IRAP

Interleukin Receptor Antagonist Protein

Horse’s joints that are inflamed or swollen contain fluids that carry interleukins. These proteins play a major role in the deterioration of tissues like joint cartilage.

In most cases routine injections of Hyaluronic Acid and steroids treat the joint sufficiently. IRAP uses gene therapy to tackle the interleukins in the horse’s joint fluid by preventing the interleukins from attaching to tissues and prevents the damaging effects of interleukins.

The procedure begins with drawing blood from the horse into a specially prepared syringe. The blood is then incubated and processed at a local lab resulting in a plasma, abundant with IRAP. The IRAP is then injected directly into the inflamed joint. Typically the harvested IRAP yields enough plasma to treat the horse weekly for three weeks.