Veterinarians from Idaho Equine Hospital, including Dr. William Maupin and Dr. Stuart Shoemaker, performed the first-ever combination regenerative medicine treatment on a six-year-old Quarter Reined Cow horse that suffered a significant injury to its distal straight sesamoidean ligament.
Stem cell research aiding horses
Vets have performed the first-ever combination regenerative medicine treatment on a six-year-old Quarter Reined Cow horse that suffered a significant injury to its distal straight sesamoidean ligament.
This injury can be challenging for veterinarians to successfully treat and return the horse to athletic competition.
The veterinary team and the scientific team at Stemlogix, LLC determined that the best treatment protocol would be to treat him with point-of-care stem cell therapy using the Stemlogix In-Clinic Regenerative Medicine System and then perform a follow up treatment a few weeks later using culture expanded mesenchymal stem cells. He received a dose of the point-of-care stem cell therapy three weeks ago and three weeks later received an injection of culture expanded mesenchymal stem cells.
Stemlogix, LLC pioneered the landmark stem cell therapy treatment regimen and this is the first time this combination stem cell therapy treatment has ever been performed on a horse. The team that treated the horse believes this revolutionary treatment protocol will give him the best chance for an improved quality of life and provides the best opportunity for restoring the injured tissue back to its normal structure instead of healing with scar tissue.
“Due to the severity of the injury and the poor circulation present in the sesamoidean ligament we elected to perform a two-step therapeutic approach,” said Dr. Maupin. “We first injected adipose derived stem cell therapy produced patient-side to initiate an environment of healing.
“In addition, we injected culture expanded mesenchymal stem cells. This secondary expanded and enriched mesenchymal stem cell therapy treatment may further restore normal tissue structure or actual ligament tissue.”
To provide him with this groundbreaking treatment, two small fat samples were taken from the base of his tail via a minimally invasive lipoaspirate procedure. Fat tissue is the richest source of stem cells for both human patients and animal patients. One of the tissue samples was processed on-site to provide a same-day, point-of-care stem cell treatment while the other tissue sample was sent to the Stemlogix state-of-the-art cGMP laboratory where the mesenchymal stem cells were isolated and expanded for three weeks. A portion of his stem cells were also cryopreserved for future use.
The Stemlogix In-Clinic Regenerative Medicine System rapidly produces a composition of stem cells at the point-of-care containing an abundance of mesenchymal stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells, among other cell types. This assortment of stem cells provides additional growth factors and therapeutic proteins to stimulate healing. This system offers veterinarians an optimal treatment tool that is convenient and effective in treating debilitating equine diseases and injuries.
On the other hand, the culture expanded stem cell therapy contains a high number of purified mesenchymal stem cells which makes this therapy better suited for treating specific indications such as orthopedic injuries, autoimmune diseases and other degenerative diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells are multi-potent or have the ability to form into a variety of new tissues such as bone, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons.
In some circumstances, treating patients with a combination of these stem cell therapies takes advantage of the unique characteristics of each cell therapy and can provide the best greatest chance for clinical improvement and the best opportunity for true regenerative healing. The scientists and veterinarians involved in this case believe that this treatment could further shorten healing time after an injury and further decrease the chances of re-injury.
Stemlogix, LLC is the only veterinary regenerative medicine company that offers both point-of-care adipose stem cell therapy and culture expanded adipose stem cell therapy. “Our goal is to provide veterinarians with the most regenerative medicine capability and the most regenerative treatment options for their patients,” said Kristin Comella, CEO of Stemlogix, LLC. “This combination of stem cell treatments performed on Pluto marks an important advancement in the field of veterinary regenerative medicine,” she added.
About Stemlogix, LLC
Stemlogix high quality stem cell therapy and other regenerative medicine therapies are impacting the lives of cats, dogs and horses around the U.S. and in other countries. The company has developed a scientifically validated method for harvesting stem cells from both fat tissue and bone marrow for therapeutic use. The Stemlogix stem cell isolation processes provide for consistent cellular products that are compliant with current regulatory guidelines. Stemlogix has a highly experienced management team with over 20 years combined experience in developing multiple stem cell therapeutics for both human and animal use. In all of its products and services, Stemlogix aims to provide the best cutting-edge regenerative medical solutions, and seeks to provide companion animals and horses with renewed health and vitality. The company has partnered with Butler Schein Animal HealthT, the leading companion animal health distribution company in the U.S., who are demonstrating the ease and effectiveness of the Stemlogix regenerative medicine treatments to veterinarians nationwide.
Read more about use of Stem Cells to Treat Horses