Here’s an interview with the folks at Vet-Stem and what they have to say on the issue of their new therapy for joint pain in pets:
Q: According to your literature, above all do no harm is Vet-Stem’s mantra in medicine. With that in mind, could you detail the major risks involved in VSRC?
A: In the Vet-Stem process, the animal’s own fat is collected by the veterinarian and Vet-Stem then isolates stem and regenerative cells. As with any anesthetic procedure, there is a risk benefit analysis for each patient. Though the fat collection is a minor surgical procedure, the patient must be a good surgical candidate. Patients with other debilitating diseases that may compromise their surgical success, or patients that have ongoing cancer would not be acceptable candidates. After the dog’s stem cells have been isolated and sent back to the veterinarian, the veterinarian then injects the cells directly into the joint or tendon. As in any joint injection, good sterile technique must be practiced to minimize the risk of infection. The cells themselves, since they are derived from the patient, are of very low risk.
Q: Are you seeking FDA approval for VSRC? Or is that a nightmare your small company doesn’t want to tackle right now?
A: Because the cells are from the same animal, the FDA does not consider them a drug, more of a tissue transplant; therefore there is not a regulatory oversight. Vet-Stem maintains a collaborative relationship with the FDA.
Q: Is the human medical establishment inclined to look positively on VSRC or is it still viewed as experimental?
A: If you look at the human companies that will be first to market stem cell applications, the majority of them are using an adult derived stem cell platform. Many of these companies are currently treating human patients in clinical trials.
Q: Horses have often been on the leading edge of new orthopedic therapies. The use of nutraceuticals immediately comes to mind. Does that to some extent explain why this technology isn’t widely available for humans?
A: Horses are very athletic animals whose injuries can be career-ending, that may be why new therapies are often used for them. The phrase “stem cell” can be a very polarizing term due to the controversy surrounding embryonic stem cells, and when used in reference to a human patient, this process will take on much more scrutiny and study.
Q: How much does this therapy cost for a horse? For a dog?
A: Vet-Stem’s patients’ health statuses vary, and the cost to the client is difficult to estimate. Vet-Stem recommends pet owners talk to their veterinarians about the costs.
Q: Are pet health insurance companies covering it yet?
A: Many of the equine insurance companies do cover the cost for this therapy for the most common types of injuries. Vet-Stem has met with the pet insurance companies and the current policy is not to cover any type of treatment for hereditary orthopedic conditions such as hip dysplasia, a malformation of the hip socket. Osteoarthritis (OA) in some instances is covered by insurance. Vet-Stem’s advice to owners is to check with their pet insurance carrier. For internal medicine cases that are covered by pet insurance, the treating veterinarian is given a stipend of which to use at their discretion on treatment. Vet-Stem is working diligently on future internal medicine applications, and at this time, Vet-Stem does not have any internal medicine treatment options. In the future, once Vet-Stem has released and trained the veterinarian on an approved internal medicine application, if that veterinarian would like to use stem cell therapy as part of their treatment process, the insurance company will honor this.
Q: How many animals have been treated so far?
A: Dogs? More than 300. Horses? More than 2500.
Q: In layman’s terms, how do stem cells work in the joint to repair injury or degeneration?
A: The current working theory on how these cells work is that they act as trophic mediators, cells that signal to other cells to come in to repair response to the environment. These cells secrete a variety of cytokines, cells that help regenerate and repair the tissue, and growth factors. A diverse population of cells with different roles help the natural healing process regenerate the tissue.
Q: What indications are you providing it for in dogs? ACLs? Hip dysplasia? Elbow dysplasia?
A: OA as a result of hip or elbow dysplasia, fracture repair, tendon and ligament damage, partial tears of the ACL at time of surgical repair and autoimmune polyarthritis.
Q: Which specific internal medicine therapies are you targeting?
A: Vet-Stem is looking into therapy for liver, kidney and autoimmune disorders.
Q: Why not VSRC for cats?
A:VSRC therapy is approved for feline OA, tendon and ligament injury. Though Vet-Stem has not run clinical trials on feline OA, Vet-Stem’s credentialed users report good anecdotal feedback that supports the use in cats. Feline OA is under-diagnosed by cat owners and veterinarians since the signs for OA is not always limping, rather more subtle such as lack of activity, jumping on the bed etc.
Q: A clinical pathologist recently informed me of the likelihood that these calls obtained from fat are not stem cells as they’re discussed in human medicine. On further consideration, I wonder if Vet-Stem is talking about a multipotent fibroblast instead of a true pluripotent stem cell. Could you guys clarify this nitpicky issue?
A: This is best answered by reading many of the recent review articles in the literature, such as that by Jeff Gimble, who has characterized adipose (fat) derived stem cells from horses. There are many review articles written and no dispute in the scientific literature nor amongst the stem cell community as to the validity of adipose derived stem cells from animals or humans.
Add Comment38 Comments
wow. Am I reading right that this is only in clinical trials phase in humans? Sounds great, I need some.
Stefani March 28th, 2008 12:49:00 PM
One place it's available:
http://www.vetsportsmedicine.com/rehabServices/ind...
CathyA March 29th, 2008 06:17:00 PM
LOL. I mean I need some for ME.
Stefani March 30th, 2008 01:10:00 AM
some info for Stefani: see http://www.regenexx.com/
Andie April 28th, 2008 12:40:00 PM
I think this is ground breaking research and will benefit many pets with arthritic conditions which seems to be rampant in the pet community. This will offer relief from pain and ensure pets remain active as they age. I especially like hearing that it is being used for horses as they must remain physically active as well. Great news and I will keep informed about this breakthrough.
Teri Salvador May 1st, 2008 08:34:00 PM
Has anyone experienced adverse effects from the stem-cell injections? Our dog is 40 days out from his treatment and his hip problem is drastically worse....wobbly walking and falling frequently, which he didn't do before the injections. Maybe it will take more time , but for now I'm discouraged.
Sarah Dinster April 26th, 2009 08:38:06 PM
Great post. Thanks now the tremendous information. I leave cush this with my clients. All acrimony owners should stand for aware that grooming should best besides incomparable embody seeing health reasons prior to molecule spectacular human ideals.
online masters degree and online doctorate degree and online bachelor degree
hames May 20th, 2009 01:44:32 AM
You have to take good care of your newborn baby, so the question of How to lose weight after the baby was your second priority. <br /> I have been looking for solutions on how to lose weight after baby; I got so many weight loss experiences after giving birth! Therefore, I will share some of the most important tips to answer your questions. How to lose weight after the baby - 4 simple tips .
qixinyan May 22nd, 2009 11:13:06 PM
The court is still out on this technique. The unusual shape will enable the ball to knuckle more the air, making it move around unpredictably. In theory that should make it harder to catch. But then the slight unpredictable knuckling movement might make it harder to hit your target.
High school online AND Online High School Diploma
Markweee May 25th, 2009 03:50:04 AM
Transfer VHS to DVD RRConvert VHS
gtrte June 10th, 2009 04:06:51 AM
AVI to MOV MAC
RETRE TRET July 23rd, 2009 02:26:27 AM
I have learned a lot of health care related topics and I believe this can help many.Generally, this includes blood, urine, feces, phlegm (also known as sputum), as well as spinal, abdominal, joint and lung fluids. Should a pathologist note an usual imbalance in your body chemistry, they will probably want to conduct further examination on you, because it may be indicative of disease. There is value in clinical pathologist 's work.Because the public rarely meets pathologists, their work is not well understood. Pathology is a large and diverse field that allows a pathologist to participate in multiple areas of the field or focus their scope to a specific area. Essential to everyday surgeries, pathologists are responsible for processing and reporting on all specimens generated during surgery. Tissue samples are taken from the submitted specimens, stained, and processed for microscopic evaluation.
heart08 July 24th, 2009 08:20:31 AM
vigrx plus
john July 27th, 2009 03:07:27 PM
Thanks now the tremendous information.
<a href="home'>http://www.dalloway-school.com">home school diploma</a> | <a href="online'>http://www.dalloway-school.com">online high school</a> | <a href="diploma'>http://www.dalloway-school.com/degree.html">diploma degree</a>
Diploma August 7th, 2009 04:56:36 AM
Thanks now the tremendous information.
home school diploma
Diploma August 7th, 2009 04:58:50 AM
great post
Lord of the Rings
LOTR fan August 7th, 2009 05:00:13 AM
By this time things were deteriorating severely with Sophie's lethargy, chronic wobbliness and frequent episodes of stiff-limbed collapse leading her veterinary team to conclude that an MRI (better than a CT for identifying brain and spinal cord tumors) was indeed indispensable. Adison High School
interesting August 10th, 2009 01:43:42 AM
If you look at the human companies that will be first to market stem cell applications, the majority of them are using an adult derived stem cell platform. Many of these companies are currently treating human patients in clinical trials.
http://www.shengzhuwang.net
great August 10th, 2009 10:35:40 PM
arthritis becoming huge problem in all age group so your info. would be helpful for others too thx for sharing.
Healthcare Business Development
rlcare August 12th, 2009 02:34:16 AM
Nice to explorer your site. looks like lot of good information...
--
jeff
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
online GED | high school diploma | men divorce help | tcl training
Jeff August 13th, 2009 01:34:28 AM
it is very usefull information, tanks alot.
<a href="lord/' mce_href='http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org">Lord'>http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org">Lord of the Rings</a> | <a href="http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org/movies.html"> Lord of the Rings Movie</a> | <a href="http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org/author.html"> J.R.R. Tolkien</a>
Lotr August 13th, 2009 01:40:59 PM
<a href="lord/' mce_href='http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org">Lord'>http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org">Lord of the Rings</a> | <a href="http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org/movies.html"> Lord of the Rings Movie</a> | <a href="http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org/author.html"> J.R.R. Tolkien</a>
Lotr August 13th, 2009 01:43:06 PM
I find the topic of our discussion very important.
high school diploma diploma degree
Amie August 14th, 2009 12:28:49 PM
Lord of the rings
LOTR August 14th, 2009 12:32:28 PM
LOrd of the Rings
Eru August 15th, 2009 06:14:34 AM
diploma online
Dan August 17th, 2009 09:49:29 AM
jobs for 14 year olds jobs for 14 year olds
kidsjobs August 24th, 2009 09:25:21 PM
Hundreds of links of london jewellery in stock,Free Gift Wrapping,Complete links london jewellery collection,including necklaces,braceles,earrings.links london store links of london,links london Bracelet links of london Charms Cheap Links London,Fast Deliv ery!linksoflondon silver range for 2009 including links of london necklaces,Links Of London Earrings,Charms,and Bracelets links of london ,links of london Bracelet Earrings,links of london Bracelet Necklaces. The love for beauty is a nature of all human beings; the love for links jewelry is a habit of the public since various smashing links of London necklaces Tiffany Jewellery.
links london September 3rd, 2009 04:09:46 AM
interesting information)) http://www.altdesire.org
altdesire September 5th, 2009 03:13:40 PM
interesting information)) http://www.altdesire.org
altdesire September 5th, 2009 03:17:56 PM
interesting information))
http://www.altdesire.org
altdesire September 5th, 2009 03:21:07 PM
Great information free online games
Samantha September 22nd, 2009 01:24:11 PM
vigrx plus
john October 5th, 2009 11:13:39 AM
That's pretty cool.
seo services
Hadi October 23rd, 2009 12:56:29 PM
Thats looking cool
seo services
Hadi October 23rd, 2009 12:58:44 PM
Good news :) <a href="http://www.venduweb.com" style="position:relative;left:-5577px;">petites annonces</a>
Nico October 29th, 2009 01:09:56 PM
Good news too
petites annonce
Nico October 29th, 2009 01:12:11 PM
However mean your life is, tiffany jewelry meet it and live it do not shun it and call it hard discount tiffany jewelry unt tiffany jewelry It is not so bad as you are.It looks poorest when you are richest.
tiffany jewelry November 12th, 2009 08:06:53 PM
Add Commment