If your pet is suffering from acute joint pain or a degenerative chronic pain problem, you may already know that Veterans Memorial Drive Animal Hospital can provide a variety of healing and pain management solutions. One of the most remarkable of these treatment methods is known as stem cell therapy, in which your pets own "master cells" take on the form of the tissue that needs to be repaired. But when and why might you choose this form of therapy -- and how does it provide long-lasting results? Here are some answers from our animal hospital in Houston TX.

Stem cells a critical factor in development, growth, and healing, not only in humans but in other organisms as well. These cells are "blanks, undifferentiated cells waiting to assume the template of a particular kind of tissue. When a stem cell comes into proximity with a differentiated cell, biochemical changes transform the stem cell into the same type of cell as its neighbor. This process allows the body to create cells as needed to replace missing, damaged or destroyed ones.

Tissue destruction is responsible for a great many forms of chronic and acute pain in pets. In arthritis, for instance, the cartilage between bone ends thins out and breaks up, resulting in painful bone-on-bone friction. Some forms ofjoint pain can also be traced to damaged tendons or ligaments in need of repair. Stem cell therapy can address these issues easily and naturally. First, your holistic veterinarian removes a sample of fat cells from your pet's own body. (No embryos or other sources are used.) The stem cells are separated from the fat within a few hours as your pet recovers from the fat removal. Your holistic veterinarian then injects the stem cells into the body part that requires some healing help, and the stem cells are put to use in restoring the injured or damaged tissues.

Stem cell therapy goes further than simple medications and other pain management options by providing long-lasting results. Some conditions may require only one treatment, while others may require the process to repeat from time to time. But it's not uncommon for a pet to enjoy substantial symptom relief for three or more years following treatment at our animal hospital in Houston Texas. Stem cell therapy's safety and long-term effectiveness make it a great option for treating joint pain, arthritis, connective tissue damage, hip dysplasia and many other causes of chronic pain. It can treat autoimmune diseasesand allergies!

Contact us at281-440-4441 to discuss stem cell therapy with your Houston Texas veterinarian. The sooner you choose this form of care, the sooner your pet can enjoy long-lasting pain relief and a higher quality of life!

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Why Pet Stem Cell Therapy | Houston, TX | Veterinarian

Welcome & Overview

We would like to welcome you to the Adult Stem Cell Transplant program at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). We understand that you and your friends and family may feel overwhelmed, and we want you to know that were here to help you throughout this process.

This guide is designed to help you and those who care for you understand what to expect throughout your transplant journey. The information in this guide is not meant to replace the information that your transplant team will teach you, but it will be a resource for you to refer to throughout the process. In this guide we will explain some of the challenges that you might have over the course of your transplant and recovery, but it doesnt mean youll have all of them. Because of that, you shouldnt compare yourself to other people you may know or have heard of that had a stem cell transplant. Each person is unique.

Autologous stem cell transplants have been done for many decades. Advances in research have resulted in significant improvements over that time. However, it is still a complex procedure that requires a commitment from your transplant team, but just as importantly, on the part of you and those who care for you.

Autologous transplants can be done safely in the hospital, however for some people, transplants can also be done outpatient. Outpatient transplants have been shown to be feasible and safe, while improving the satisfaction and experience of people having transplant. An outpatient transplant is not right for everyone, however. Your doctor will talk with you about whether an outpatient transplant might be an option for you. You will read about both in this guide.

Preparing for your transplant is the first part of your journey. If you have an inpatient transplant, you will be in the hospital 24 hours a day before, during, and for some time right after your transplant. If you have an outpatient transplant, you and your caregiver(s) will stay at an apartment near the hospital approved by your doctor or at a furnished apartment at the 75th Street Residence.

Having a transplant is a long process. At MSK we have a large, integrated healthcare team that will care for you as you go through each phase. We understand that you may have many emotional changes during the transplant process. Your transplant team includes many providers, including social workers, chaplains, psychiatrists, and members of our Integrative Medicine Service. All of these healthcare providers are available to support and help you and your caregiver(s) cope with what you may feel.

During your transplant journey, its very important that you communicate clearly with your transplant team and your caregiver about how youre feeling. If anything is bothering you, even if it seems minor, tell a member of your transplant team. Whether its physical or emotional, its very important not to let things build up, otherwise minor issues can become more of a problem. The more information you communicate to your transplant team, the more they can help you. There is usually something that they can do to make you feel more comfortable.

Below are some of the ways you can communicate with your transplant team:

If its between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, call your doctors office. If its after 5:00 pm, call 212-639-2000 and ask for the doctor covering bone marrow transplant. If youre having an outpatient transplant and its between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm, call the Outpatient BMT Clinic at 212-639-3122. If youre having an outpatient transplant and its after 7:00 pm call 212-639-2000 and ask for the doctor covering bone marrow transplant.If youre inpatient, talk with any member of your inpatient healthcare team or ask to speak with the Charge Nurse, Clinical Nurse Specialist, or Nurse Leader. While youre inpatient its important to talk with your inpatient team, not call the outpatient office. Also, you should choose 1 caregiver to call the nursing station for updates, then that person can relay the information to the rest of your friends and family.We also encourage you to use our patient portal, MyMSK. You can use MyMSK to check your appointment schedule, request a prescription refill, contact a healthcare provider, and find educational information. MyMSK should never be used to communicate any symptoms to your healthcare team. Instructions about how to enroll in MyMSK are printed on the bottom of your appointment print out, or you can find them on our website at mymskcc.org. There is also a mobile app, MobileMyMSK, which you can download to your smart phone.

There is a lot of information in this guide to read and understand. Read the entire guide at least once, including the additional resources included in the back of the guide. You may find it easier to read a few sections at a time, rather than trying to read the entire guide at one time. We encourage you to refer to this guide as your treatment progresses.

We recommend that you highlight or write notes as you go through this guide on anything that you dont understand or have a question about. There is no such thing as a silly question, so please ask about anything that is on your mind.

Weve done our best to limit the number of medical terms in this guide. However, there are some words that you will need to understand. With this in mind, weve included a glossary of useful terms at the back of this guide.

Your bone marrow is in the spaces in the center of the larger bones in your body your hip, breastbone, and pelvis. Its where blood cells are made. All blood cells originate from stem cells.

Blood supplies your body with the nutrients and other substances your body needs. Blood also has different types of cells with important functions. Blood cells belong to 1 of 3 major categories: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.

Stem cells are baby (immature) cells that can become any kind of blood cell. Stem cells divide constantly to become different types of blood cells in your blood, replacing older blood cells. A very small number of stem cells circulate in your blood. Stem cells can be collected during a process called apheresis (A-fer-E-sis).

An autologous stem cell transplant has been recommended for you because your doctor feels its the best way to treat your specific disease. Autologous means from yourself.

In an autologous transplant, your stem cells will be collected (harvested) from you, and then frozen. You will then receive high doses of chemotherapy or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. The high-dose treatment kills cancer cells, but also eliminates the blood-producing stem cells that are left in the bone marrow. Afterward, the stem cells that were collected are given (transplanted) back to you. This allows your bone marrow to make new blood cells.

Currently, most transplants are done an inpatient; however, some are done an outpatient. Your doctor will determine if you are a candidate and discuss your options with you.

During your first visit, youll meet with your doctor and other members of your transplant team. Your doctor will take a complete medical and surgical history, do a physical exam, and discuss what he or she thinks is the best treatment plan for you. This plan may also be discussed with other transplant doctors to ensure that there is agreement on what the best plan is for your specific situation. Your doctor also might discuss inpatient and outpatient transplants options.

During this time, youll make practical, physical, and emotional preparations for your transplant. Here is a list of things that will happen and things that you may need to do to get ready:

For men

For women

A team of healthcare providers will care for you throughout your treatment. You will meet many as you progress through your transplant journey. You might not meet some members, such as your doctors office assistant, laboratory staff, or our service coordinator, but know that they are all working to help you. Below is a list of your team members and their roles.

Your caregiver will be an important part of your care during your transplant.

Everyone having a transplant will benefit from having support from a caregiver before, during, and after a transplant. The caregiver is usually a family member or a close friend available to help with basic day-to-day medical and practical issues, as well as provide emotional support.

To have an outpatient transplant, you must have a clear caregiver plan. There are no exceptions. Your transplant team will review this with you. Your caregiver must be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the transplant. Your caregiver will receive specific instructions from your transplant team about what a caregiver needs to do. Some of these responsibilities will include the tasks explained below.

During an outpatient transplant, being a caregiver is a full-time, 24-hour,7-day a weekresponsibility. It is tiring, demanding, and stressful, especially if your condition, schedule, or treatment changes.

During your transplant, your caregiver must take you to and from your daily visits to the Outpatient BMT Clinic. They may not be able to work and will need to stay with you for most of the day and night. While you are in the Outpatient BMT Clinic for daily visits, your caregiver can take some personal time. This is something we strongly recommend.

It is important for your caregiver to maintain a positive attitude, stay calm, and be flexible while providing you with the support and encouragement you need. Its important for you to understand that the caregiver role is challenging and that your caregiver may at times feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities.

Take time now to think about who you would like to be your caregiver. It should be someone you trust and who can take the time to care for you. Your caregiver should be someone who can offer you the practical and emotional support you need. If you dont have just 1 person to serve as your caregiver, then its okay to have more than 1 person share the role. However, its best to limit the number of caregivers to 1 or 2 people.

If your caregiver becomes sick or shows any signs of a cold or flu (cough, temperature, sore throat) 1 week before or any time during your transplant, tell your transplant team right away.

Caregivers can experience physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial distress. Resources and support are available to help manage the many responsibilities that come with caring for a person having a transplant. For support resources and information, contact your transplant social worker. We have included a useful resource titled Caregivers Guide for Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant with this guide.

At MSK, our Caregivers Clinic provides support specifically for caregivers who are having difficulty coping with the demands of being a caregiver. For more information, call Dr. Allison Applebaum at 646-888-0020 or go to: http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/doctor/allison-applebaum

Whether youre having an inpatient or outpatient transplant, being apart from your children will be difficult for you and your family. We strongly recommend that you talk with your social worker about your concerns and develop a plan to maintain strong ties to your children during your transplant.

Below are some things that others have done to remain in contact with their children during their transplant:

We know that nothing will replace physical contact between you and your children, but we strongly encourage you to use all of the technology thats available to maintain a strong bond with them while you are away.

For more help maintaining your relationship with your children, contact your social worker.

Before you become a transplant candidate, your overall physical condition will be evaluated. You will need to make several trips to MSK to have tests. We often refer to this as the work-up or restaging period. During the work-up, you will need to have some, but not necessarily all, of the following tests:

These tests are usually done within 30 days of your transplant (Day -30 onwards), but the pretransplant evaluation can sometimes take longer. Your doctor or nurse will explain any other tests that you may need. Your transplant team will work with you and your caregiver to schedule the tests.

The results of the tests will be used to plan your treatment and make sure that it is safe to start your treatment.

Once your pretransplant evaluation has been done and you have the date of your transplant, you will have your preadmission appointment. This appointment is usually 1 to 2 weeks before you are admitted to the hospital. At this appointment:

Between your preadmission appointment and when youre admitted to the hospital, it is very important to call your transplant doctors office if you or anyone in your home have any of the following:

Your doctor will decide whether your admission for transplant should be delayed. It could be very dangerous to start your chemotherapy while you have an infection, even if its just a cold. This is because your immune system will not be able to fight the infection.

You will need a CVC during your transplant. A CVC is a tube that is usually inserted into a large vein (see Figure 2) in the upper chest area (see Figure 3). On the outside of your body, the catheter divides into 2 or 3 smaller tubes, called lumens. A CVC allows your transplant team to transfuse your stem cells, take your blood, and give you fluids, electrolytes, blood transfusions, chemotherapy, and other medications without having to stick you multiple times with a needle. Having a CVC will make your treatment during transplant much more comfortable. The CVC is usually removed 2 to 3 weeks after your transplant.

You will have your CVC placed in MSKs Interventional Radiology department at Memorial Hospital. Your clinical nurse coordinator will discuss the details of having your CVC placed. If you are outpatient when you have your CVC placed, someone over the age of 18 must take you home. For more information, read the resource Instructions for Interventional Radiology Procedures, located at the back of this guide. For information about how to care for your CVC, read Caring for Your Central Venous Catheter, located at the back of this guide.

The information in this section describes some basic information of what to expect if you are admitted to the hospital during any part of your transplant. This applies whether you have an inpatient or outpatient transplant.

There are 2 transplant units in the hospital. The nurses on each unit are specially trained to care for people having transplants, and all the same guidelines are followed on both floors. You may need to change your room or floor while youre in the hospital, however we try to avoid this as much as possible.

Your primary nursing team will care for you during your hospital stay. Nurses typically work 12-hour shifts, starting at either 7:00 am or 7:00 pm. During this time, your nurse will communicate the information about what has happened with you and your care during that shift to the nurse taking over.

Your family and friends are welcome to visit you. One caregiver can stay overnight with you. However, anyone who has symptoms of an illness (e.g., cough, rash, fever, diarrhea) or who feels they may be coming down with an illness should not come visit you. This is also true for people who could have recently been exposed to someone with an infection.

Even though you will feel tired after your chemotherapy and your transplant, you should still try to remain active and get out of bed every day. Its important to be safe, so ask for help when getting up.

We encourage you to walk around the unit. If your white blood cell (neutrophil) count is high enough, you can walk in the hallway before 7:30 am and after noon. You must wear a mask and gloves while you are walking around the unit. Your nurse will tell you if you also need to wear a gown when walking in the hallway. You should not leave the floor for walking or exercise. Your physical therapist will evaluate you early during your hospitalization and prescribe an exercise program thats right for you.

Each room has a call bell that is monitored 24 hours and a day, 7 days a week. If you need something, please say exactly what you need so we can send the right member of your healthcare team member to help you. Your unit assistant will be able to call the team member directly using a personal voice communicator. It looks like a phone that goes around the neck.

Your diet will be planned by your transplant team. You will be given a menu and instructions on how to order your meals. Room service will deliver your meals to you.

In general, everyone having a transplant is placed on a low-microbial diet. Your dietitian will discuss this with you. For more information, read the resourceLow-Microbial Diet, located at the back of this guide. If you keep kosher, have diabetes, or follow other specialty diets, tell your dietitian so that we can prepare your meals properly. Your dietitian is also available to help you plan your meals.

You will be expected to shower daily. Your patient care technician will be in your room when youre showering to help you and to make sure youre safe.

It is important that you take good care of your mouth. This will help to reduce infections and mouth sores. Your nurse will go over this with you.

During an outpatient transplant, you will receive all of your care, including chemotherapy, transplant, and post-transplant care, in the Outpatient BMT Clinic. The clinic is located on the 4th floor of the hospital. You should arrive at the clinic at your scheduled time. You will visit the clinic every day and will only be admitted to the hospital if you need more care than can be provided to you as an outpatient.

When you come to the clinic, you should wear comfortable clothing that allows for easy access to your CVC (e.g., shirts that open at the front, sweatshirts, or large t-shirts). Do not wear clothing that is difficult to take off or put back on.

Youll stay in the clinic until all the treatments you need are completed, and then your caregiver will take you back to your nearby apartment or the 75th Street Residence.There, your caregiver will continue to monitor your temperature and how much liquids you drink.

When you come to clinic every day, bring the following:

When youre not in the Outpatient BMT Clinic, your caregiver will have the responsibility of caring for you.

From the time you start receiving your chemotherapy, your caregiver must take your temperature every 4 hours while you are away from the Outpatient BMT Clinic. You will be given a thermometer. Your caregiver must also monitor all of the liquids you drink, write it in the Temperature and Oral Intake Log, and bring it to the clinic every day.

If your temperature is 100.4F (38C) or higher, your caregiver needs to take you to Urgent Care Center as instructed in your BMT Emergency Guide. While you are on your way there, call one of the numbers listed below:

If you have any bleeding, always tell someone from your transplant team. If you notice that youre bleeding and are youre not in the clinic, take the following steps right away:

Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following while youre not in clinic:

There are 5 phases of transplant: 1) Conditioning; 2) Transplant day to engraftment; 3) Engraftment to day of discharge; 4) Early convalescence; and 5) Late convalescence (see Table 1). It is important to realize, however, that these phases are not always exact, as everyones transplant timeline is unique. Also different, below is a table that describes what we consider the 5 phases of a stem cell transplant. We will go over each phase in more detail in the following pages. The time frames given are not exact, and there is some usually some overlap from 1 phase to the next.

Table 1: Phases of transplant

Phase

Description

Time Period

Phase 1:Conditioning

Day of hospital admission to Day 0 (transplant day)

*Start date varies depending on which conditioning regimen you will receive

Phase 2:Transplant Day to Engraftment

Day 0 to engraftment (blood count recovery)

*Usually betweenDay +10 and Day +30

Phase 3:Engraftment to Day of Discharge

Blood count recovery until discharge

Phase 4:Early Convalescence

Discharge to 1 year after transplant (or longer)

Phase 5:Late Convalescence

1 year after transplant and onward

Conditioning is another name for the treatment that you will receive to prepare your body for the transplant. During conditioning you will receive high doses of chemotherapy and sometimes, radiation therapy. The chemotherapy you receive depends on your cancer type, treatments youve had before, and your treatment plan. The purpose of conditioning is to kill any cancer cells that are still in your body.

The day of your stem cell transplant is called day zero. The days before transplant are negative numbers, and days after transplant are positive numbers. For example, conditioning starts before transplant, so the days of chemotherapy are assigned negative numbers (e.g., day -4, day -3, day -2, etc). Depending on your treatment plan, you may have 1 or multiple days of chemotherapy. Similarly, the days after transplant are assigned positive numbers day (e.g., Day +1, Day +2, etc.).

Your nurse coordinator will work with you to plan your schedule, provide you with a treatment calendar, and tell you the date of your treatment. Your transplant team will usually know an approximate time for the transplant 1 day before stem cell infusion on day 0.

Before you receive your chemotherapy, a number of safety checks will be done to make sure everything is correct. Once all the safety checks have been completed, your nurse will give you IV fluids (to keep you hydrated), medication(s) to keep you from getting nauseous, and chemotherapy through your catheter (see Figure 4).

Conditioning kills cancer cells, but it also kills normal dividing cells. This causes side effects, including fatigue (feeling tired), low blood cell counts, temporary loss of immune function, hair loss, mouth sores, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and infertility (not being able to have children naturally).

Your transplant team will help you and your caregiver understand and prepare for these side effects. Before you start treatment, make a list of questions that you would like to ask about these side effects. Talk through these questions with your caregiver and transplant team.

Fatigue is expected from conditioning. You should still try to remain as active as possible throughout your transplant. Limit the amount of time you spend in bed, and walk a little every day. Your physical therapist will recommend activities for you.

White blood cells make up your immune system. The purpose of your immune system is to protect your body against infections. There are many different types of white blood cells. One type of white blood cell, called a neutrophil, travels to the site of an infection and plays an important role in starting the immune response to fight germs. At some point after conditioning, the number of white blood cells and neutrophils in your blood will temporarily drop to zero. This will put you at risk for serious, life-threatening infections. When neutrophils are at very low levels, it is called neutropenia. Infections that occur in people with impaired immune systems are called opportunistic infections.

To prevent you from getting an infection, you will be started on prophylactic (pro-fe-lac-tic) medications. Prophylactic medications are given before there is an infection. You will get medication to try to prevent bacterial infections (antibacterial), fungal infections (antifungal), and viruses (antiviral) early in your transplant journey. Even with these medications you may still develop fevers in the first 2 weeks after transplant. Fever is an important sign of infection. If you develop a fever during transplant, your transplant team will perform tests, such as blood and urine tests, to look for infection. X-rays or other radiology tests may also be done. You will be given stronger antibiotics through your CVC to help fight the infection. Most infections are treated effectively with antibiotics.

During the transplant process, it is critical to avoid possible sources of infection. This is easier said than done. You and your caregiver will need to be careful about seeing visitors, what you touch, and where you go. While your white blood cell count is low, you should try to avoid:

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Autologous Stem Cell Transplant: A Guide for Patients ...

What is MediVet Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem cells are powerful healing cells in your body that can become other types of cells. There are many adult stem cells in fat tissue, however they are asleep. MediVets stem cell therapy allows your vet to isolate stem cells from an animals own fat tissue, wake them up, and reinject them directly into damaged areas. For example, in the case of arthritis, stem cells become new cartilage cells, thus reducing pain and increasing mobility.

Stem cells treat the source of the problem by becoming new tissue to replace damaged tissue. Other treatments, such as NSAIDs, merely attempt to reduce symptoms. The treatment is very low risk, because it uses the animals own stem cells. With MediVets technology, over 95% of animals treated show improvement.

Stem cell therapy for animals has been commercially available since 2004. MediVet started selling their kits in the US in 2010, to clinics on the mainland, and thousands of animals have been treated around the world. A MediVet representative now lives in Hawaii and began introducing it to clinics here in 2012.

For pet owners, there are two main advantages to MediVet. First, the processing is all done in your vets office, so you dont need to worry about losing your sample during shipping, or the sample heating up and getting damaged. Also, MediVet allows your vet to do the entire procedure in one day, making it very convenient for you and your pet. While all companies are equally safe, MediVet has the highest reported success rate of greater than 95%. When comparing side by side, vets chose MediVet because of the superior results.

Yes, this procedure is very safe. The biggest risk is using anesthetic, to remove the fat tissue. On a typical dog, this is easier than a spay, and the fat is collected in about 15 minutes by your vet. Processing the sample is done carefully by a highly trained MediVet representative (or by a lab tech carefully trained by that representative). In the thousands of animals treated, we have not observed any negative side-effects from MediVets stem cell therapy.

First, your vet will put your pet under general anesthetic. Then, he/she will make a small incision and collect 2-4 tablespoons of fat (either in the belly or behind the shoulder blades). Since your pet is under anesthetic, this is a great opportunity to do anything else needed spay/neuter, or dental for example. Your local, highly trained MediVet representative will then process the sample, right in the clinic, using MediVet equipment. After about 3 hours, the cells are ready for injection into areas of damage. In addition, some cells are administered IV. For the administration step, your pet will either not sedated at all, locally anesthetized with ethyl chloride spray, or lightly sedated, depending on whats best for your pet. You can pick up your pet later that same day.

We recommend that the patient be kept quiet for the first 10 days. Then, while they may feel a lot better, you will need to be careful so your pet doesnt injure themselves until they build up some of their muscles. Swimming and walking in water is great therapy. We typically see improvement starting after 3 weeks, and then continuing up to around 2 months.

Our typical patient has osteoarthritis (hip dysplasia, degenerative joint disease, calcifications, common degeneration and inflammation), soft tissue injuries (cruciate injuries, tears, ruptures, inflammation), or needs accelerated healing of fractures. We know a lot about these conditions, and over 95% of these patients get better, with MediVets Stem Cell Therapy.

We also treat other cases under compassionate use. We know less about these conditions, but are seeing some exciting results. Some of those conditions are: degenerative myelopathy, feline gingivitis, end-stage renal disease, liver and kidney failure, allergy, auto-immune, inflammatory bowel disease, pulmonary fibrosis, IMHA, atopy, and spine trauma. Please talk to your vet if you have questions about any of these conditions.

We typically see about 1-3 years of relief after the initial treatment. Most pet owners chose to bank cells, so retreatment is easy. MediVet has a banking facility in Kentucky. If symptoms return, your vet merely requests a dose of cells from the bank, and injects them. No surgery is necessary.

Yes. Because we dont know exactly what happens when cancer patients are treated with stem cells based on human studies, we do not treat those patients.

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Stem Cell Therapy Animal Health Clinic - ahcfargo.com

Advanced tissue regeneration treatments fororthopaedic injuries and ailments

From ponies to racehorses, stem cell therapy is becoming an increasingly common treatment for many equine injuries and ailments and is fast becoming the gold standard treatment for canine osteoarthritis. Autologous MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) for use in the treatment are extracted from a sample of the patients bone marrow or adipose tissue. In horses this is done under standing sedation and local anaesthesia, for dogs a general anaesthetic is required.

The sample is sent to Nupsalas laboratory partner where the stem cells are extracted and cultured - a process that takes around 14 days for canine cells and 21 days for equine. The cultured cells are returned to the veterinary surgeon for ultrasound guided implantation directly into the injury. A faster service is also available for canine stromal vascular fraction (SVF) treatments which are produced by preparing the cellular fraction from canine adipose tissue and returned to the vet within 48 hours.

The patient then undergoes a carefully controlled rehabilitation programme which takes approximately one year for horses and six months for dogs. This encourages a return to full fitness and, in the case of horses, full work or competition. Nupsala offers training to vets using this stem cell therapy for the first time, either on a one to one basis or group CPD training.

Stem cell therapy has been used to treat equine tendons, ligaments1&2 and joints (mainly stifle, some carpus, tarsus, distal DP, subchondral bone cysts, meniscal tears, fetlock problems, synovitis and early stage osteoarthritis). In recent years stem cells have started to be used very sucessfully for treating canine osteoarthritis3.

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Nupsala Stem Cells Therapy - Nupsala Veterinary Services

Doctors are finding new ways to treat multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that attacks cells in your bone marrow. The FDA approved three new drugs in 2015, and more are in the pipeline.

"The improvements are amazing," says Brion Randolph, MD, hematologist and chief of medical oncology at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Newnan, GA.

"I've already had a few patients I would've had to tell there were no options," he says. Now he says, the new meds are able to extend lives.

Until recently, doctors usually suggested chemotherapy drugs, which kill cancer cells but can also damage normal cells. The treatment has side effects, like fatigue and nausea. The goal is to put you in "remission" -- remove visible signs of the disease in your body.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, some promising new drugs appeared, including bortezomib (Velcade), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and thalidomide (Thalomid). They help prevent cancer cells from dividing out of control.

Doctors use combos of these drugs, sometimes adding in steroids, to help add years to the lives of people with multiple myeloma.

Treatment has changed in a big way with the arrival of new drugs that target the disease much more precisely. They're designed for people whose disease has returned or who haven't been able to get better with other treatments.

Daratumumab (Darzalex). You may hear your doctor call this a "monoclonal antibody." It puts the immune system -- your body's defense against germs -- to work in fighting multiple myeloma. It helps your body identify and attack cancer cells.

Elotuzumab (Empliciti). It's a drug that also uses your body's immune system to destroy multiple myeloma cells.

Ixazomib (Ninlaro). It's a type of drug called a "proteasome inhibitor." It interferes with the cancer cells' ability to grow and thrive inside your body. It comes with a built-in bonus: You don't need to a visit a clinic to get hooked up to an infusion machine. It's a once-a-week pill that you take at home.

Researchers are studying scores of new treatments that could be available down the road. Some especially encouraging possibilities:

Gene therapy. Researchers hope they'll be able to genetically tweak your body's immune cells to recognize and destroy multiple myeloma.

Gene expression profiling. It's a test that checks which genes are active in your cancer cells. Researchers are trying find a way to use it to figure out if -- and when -- you may need chemotherapy to treat your multiple myeloma.

Personalized drug screening. The idea is to quickly and accurately predict which treatments will be best for you. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, for example, are developing imaging procedures that will give you a personal treatment plan.

New drugs. Researchers are working to develop a medicine that blocks interleukin, a chemical that's made by the cells in your bone marrow -- the spongy tissue inside your bones that make blood cells. Interleukin helps multiple myeloma cells to grow.

Researches are also testing new combos of drugs already available to treat the disease. Sometimes the chemotherapy meds you take stop working. Doctors are checking to see if combining medicines will give you new treatment options.

Arsenic trioxide. Doctors already use this chemical to treat some kinds of leukemia, and researchers want to find out if it's helpful for multiple myeloma, too.

New techniques in stem cell transplant. It's an operation that replaces cells in your bone marrow with new ones that make healthy blood cells. To treat multiple myeloma, doctors today mostly use a method that uses your own stem cells for the procedure. But researchers are checking to see if using a donor's stem cells can also help.

There's a lot of research still needed, but doctors are optimistic about the path forward. "More and more effective therapies are constantly being developed," Randolph says. "For multiple myeloma, the future is very hopeful."

SOURCES:

Brion Randolph, MD, hematologist and chief of medical oncology, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Newnan, GA.

Rapoport, A.P. Nature Medicine, Aug. 21, 2015.

American Cancer Society, "What's New in Multiple Myeloma Research and Treatment?" "How is multiple myeloma treated?"

News release, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.

American Society of Clinical Oncology: "Multiple Myeloma -- Latest Research," "Treatment Options."

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New Multiple Myeloma Treatment: Drugs, Gene Therapy, Stem ...

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The application of adipose stem cells as a therapeutic product is the result of years of research and development. In recent years, adipose stem cells (ASCs) have gained notoriety since its initial discovery in 2001 (1). Since then, the ASC has become the most popular adult stem cells due to its ease of harvest and ACSs ability to differentiate into multiple lineages (2).

VetCell Therapeutics (VCT) has studied the use of adipose tissue in regenerative medicine and has published manuscripts on the topic. Most of the early work was focused on mouse adipose stem cells and the findings are being applied for use in veterinarian medicine.

A large area of need in veterinary medicine is the treatment of osteoarthritis, which is common in animals as they age. Routine treatment of this ailment is with anti-inflammatory drugs or with surgical procedures. Currently, homologous ACSs are being heavily studied to determine if these cells are able to treat osteoarthritis (3). The results from these studies have been promising and shows a great potential to use these cells for a wide array of ailments.

Two of VCTs publications highlight the use of a subpopulation of ASCs which were derived from animal and human sources. These cells were isolated, expanded and differentiated into osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic lineages. These cells were also placed into a wound healing model and showed improved healing abilities of the skins dermal layers. These cells were also used in a project with a bone scaffolding unit. In an animal model, the transplanted cells mixed with the bone scaffold material differentiated into chondrogenic type cells and started to develop into mature chondrocytes.Currently, VCT is working on projects aimed at using adipose tissue as a source material to treat osteoarthritis. Our data, along with other publications (4), suggest that adipose tissue may be a reliable source for cells that can be used to treat bone and cartilage conditions as well as other indications (5, 6). The need for an efficient treatment is desired for pets diagnosed with arthritis or other osteogenic conditions.

The scientific R&D projects are led by a veterinarian scientist, whom is well respected in the industry and with an impressive publication history. Also part of the team is a consulting veterinarian with a background in stem cell research who focuses on generating clinical treatments with these cells. The team is a group of research specialists who all have training in basic research, with a focus on regenerative medicine. The goal is to strive for highly effective products that are backed by research geared towards improving the lives of our beloved companions.Intellectual Property

VetCell Therapeutics has a number of patents issued in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Australia. The company also has a number of filed patents focused on innovative use of stem cells in regenerative medicine. One of the many goals has been to develop intellectual property to protect the concepts of cell-based therapies and to strengthen the ability for success with cell based treatments.

References:1- Zuk P., Zhu M., Mizuno H., et al., Tissue Engineering, vol. 7, no. 2, pp 211228, 20012- Zuk P., ISRN Stem Cells Volume 2013 Article ID 7139593- Guercio A., Di Marco P., Casella S., et al, Cell Biology Int, vol 36, (2), pp 189194, 20124- Lindroos B, Suuronen R, Miettinen S., Stem Cell Rev. Jun 7, (2) pp 269-91, 20115- Lin F., Kidney International vol 82, pp 731733, 20126- Ha S., Ahn S., Kim S., et al., J Biomed Opt. vol 19(5), 2014

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TECHNOLOGY - VetCell Therapeutics

07 Sep 2017

Researchers are gearing up to start clinical trials that test whether replacement dopamine neurons made from human embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells can help patients with Parkinsons disease (PD). In the longest preclinical trial with the largest number of monkeys yet, scientists led by Jun Takahashi, Kyoto University, Japan, gave their planned protocol a trial run. Dopamine neurons derived from human iPSCs and implanted into the animals brains improved the monkeys neurological scores and voluntary movements over a year. The findings appeared August 30 inNature.

This may be the most convincing study in a Parkinsonian monkey that pluripotent stem cell-derived dopamine neurons can survive over a long period of time and allow behavioral improvement without forming tumors, said Lorenz Studer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York. Because the protocol approximated what Takahashi and others plan to do in humans, it suggests this therapy is almost ready for translation, Studersaid.

In the August 30 Nature Communications, the same researchers also reported a way to minimize the immune response to such grafts. They matched part of the donor and host self signatures, the major histocompatibility complex expressed on cell surfaces. Microglia and infiltrating leukocytes were likelier to turn a blind eye to matched than unmatched dopamine neurons, and more of them survived implantation. The immunosuppressant tacrolimusa.k.a. FK506had the sameeffect.

Neuronal Grafts: Human-derived dopamine neurons thrive in the brain of a monkey model of PD, testing positive for both dopamine transporter (green) and tyrosine hydroxylase (red). [Courtesy of Takahashi et al.,Nature.]

Takahashi plans to start trialing iPSC-derived DA neurons in patients by end of 2018. Dopamine neurons derived from iPSCs or human embryonic stem cells are more readily available than fetal dopaminergic cells, which have seen two decades of trials (Barker et al., 2013). However, iPSC-derived grafts come with safety concerns, not least their tendency to harbor dividing cells that can later form tumors (Trounson 2017; Mar 2017 news). Scientists also debate the value of using a patients own cells versus those from a healthy donor, which may berejected.

In the Nature paper, first author Tetsuhiro Kikuchi and colleagues took fibroblasts or peripheral blood cells from four healthy people and three PD patients and coaxed them to differentiate into midbrain dopamine progenitorcells.

The researchers implanted 28-day-old dopamine progenitor cells bilaterally into the putamen of eight 2-year-old monkeys that had been subjected three months earlier to MPTP, a neurotoxin that wipes out dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. To suppress their immune response, each animal got daily tacrolimus injections from the day before transplantation until the end of the experiment. Three monkeys implanted with vehicle control rather than progenitor cells also received tacrolimus. PET with 11C-PK11195 and (S)-11C-KTP-Me, ligands for activated microglia and inflammation, respectively, registered either no or very mild microglial reaction to the transplants in immunosuppressedanimals.

Over the next 12 months, the researchers assessed neurological symptomsfacial expressions, movement in response to stimuli, tremor, postureand tracked spontaneous movement in 90-minute video recordings taken every quarter. After 12 to 24 months, the researchers sacrificed the animals to see if the cells had integrated into thebrain.

Monkeys that received the cell grafts, regardless of whether the cells came from controls or PD patients, improved their neurological scores by 40 to 50 percent. The control group scores rose by 10 percent. After a year, treated monkeys moved three times as much as they had before transplantation; the controls saw almost no improvement. The researchers detected no signs oftumors.

Based on histological examination, the researchers estimated that the average graft volume was 39 mm3, ranging from 10 to 107 mm3. Roughly 16,000 to 500,000 cellsabout a third of those implantedexpressed the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, a marker of dopamine production. According to periodic 18F-DOPA PET scans, dopamine uptake gradually increased over 21 months to about half the level found in normal monkeys. This was true even in monkeys with the smallest grafts, and these animals also showed a treatmentbenefit.

That the graft sizes varied so widely suggests more work needs to be done to select the most successful cell lines for each recipient, said Studer. The researchers report that the most robust grafts expressed the epidermal growth factor Dlk1, and they detected no serotoninergic, GABAergic, cholinergic, or glutamatergic cells among them. Even so, Studer said the high proportion of non-dopamine cells in the transplants need to becharacterized.

Ole Isacson of Harvard University pointed out that the 16,000 cells needed for therapeutic benefit here match the number he found a few years ago in monkeys (Hallett et al., 2015). A major technical achievement that enhances our ability to plan the clinical trials is that the number of surviving cells needed for therapeutic benefit is in the same range, he told Alzforum. The authors conclude that for people, about 100,000 cells would be the minimum needed for a motor effect, according to the paper. That helps FDA determine the reasonable dose, saidIsacson.

On 11C-PK11195 PET scans, monkeys receiving a mismatched cell graft (left) had more activated microglia three months later than animals receiving cells with a matched MHC haplotype (right). [Courtesy of Takahashi et al., NatureCommunications.]

A major concern with grafted cells is the potential for rejection. Implants derived from a patients own cells would be ideal, because they produce no immune response, but the process is lengthy and costly. As reported in the second paper, first author Asuka Morizane investigated a compromiseusing immune compatible grafts. They matched the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) between donor and recipient monkeys to see if that would mitigate graft rejection. MHCs appear on cell surfaces and display proteins from inside the cell to watchful immune cells. They are crucial for those immune cells to distinguish self fromnon-self.

To do this, the authors derived two different iPSC lines from monkeys, turned them into a range of dopamine neural progenitor cells, and injected these cells into the left putamen of 16 monkeys: eight that had at least one identical MHC haplotype, and eight that were mismatched completely. Two animals from each group received the immunosuppressive drug tacrolimus to determine if that helped further. After three months, monkeys receiving the matched grafts did mount an immune response, but it was half as strong as that of monkeys receiving mismatched grafts. MHC matching worked about as well as giving tacrolimus along with the mismatched grafts. At four months, fewer activated microglia and infiltrating leukocytes were seen in the brains of matched monkeys and more dopaminergic neuronssurvived.

The study suggests that MHC matching gives dopamine cells an advantage, though immunosuppressants may still be necessary, wrote Takahashi to Alzforum. He will use MHC-homologous iPSCs in his clinical trial. Banking 50 MHC-characterized iPSC lines would largely cover the Japanese population, though the more heterogeneous populations of the United States and Europe would require hundreds of lines (Nakatsuji et al., 2008; Taylor et al., 2012).

To have an HLA match for every patient is feasible, but requires steep cost and effort and doesnt work perfectly, said Studer. He took from the paper that tacrolimus suppresses the immune system well. For his part, Studer is planning a trial without MHC matching, developing one line of dopaminergic neurons and giving them to all patients along with immunosuppressants. Since matching still causes a minor immune response that would need to be suppressed anyway, he advocates for this cheaperapproach.

Isacson took a different stance. Any immune reaction or requirement for immune suppression could stress an aged persons system, he said. Since MHC matching doesnt get rid of inflammation altogether, he saw it as evidence that iPSCs derived from a patients own cells will work best. They would require no immune suppression. Isacson acknowledged that deriving dopaminergic neurons from donor cells is expensive and hard to industrialize, but expects the cost will fall as the technology develops.Gwyneth DickeyZakaib

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Stem Cells Rescue Movement in Monkey Model of Parkinson's - Alzforum

Tommy, our beloved 8-year-old border collie mix, was diagnosed by MRI with an inoperable tumor on his spinal cord. We had difficulty diagnosing what appeared to be a weak leg, and he began to cry out occasionally as he climbed stairs. We escalated, and our vet referred us to an MRI immediately.

After the diagnosis, the vet specialist said that Tommy was quite stoic because he did not cry out more often, given the location of the tumor. We knew he was not himself, but what we did not know was the level of pain that he lived with that last month of his life.

I question the motivation of these people: How on Earth (in their own words) "during four weeks of screaming in pain" did they not decide that perhaps it was time to let Chuckie go? Who knows what pain he endures now? I was saddened to see that their own motivations have overtaken their empathy for what might be in the best interest of Chuckie.M.J., Manchester, Mo.

Dear Dr. Fox: I was dismayed by the excessive treatment the letter-writer has gotten and is getting for a paraplegic dog. I love animals, have taken good care of my pets and have volunteered and donated to the Missouri Humane Society, so it isn't that I'm anti-animal, but I think what the writer has done for this one dog is too much.

Just think of the hundreds and hundreds of dogs in shelters and the care some of the healthier ones could get if the writer stopped at sensible treatment for that one dog. Actually, that dog is getting better and more extensive care than some children. Enough is enough in trying to help a pet.R.B., Kirkwood, Mo.

Dear M.J. and R.B.: The money that caring people sometimes put out for their beloved animal companions, especially with advances in cancer treatments and stem cell therapies, can be very considerable. Are they being selfish? What then of their love and concern?

Some do choose instead to opt for euthanasia, especially when there is a low chance of recovery, and give a large donation in their animal's name to their local animal shelter or rescue organization.

We cannot compare the quality of medical care and what might be spent on a child in a poor village with a toy poodle in New York City suffering from comparable conditions, nor their chances of recovery. Such situational ethics are confounded by other social and family priorities, availability of services and where there is choice, just how much one feels like spending and can afford in the hope that the loved one will recover. It is a tragedy of the times that here in America, families can be bankrupted by the medical bills of one member under cancer treatment.

Just as we see with people, dogs do vary greatly in their pain tolerance; some are more stoic than others, who may border on hysteria because of fear as well as pain. This is where the experienced clinical eye of the veterinarian is invaluable to determine the best course of treatment and the animal patient's quality of life and chances of total or partial recovery.

Regardless of costs and affordability and the fact that some animal caregivers may seek to extend an animal's life for various personal reasons rather than for the animal's own sake, all involved have a duty to make the animal patient as comfortable as possible and give the animal a chance where there is a strong will to live.

Being nursed at home or setting up in-home palliative care with a visiting veterinarian may be preferable to long-term hospitalization where recovery may be protracted or arrested by separation anxiety and loss of the will to live.

Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns. Visit Dr. Fox's website at http://www.drfoxvet.net.

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Concerns over paraplegic dog's treatment - INFORUM

Stem cell technology is a new and exciting branch of veterinary medicine. Stem cells are cells that can be safely harvested from a variety of adult animal tissues. Once harvested, the stem cells can be injected and induced to grow into a large number of different cell types.

Stem cell therapy offers the possibility of using these stem cells to grow into replacements for injured or diseased tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, nerves, and so on. What makes this such an exciting treatment option is that it allows us to introduce real tissue replacements for damaged tissues, rather than artificial replacement implants. Currently stem cell therapy for dogs is being used with some success to treat bone, joint, and ligament problems.

The technology involves the use of adult stem cells, which can be easily obtained, without any harm to the host animal from which they are taken. A small amount of adipose (fat) tissue is surgically removed from a host animal and a centrifuge is used to separate the stem cells from the fat tissue. The stem cells collected are then injected directly into the injured joint, ligament, or bone where they quickly begin to grow, replacing the damaged tissue with new, healthy tissue.

Stem cell therapy holds immense promise for becoming a viable treatment option for a variety of health issues dog's face.

At Bakerstown Animal Hospital, we believe that providing your canine companion with the highest quality medical care means being on the cutting edge of the latest technologies and procedures. This is reflected in every aspect of our approach to stem cell therapy for dogs. Our facilities feature state-of-the-art equipment, and our veterinary team stays up to date on the latest canine stem cell research available.

The ideal candidate for canine stem cell therapy is a dog in otherwise good health that suffers from arthritis or hip dysplasia, and who doesn't respond well to his or her medication. Or, a dog whose quality of life might further suffer due to invasive surgical procedures. Because canine stem cell therapy uses the patient's own tissues, a canine must be in overall good health in order for any collected stem cells to be effective.

Canine stem cells are collected through removing either fat cells, or various other applicable tissues from a dog's body. Within these tissues and cells exist regenerative cells that are known colloquially as dog stem cells. The regenerative cells that are collected do several things:

The best part is that canine stem cells are not synthetic cells being added to a living, biological organism. Rather, canine stem cells are a dog's own natural healing cells, Because of this, there is much less chance of rejection or adverse interaction, and there are also fewer potential side effects.

Due to the infancy of canine stem cell research and therapies, there is not yet a large body of information about possible adverse side effects. Just like any medical procedure, the risk for adverse side effects from dog stem cell therapy are ever-present. Risks could be associated with the tissue removal procedure, or from a patient's body rejecting the newly placed cells. Other issues with stem cell therapy for dogs include its effectiveness when used alone. This is because the prescription of traditional medication will accompany stem cell therapy procedures.

Deciding whether or not stem cell therapy for dogs is the right choice for your beloved canine companion is a very personal one. No matter what route you choose to take, we are here to help you make the decision that is in the best interest of your dog, and also that fits your budget and lifestyle.

At this time, most stem cell research for dogs currently focuses on treating bone, joint, and ligament problems, rather than treating more advanced illnesses and diseases. We are extremely confident that the day will come when many canine illnesses and diseases can be treated through advances in canine stem cell research.

One thing seems to be clear, stem cell research for dogs promises to revolutionize the veterinary industry, and is already showing good results with canines that have been treated with dog stem cells to repair joints, bones, or ligaments that have been damaged by injury or disease. We are here to help educate you about the latest canine stem cell research advances, and answer any other questions about dog stem cell therapy you might have.

If you would like to discuss how stem cell therapy can benefit your dog, please contact us to schedule an appointment. Our veterinary team can help you decide whether or not canine stem cell therapy is the right option, including discussing cost and prognosis.

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Stem Cell Therapy For Dogs - What you should know

Monkeys with Parkinsons disease symptoms show significant improvement over two years after being transplanted neurons prepared from human induced pluropontent stem cells, scientists at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, report. One of the last steps before treating patients with an experimental cell therapy for the brain is confirmation that the therapy works in monkeys.

Parkinsons disease degenerates a specific type of cells in the brain known as dopaminergic (DA) neurons. It has been reported that when symptoms are first detected, a patient will have already lost more than half of his or her DA neurons.

Several studies have shown the transplantation of DA neurons made from fetal cells can mitigate the disease.

The use of fetal tissues is controversial, however. On the other hand, iPS cells can be made from blood or skin.

Our research has shown that DA neurons made from iPS cells are just as good as DA neurons made from fetal midbrain. Because iPS cells are easy to obtain, we can standardize them to only use the best iPS cells for therapy,

said Professor Jun Takahashi, a neurosurgeon specializing in Parkinsons disease, who plans to use DA neurons made from iPS cells to treat patients.

To test the safety and effectiveness of DA neurons made from human iPS cells, Tetsuhiro Kikuchi, a neurosurgeon working in the Takahashi lab, transplanted the cells into the brains of monkeys.

We made DA neurons from different iPS cells lines. Some were made with iPS cells from healthy donors. Others were made from Parkinsons disease patients,

said Kikuchi, who added that the differentiation method used to convert iPS cells into neurons is suitable for clinical trials.

It is generally assumed that the outcome of a cell therapy will depend on the number of transplanted cells that survive, but Kikuchi found this was not the case. More important than the number of cells was the quality of the cells.

Each animal received cells prepared from a different iPS cell donor. We found the quality of donor cells had a large effect on the DA neuron survival, Kikuchi said.

To understand why, he looked for genes that showed different expression levels, finding 11 genes that could mark the quality of the progenitors. One of those genes was Dlk1.

Dlk1 is one of the predictive markers of cell quality for DA neurons made from embryonic stem cells and transplanted into rat. We found Dlk1 in DA neurons transplanted into monkey. We are investigating Dlk1 to evaluate the quality of the cells for clinical applications.

Another feature of the study that is expected to extend to clinical study is the method used to evaluate cell survival in the host brains. The study demonstrated that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and position electron tomography (PET) are options for evaluating the patient post surgery.

MRI and PET are non-invasive imaging modalities. Following cell transplantation, we must regularly observe the patient. A non-invasive method is preferred,

said Takahashi.

The group is hopeful that it can begin recruiting patients for this iPS cell-based therapy before the end of next year. The study is the teams answer to bring iPS cells to clinical settings, said Takahashi.

Tetsuhiro Kikuchi, Asuka Morizane, Daisuke Doi, Hiroaki Magotani, Hirotaka Onoe, Takuya Hayashi, Hiroshi Mizuma, Sayuki Takara, Ryosuke Takahashi, Haruhisa Inoue, Satoshi Morita, Michio Yamamoto, Keisuke Okita, Masato Nakagawa, Malin Parmar, Jun TakahashiHuman iPS cell-derived dopaminergic neurons function in a primate Parkinsons disease modelNature, 2017; 548 (7669): 592 DOI: 10.1038/nature23664

Image: Annie Cavanagh / Wellcome Images

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iPS Cell-based Neuron Therapy Benefits Monkeys With Parkinson's - ReliaWire