Stem Cell Therapy for Cats
Stem cell therapy is an area that is being researched both for human medical applications and for feline ones.
What Are Stem Cells?
Cells in the body that are capable of becoming different specialized cell types are called stem cells. They are found in developing embryos and adults carry them in certain areas of their bodies, too, such as the bone marrow and liver.
In animals, stem cells from the fat are used.
Stem cells can be isolated by scientists, have their differentiation halted, and then be multiplied in a petri dish, allowing more of them to be available for testing or treatment.
How Can Stem Cells Treat Disease?
Stem cells, once instructed to develop into a certain type of cell, can be used to regenerate damaged tissue. Their use is being researched for a multitude of applications in human medicine, including help for Parkinson's disease, heart disease, and blood diseases.
Are Stem Cell Therapies Helping Cats?
Researchers have had success with using stem cells to treat some feline conditions.
- UC Davis researchers have treated feline chronic gingivostomatitis with stem cell therapy. For this treatment, the cat's own stem cells were isolated from samples of his fat, and then they were injected back into him to treat the terrible inflammation and pain in his mouth (UC Davis Veterinary Team Has Success with New Stem Cell Therapy, 2013).
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Feline kidney disease, which is an extremely common problem in cats, is being targeted by Colorado State University as a condition that could be treated with stem cell therapy (Veterinarians pursue stem-cell therapy for cats with severe kidney disease, 2014). Eventually, an affordable and effective treatment for cats with kidney disease could be developed with stem cells.
- Inflammatory bowel disease in cats has been successfully treated in research trials with stem cell therapy (Tracy Webb, 2014).
- Arthritis in cats, dogs, and horses is being treated currently with stem cell therapy. Contact your veterinarian for more information.
- Many other health conditions in cats are currently under research for treatment with stem cell therapy.
Stem cell therapy is an area with huge potential to treat many animal and human conditions in the future, and that future may arrive sooner than later with proper research.
Works Cited
- Tracy Webb, C. W. (2014, Dec. 5). Stem cell therapy in cats with chronic enteropathy: a proof-of-concept study. Retrieved from sagepub.com.
- UC Davis Veterinary Team Has Success with New Stem Cell Therapy. (2013, Nov.). UC Davis Veterinary Team Has Success with New Stem Cell Therapy. Retrieved from UCDavis.edu.
- Veterinarians pursue stem-cell therapy for cats with severe kidney disease. (2014, Dec.). Retrieved from colostate.edu.
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