reducing Animal Research

The Myok9 cell line also aligns with a broader push from federal agencies to reduce animal use in research when possible.

“There’s a big push from the NIH and the federal government to reduce animals in research,” Nghiem said. “Tools like Myok9 can help with this by allowing researchers to first test therapies in a culture (dish) model before moving into animal studies.”

Researchers developing new drugs or gene therapies must answer several key questions during therapeutic testing, including whether a treatment works at the molecular level, whether it is safe, and whether it improves the disease being studied.

“With Myok9, we can reduce some of the number of animals used for the earlier stages of testing, particularly when evaluating whether a therapy is working as intended at the molecular level,” Nghiem said. “However, animal testing is still needed to comprehensively evaluate safety and whether the therapy improves disease outcomes.”

Expanding Access To Research Tools

For Nghiem, one of the most exciting aspects is the potential for the cell line to support discoveries far beyond his own lab. By providing researchers with a reliable, accessible, and ethically aligned tool, Myok9 represents a step forward in how biomedical and veterinary research is conducted — balancing innovation with responsibility.

“Because these cells are commercially available, they can be distributed to laboratories around the world,” Nghiem said. “With the click of a button, researchers can order these cells, grow them in their lab, and test their therapy.”

This availability not only supports individual research projects but also opens the door for broader scientific collaboration and innovation.

As demand grows for alternative research models, tools like Myok9 are expected to play an increasingly important role in both academic and industry settings.

“A cell line that was developed in our small lab might have a scientific breakthrough somewhere around the world,” he said.

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Texas A&M researchers are helping veterinarians better understand how a commonly used anti-nausea medication may affect what they see during diagnostic imaging. A new study found that maropitant citrate, often used to control vomiting in dogs, may temporarily slow movement in parts of the stomach and small intestine without significantly changing intestinal size or wall thickness.

These findings highlight the importance of considering medication history when interpreting abdominal ultrasound or radiograph results.

Read the full article to learn how this research may support more informed imaging decisions and improve care for canine patients.

Myers, J., Voges, A., Werner, R., Ritter, N.L. (2026). Maropitant citrate administration significantly decreases the rate of peristalsis in the stomach and jejunum and does not significantly alter intestinal diameter or intestinal wall thickness in healthy adult dogs.  Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, 67(3). doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/vru.70167

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Veterinary students must learn to connect classroom knowledge with the complex decisions required in clinical practice. A recent study by Dr. Nicola Ritter, Dr. Johanna Heseltine, and the Center for Educational Technologies at Texas A&M University examined how adaptive, case-based learning can help preclinical veterinary students practice that transition.

Published in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, the study focused on online kidney disease cases designed to strengthen students’ confidence in clinical reasoning. The findings point to the value of educational technology that gives learners realistic, low-risk opportunities to think through patient care before entering the clinic and professional practice.

Read the article on the JVME website.

Ritter, N. L., Heseltine, J. (2026). Impact of Adaptive Case-Based Learning on Clinical Reasoning Confidence in Pre-Clinical Veterinary Students. Journal of Veterinary Medical Educators. 

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Dylan Pham, PhD, a BIMS doctoral graduate from Dr. Ko’s lab, has received a NASA postdoctoral grant for his project, “Impact of Simulated Microgravity and Aging on Ocular Artery and Neural Retina Function.” His post-doc mentor is Dr. Travis Hein, from the Department of Medical Physiology in the Texas A&M Health’s College of Medicine, in College Station.

Read more about this grant from the NASA website.

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Texas A&M University researchers have developed a material that keeps stem cells from clumping together when injected into a body, removing a major barrier in stem cell therapeutics.

When stem cells are injected into thick tissues, they often clump together and die from lack of oxygen or nutrients, making it almost impossible to use them for thick, highly vascularized tissues like organ transplants or muscle repair.

Peter Nghiem, associate professor in the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Aaron Morton, assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development, have collaborated on a new tool that can prevent stem cells from clustering and may unlock future therapeutics as well as allow experts to revisit failed clinical trials.

Read more of this article at Texas A&M Stories.

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The publication is part of an open educational resource developed in collaboration with Frontiers to expand access to high-quality veterinary education materials.

You can access the publication here: Creating partnerships between veterinarians and underserved producers: getting started with establishing veterinary client–patient relationships |Enhancing Veterinary Access Through One Health and Interprofessional Collaborations | Frontiers In Veterinary Science | Veterinary Humanities and Social Sciences

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The Center for Educational Technologies (CET) is proud to share a recent peer-reviewed publication highlighting one of our anatomy-focused instructional innovations. This research documents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an interactive anatomy learning tool created through collaboration between educators, instructional designers, and subject-matter experts at Texas A&M University.

Read more about this project and the research on the CET blog.

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The post Dr. Meredith Anderson receives 2025 Ashworth-Tsutsui Award appeared first on Veterinary Integrative Biosciences.

• View photos from the event.
• Watch a recording of the event where Dr. Levent speaks at the 2:24:15 mark.

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