Stem Cell Therapy
Regenerative Medicine for the Future of Your Pet
Introduction
One of the most exciting advances in medicine today is the use of stem cells to regenerate and repair damaged tissues. For decades, doctors have used tissue grafts and transplants to heal and repair damage to our bodies. Stem cell therapy is the next generation of healing. What exactly is a stem cell? Stem cells are the primary mechanism for natural tissue repair everywhere in the body. For example, an 80-year-old human heart has naturally replaced or regenerated every cell four times. This regeneration is due to the action of stem cells, but goes against the long-held tenant that the heart has stopped growing and developing once adulthood is reached. Over the past 10 years we have learned that we can apply stem cells to the damaged heart to regenerate new muscle cells and blood vessels to repair damage caused by acute or chronic disease. This astounding revelation affects the therapy for not only the heart but for every tissue of the body and every disease of dogs, cats, humans and every animal in the kingdom. The three most common causes of death in dogs are heart failure, kidney failure and cancer. Stem cells have demonstrated therapeutic success in both heart and kidney failure. Many other diseases from diabetes, to dry eye and from arthritis to arteriosclerosis can be treated with stem cells.
The possibility and promise of using stem cells for therapy has been researched for over 35 years but only recently has stem cell therapy become available and practical for clinical use. The main breakthrough has to do with the advent of using stem cells derived from fatty tissues instead of embryonic or bone marrow stem cells. It is important to understand the distinctions between these types of stem cells and their application today.
