More than 250 veterinarians and physicians gathered at the Marriott in Buellton to hear prominent researchers discuss cutting-edge developments in regenerative medicine. The two-day event stretched into Saturday, and marked the 1st annual North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Conference.
Regenerative medicine offers the prospect of re-growing damaged tissues and organs in the body, and scientists believe the biotechnology will lead to treatment and cures for life-threatening diseases.
The conference was geared toward equine veterinarians wanting to learn the basics of stem-cell therapy and the principles of regenerative medicine. Event sponsors included University of California, Davis Center for Equine Health; the local Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center (APEMC), and Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital.
The veterinarians, some hailing from countries as far-flung as Australia and India, listened to lectures, round-table discussions and saw a live virtual demonstration of stem-cell collection techniques.
Local equine veterinarian Dr. Doug Herthel was among 25 regenerative medical researchers from the United States and Canada who spoke at the conference.
On Friday, Herthel, a pioneer in adult stem-cell therapy and founder of APEMC, discussed the history and future of stem cell research. He noted that since the 70s, the biological approach has gradually moved from emergency care to an emphasis on healing and prevention.
“In 1995, we were faced with thousands of cases of torn suspensory ligaments (any ligament that supports a body part, especially an organ),” he said. “We just felt that there had to be a better way.”
That year, Herthel’s center developed what became known as autologous bone marrow-derived stem cell therapy. Autologous is the key word, Herthel told the Journal. “It’s from the patient. They’re safe, economical, and efficient. They’re the body’s ‘paramedics.’’
Since then, more than 5,000 horses have received successful stem-cell therapy to rejuvenate and repair tissues in the body, such as ligaments and tendons.
“That’s a good success rate,” Herthel told the attendees, adding that prior to stem-cell therapies, only 20 to 30 percent of horses recovered from chronic injuries.
Researchers are looking for other sources of stem cells besides bone marrow, such as fat, muscle and tendons. Dr. Jennifer Barrett, a professor at Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center, Virginia Tech, talked about her research on stem cells found in tendons. These stem cells, she noted, grow 60 percent faster than their bone marrow counterparts.
Barrett said studies in tendon stem cells are presently raising more questions than answers, but she believes more research will reap results.
“There’s also been a huge shift in thinking,” she said. “The original thought was that there were only stem cells in bone marrow. Now, we’re finding stem cells in almost every tissue.” Dr. John Peroni of the University of Georgia hopes to speed up stem-cell therapy through “allogeneic” treatment. Currently, stem cells can be harvested and grown from bone marrow in a matter of a month.
Peroni wants to see if cells obtained from one horse can be used to treat injuries in another. Scientists would therefore be able to take stem cells “off the shelf,” he explained, adding that research so far as been “very encouraging.”
Lectures were not limited to regenerative treatment for animals. Dr. Christopher Proctor, a physician at Alta Orthopedics in Solvang, talked about clinical trials of using regenerative therapy to treat tendon injuries in humans. From 2003 to 2007, he treated 42 people and found that 85 percent recovered satisfactorily, while only 5 percent opted for traditional surgery (which can take several months longer).
He acknowledged that these cases do not represent “true scientific studies” because they lacked placebo control groups and relied on a relatively small number of people. “Still, that’s pretty good results for this technique,” he told attendees. Proctor cited one example, a baseball player who had been playing in the minor leagues when he sustained a tendon injury. “He had been walking, but running was out of the question,” Proctor recalled.” And he said, ‘Doctor, spring training starts in six weeks. This is my big shot to make it to the majors. You gotta give me better than six weeks.’”
Traditional treatment would have taken months, so the young man opted for stem cell therapy. “He was better in six weeks,” noted Proctor. “And he was able to participate in spring training while still improving.”
Dr. Dennis Clegg of UCSB is excited about the prospect of treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with stem cells. Scientists estimate that by 2020, more than 450,000 Californians will suffer from vision loss or blindness due to AMD.
Bolstered by a $2.5 million grant for vision research, Clegg has recently led a team of researchers attempting to figure out how to use stem cells to quash the disease. Research on rats and pigs have been successful, he noted, and researchers think the first clinical trials on humans will begin within the next five years.
Attendees, such as veterinarian Dr. Peter Britton from Sydney, Australia, were enthusiastic about the promises of regenerative medicine. “Typically, all cutting-edge technology starts at the medical level in humans, and then drifts down to the veterinarians after awhile, because the human field is so embroiled in morals and ethics in regard to stem cells. Vets don’t have that problem.”
“I think we’ll find that within the next three years, stem-cell technology will become the gold standard for treatments of a wide variety of conditions – and not just for osteoarthritis and tendon injuries. The field moves almost weekly. It’s amazing.” The conference also signified the establishment of the North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association. The association will be “dedicated to advancing the science and clinical application of non-embryo derived stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine techniques,” according to a press release. “The group hopes to facilitate scientific investigations with stem cells acquired from fat, bone marrow and umbilical cord sources, and to combine that knowledge with other regenerative medicine technologies designed to improve the health care of animals and humans alike.
“The NAVRMA is open to membership for all regenerative medical researchers, stem-cell biologists, bio-medical engineers, clinicians, and health technicians. Interested parties can receive information regarding membership by contacting Dr. Sean Owens at sdowens@ucdavis.edu, or Dr. Gregory L. Ferraro at glferraro@ucdavis.edu.