Recharge is one of the craftable items in the game. Users in the Pharmaceutical Sciences stream can craft it using PRP, IRAP and stem cells.

Course Article

Musculoskeletal Treatments

Horses are susceptible to getting injured when participating in performance events, so a lot of science has gone into helping get them back to work and feeling happy and healthy. Most of these injuries respond to "regenerative therapies" that have been developed to help encourage the body to rebuild injured tissue with new, as-healthy-as-possible tissue.

One of the most common regenerative therapies is platelet-rich plasma (PRP). In this treatment, a large amount of the horse's blood is taken, and it is spun down to separate out the red blood cells from the plasma. The remaining plasma is rich in white blood cells and platelets, which can help increase local tissue repair when injected into an injury. It also helps reduce inflammation to allow for healing.

Another therapy used for treating lameness is interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein (IRAP). This is not technically a regenerative therapy, however it is often associated with them. It works by blocking interleukin-1, which is released when the body is injured in order to stimulate an inflammatory response. By preventing its release, the inflammatory response is reduced, and tissue healing can occur. IRAP is made by collecting blood from the horse, then incubating it to isolate the white blood cells. It is then injected at the site of injury to allow for improved healing.

A newer therapy on the market is stem cells. Stem cells are cells that can grow into other cell types, so when introduced into a site of injury, they can become cells the injured area needs in order to help repair itself. In this treatment, samples of the bone marrow or fat of the horse are taken and the stem cells are cultured from the tissue. The cells are then injected into the injury site, allowing for more rapid healing.

These three treatments are combined in the product Recharge on Oxer To Oxer. It can be used on horses who are in rehab from a musculoskeletal injury, and it will reduce their rehabilitation time by half!

1. Larson, E. Sorting out IRAP, PRP and stem cells. The Horse, 2011. https://thehorse.com/119387/sorting-out-irap-prp-and-stem-cells/