Thomas G. Koch

Profile

Dr. Koch is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Studies, Orthopaedic Research Lab, Aarhus University, Denmark. He received his Veterinary degree from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark. He worked in mixed animal and equine private veterinary practices before completing an Internship in large animal medicine and surgery at the Ontario Veterinary College. He went on to complete a Residency of Internal Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College, where he continues to work as part of the emergency service at the Teaching Hospital. He obtained his PhD degree from the University of Guelph and was the first to report the isolation of putative mesenchymal stem cells from equine umbilical cord blood.

Research Interests

Dr. Koch’s current research focus is on stem cell and tissue engineering-based therapies with joint cartilage repair being the main area of investigation. Studies on equine, canine and human stem cells, joint cartilage and synovial joint health are pursued in parallel.  Within this applied research approach basic mechanistic insights of joint homeostasis and the chondrogenic cell fate is sought including studies in the area of cell mechanobiology. Novel therapies applied in horses and dogs with natural spontaneous disease serve as important translational pre-clinical animal models of similar human diseases. Dr. Koch’s broader research interests are regenerative medicine, improved animal welfare through regenerative medicine approaches and the translation of novel therapies to human medicine.