What is Vet-Stem Regenerative Medicine?

Regenerative Medicine is a broad definition for innovative medical therapies that will enable the body to repair, replace, restore and regenerate damaged or diseased tissues.

Vet-Stem Regenerative Medicine uses a concentrated form of autologous adipose-derived adult stem cells to treat traumatic and degenerative diseases, including bowed tendons, ligament injuries, osteoarthritis, and osteochondral defects in horses, dogs and cats.

Success in human clinical trials and animal models
Despite its infancy, regenerative medicine is not new. Success in numerous animal models of disease and emerging success in human clinical trials for Crohn's fistulas¹ and stroke² , along with hundreds of ongoing clinical trials (See sidebar) support the rationale for stem cell use, and now success, in veterinary medicine. Vet-Stem collaborative and clinical research demonstrate positive results in treating horses with tendon and ligament injuries, osteochondral defects, and osteoarthritis.^3-6 The first peer reviewed double-blinded multicenter study for adipose-derived stem cell therapy use in canine osteoarthritis of the hip showed significant improvement in all post treatment evaluation times for lameness, pain, and range of motion. Similar results have been obtained for canine elbows and stifles.

Stem cells are multipotent and can differentiate into tendon, ligament, bone, cartilage, cardiac, nerve, muscle, blood vessels, fat, and liver tissue^22,23 (see figure below). The stromal fraction that is harvested from adipose tissue is a heterogeneous mixture of regenerative cells (see below).

• Rationale based on consistent therapeutic success in numerous animal models of disease (see sidebar)
• Adipose-derived stem cells (Vet-Stem Regenerative Cells: VSRC™)
• Autologous cell therapy
• Currently used in horses with bowed tendons, ligament injuries, and fractures, and in dogs with osteoarthritis
• More than 4,000 horses treated since 2003
• More than 3,500 dogs treated since 2006
• No systemic adverse events reported and < 0.5% local tissue reactions.^3-6
• Demonstrated efficacy with VSRC therapy in horses and dogs
  • Cornell University double-blind, placebo controlled study⁵
  • Retrospective studies^3,4,37
  • Case studies⁶
  • Double-blinded placebo controlled multicenter study

• Readily available source
• Can be collected in far greater concentrations than those from bone marrow²⁴
• Able to differentiate into multiple lineages implicating their potential in bone, cartilage, and cardiac repair²³ (See figure above)
• Fractions isolated from adipose tissue contain a heterogeneous mixture of regenerative cells, including:²³
  • Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)
  • Endothelial progenitor cells
  • Pericytes
  • Immune cells
  • Fibroblasts
  • Other growth factor-secreting bioactive cells

• Does not rely on a single target receptor or a single pathway for its action
• Regenerative cell mixture is delivered either directly to the traumatic wound (e.g.: tendonitis, desmitis, fracture) or are delivered systemically (e.g.: liver disease, renal disease)
• Regenerative cells can differentiate into many tissue types, induce repair, and stimulate regeneration²²
• Regenerative cells "communicate" with the cells of their local environment through paracrine and autocrine modalities, creating the optimal environment for natural healing²⁵
• Regenerative cells produce a variety of both secreted and cell surface substances that regulate tissue growth, integrity, and function²⁵