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COMMERCIAL AVAILABILITY AND ONGOING RESEARCH
Both groups (RVC and CSU) with long-term clinical outcomes have made their techniques available to veterinarians by creat- ing commercial laboratories. (RVC: VetCell, and CSU: Advanced Regenerative Therapies (ART)). Both of these laboratories utilize bone marrow aspirate, culture expansion and a single treatment into the site of the injury. Recently three new commercial labs have come on-line (UC-Davis, Alamo Pintado and Rood and Riddle). Institutes such as the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) are culturing their own bone marrow derived stem cells for clinical use and have initiated research studies. These groups offer culture-expanded bone marrow stem cells. The recommenda- tions of these new labs are different than those of RVC, CSU and EMC. Specifically, they have been advocating multiple treatments, intravenous administrations, and larger volume (50ml) marrow draws, which in people is asso- ciated with pain and dilution of the stem cells. While some studies in laboratory animals have utilized such treatment protocols, this novel approach in the equine field will require safety and efficacy trials as well as critical evaluation of efficacy prior to this method becoming a standard treatment protocol. Furthermore,
care must be taken to prevent the grouping
of different approaches under a general stem cell category to ensure that the horse owner and veterinarian are aware of the pros or cons associated with each approach. The group at UC-Davis has changed their focus from cord
blood to adult derived bone marrow stem cells and is researching some of these novel equine administration techniques, although it is too early to comment on the clinical applications (Sole et al. 2011).
SUMMARY
In summary, culture expanded bone mar- row derived stem cells appear to be the state of the art in equine medicine today. Horse owners are encouraged to have their veterinarians look at the research and long-term clinical outcomes
from each of the commercial groups prior to making decisions on both case and laboratory selection. Also equally important is to not to be too persuaded by “miracle” stories or marketing techniques touting the benefits in the field of stem cells.
References
1. Ferris DJ, Frisbie DD, McIlwraith CW, Kawcak CE.
Current joint therapy usage in equine practice: a survey
of veterinarians 2009. Equine Vet J 2011;43:530-535. 2. Godwin EE, Young NJ, Dudhia J, Beamish IC, Smith
RKW. Implantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchy- mal stem cells demonstrates improved outcome in horses with overstrain injury of the superficial digital flexor tendon. Equine Vet J 2012;44:25-32.
3. Herthel DJ. Enhanced suspensory ligament healing in 100 horses by stem cell and other bone marrow compo- nents. Am Assoc Equine Pract 2001;47:319-321.
4. Kisiday JD, Kopesky PW, Evans CH, Grodzinsky AJ, McIlwraith CW, Frisbie DD. Evaluation of adult equine bone marrow – and adipose – derived progenitor cell chondrogenesis in hydrogel cultures. J Orthop Res 2008;26:322-331.
5. Smith MM, Ravi V, Dart AJ, Young AA, Sonnabend DH, Little CB. The timing of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell injection is critical for long-term benefit to infraspinatus tendon in a sheep model. Orthop Res Soc 2012;37:0161.
6. Sole A, Spriet M, Galuppo LD, Padgett KA, Borjesson DL, Wisner ER, Brosnan RJ, Vidal MA. Scintigraphic evaluation of intra-arterial and intravenous regional limb perfusion of allogenic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the normal equine distal limb using 99mTc-HMPAO. Equine Vet J 2011; DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00530.x.
7. Vidal MA, Robinson SO, Lopez MJ, Paulsen DB, Borkhsenious O, Johnson JR, Moore RM, Gimble JM. Comparison of chondrogenic potential in equine mes- enchymal stromal cells derived from adipose tissue and bone marrow. Vet Surg 2008;37:713-724.
8. Walmsley JP. Meniscal tears in horses: an evaluation of clinical signs and arthroscopic treatment of 80 cases. Equine Vet J 2003;35:402-406.
John Kisiday, PhD, examines the growth of stem cells to make sure the culture is proceeding normally.
Equine Research Coordination Group
The veterinary community needs your assistance to increase fund- ing for research on use of mesenchymal stem cells as a treatment for a number of disease processes in equines. Please contact the American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation (www. aaepfoundation.org), the American Quarter Horse Foundation (www. aqha.com/foundation), Grayson Jockey-Club Research Foundation (www.grayson-jockeyclub.org), Morris Animal Foundation (www. morrisanimalfoundation.org) or your favorite veterinary school or research institution to make a contribution towards equine research.
This is just one of the many efforts that the AAEP Foundation is coordinating on behalf of the industry through the Equine Research Coordination Group (ERCG), which is comprised of researchers and organizations that support equine research. Formally organized in 2006, the ERCG has a mission of advancing the health and welfare of horses by promoting the discovery and sharing of new knowledge, enhancing awareness of the need for targeted research, educating the public, expanding fundraising opportunities and facilitating coopera- tion among funding agencies.
The ERCG is a group that comprises researchers and organizations that support equine research. Participants in the ERCG include equine foundations and multiple university research representatives. Current participants include: American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation, American Horse Council, American Quarter Horse Foundation, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Havemeyer Foundation, Morris Animal Foundation, Oaktree Charitable Foundation, United States Equestrian Federation Foundation and uni- versity researchers and representatives: Noah Cohen, VMD, MPH, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM (Texas A & M University); Gregory Ferraro, DVM (University of California-Davis); C. Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc (DVM), PhD, FRCVS, DSc, Dipl. ACVS (Colorado State University); James Moore, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS (University of Georgia); Rustin Moore, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS (The Ohio State University); Corinne Sweeney, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM (University of Pennsylvania); Mats Troedsson, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACT (University of Kentucky); and Nathaniel White II, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS (Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine).
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veterinary views
Karl Gehring, The Denver Post