Stem Cell Work in Dogs
There have been some recent and exciting advancement in the field of Regenerative Veterinary Medicine. These advancements involve the use of stem cells derived from body fat. The procedure involves collecting adipose (fat) tissue from a patient, extracting both stem and regenerative cells from that tissue and administering those cells back into the patient's own body. The outcome is that these stem cells stimulate growth and repair of tissue such as cartilage, tendon, bone and others. Prior to this discovery patients had to endure chronic pain because tissue could not be generated to replace that which was damaged.
Adipose derived stem cell therapy has been commercially available since 2003. There are different types of stem cells in the body.
Embryonic stems cells (Cells collected from embryos)- have the ability to become (grow into) complete organs. In human medicine there is strict governmental restriction on the use of this type of cell.
Mesenchymal stem cells (Cells that are derived from tissue in the body (Adipose, blood, bone marrow)) - have the ability to become a single type of tissue based on chemical mediators in their environment. This means a Mesenchymal stem cell can become a muscle cell, tendon, cartilage, bone, etc.
The current, most common, usage of stem cell therapy is for the treatment of Arthritis or Degenerative joint Disease. The process involves a surgical procedure in which the dog is anesthetized and fat is collected. There are a few areas on a dog's body where fat is stored so that even very thin dogs can have a fat collection performed. The fat is then sent to the cell processing laboratory where the tissue is processed to extract specific regenerator and stem cells. These cells are then packaged into single dose syringes and sent back to the credentialed veterinarian. The dog is then sedated again for the injection of the cells. The cells are injected directly into the affected joint or joints. Many times an intravenous dose is also given. The cells then become encoded to grow and become cartilage, tendon, ligaments, etc. The key to this therapy is that the cells are collected and then administered back to the same patient. Therefore there is minimal risk of rejection.
There have been excellent scientific studies performed, that have shown statistically significant improvement in patients treated for arthritis with stem cell therapy. The treated patients had a greater quality of life (less pain, less drugs needed) than untreated dogs with the same type of arthritic condition. Treated dogs tend to show significant improvement within the first 3 months post injection. Most owners questioned, thought their dogs were acting better within the first month. The length of time that the improvement lasts depends on the patient and the disease process that is being treated. Treatments can be repeated. Some patients need a second treatment within 1 year while others never require a second treatment. Since cells can be stored only one collection surgery needs to be performed. For each injection, cells at the lab simply are reprocessed made into doses and are sent to the credentialed veterinarian.
Stem cell treatment will not prevent the cause of degenerative joint disease, since it will not change the anatomy of an affected joint. This means that a dog that suffers from hip dysplasia doesn't get rid of the hip dysplasia (abnormal hip joint formation) but the stem cells will form new cartilage on the joint surface which will in turn relieve the pain of this condition. An animal that has this type of condition can receive stem cell therapy in an affected joint repeatedly, if needed, over the lifetime of the pet. When the cartilage becomes worn off, a treatment can be done to have the stem cells make new cartilage. Most of the time only one collection of fat is needed; the cells collected are stored so that additional doses of the stem cells can be derived from the original collection.
There is continued research on the use of fat derived stem cells for many different diseases including cardiac disease, renal disease, immune mediated diseases (anemias, thrombocytopenia, polyarthritis, etc), and even allergic skin disease. This research has not been published yet so is still considered experimental. In time the feeling is that the use of stem cell therapy will change the face of medicine as we know it. Imagine using our own cells to heal our own damaged tissues.
Cancer is a concern with the use of stem cell therapy. At this point there is some concern that dogs that have an existing tumor or have had a cancerous condition that is currently in remission should not have stem cell therapy. The concern is that the stem cell can become a cancer cell and make the cancer worse. Until further research is performed all animals should have blood work and radiographs performed to ensure they do not have any evidence of a cancerous process. Careful screening of candidates for this type of therapy is very important since our goal is to always improve the quality of the pet's life.
The cost of treatment usually runs from 2,500 to 4,000 dollars depending on the extent of prescreening tests and the number of joints/ organ systems treated. The storage of stem cells for future use is available and recommended so that the pet has to have only one collection procedure. There is yearly storage fees charged to the client by the cell processing lab. At this time the only company offering these services is VET STEM.
The future is very bright in Regenerative Veterinary Medicine. There is continued ongoing research in the use of regenerative cell therapy, stem cell therapy, and platelet rich plasma therapy for the treatment of hundreds of disease processes. If cells damaged by chronic diseases can be replaced using the body's own cells the opportunities to improve pet's lives are endless.
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Dr. Ellen Leonhardt
Animal General
East Norwich
(516) 624-7500
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