The use of stem cells to repair tendon and cartilage damage in horses is gaining momentum, with a British company saying its has successfully used it in the treatment on 300 performance horses.
The company behind it is VetCell Bioscience Ltd, set up by Britain's Royal Veterinary College in 2002.
Similar success is being enjoyed by researchers at Colorado State University's Equine Orthopaedic Center, reported on Horsetalk on January 6: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/0601/003.shtml
The Colorado University's center, headed by New Zealand-born Dr Wayne McIlwraith, is among a handful of medical sites pioneering the revolutionary approach to treating equine joint injuries - ligament, tendon or bone fractures - with stem cells.
The London-based Vetcell is reportedly now going from strength to strength, and the firm says some of the most devastating injuries and diseases of performance horses are now treatable thanks to the therapy. Stem cells, for the first time, offer the prospect of a return to a fully functional tendon.
Like human athletes, competitive horses are vulnerable to joint injuries, especially tendon. Performance horses, like human athletes, are often pushed to their limits and this can lead to tendon or ligament injury. Injury to tendons is healed by extensive scar tissue, which limits the tendon?s normal role. The scar tissue impairs movement and is stronger than normal tendon, so does not stretch in the same way as normal tendon. In turn, this is likely lead to further lameness.
But, using the new technique to reduce the scar tissue formation caused by injury, and even regenerate damaged tendons, which is notoriously difficult in horses, can lead to complete recovery. The stem cell treatment is unique as it uses tissues to grow more tendon-like cells.
VetCell scientists are now working on revolutionary treatments to speed up human biological healing processes with stem cells. It is possible that similar repair mechanisms can be instituted in humans.
Greg McGarrell, CEO of VetCell, describes his firm as "a real zero to hero biotechnology company", built on a "shoe string".
"Our success is largely due to the cutting edge research at the Royal Veterinary College being combined with the knowledge of professional city people. This means that VetCell has had a commercial focus right from the start. While universities are keen to create spin-out companies, far too few of these become successful businesses. A key problem with spin-outs is that they lack good business management.
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