Fat-Derived Treatments Show Potential for Repairing Tendons and Torn Ligaments
By HEATHER CHAMBERS
Posted date: 3/30/200
San Diego Business Journal Staff
On-the-job injuries are commonplace on a working farm.
So when Buzz ruptured a kneecap tendon, he inevitably faced surgery and at least six months of downtime.
"His career was over; he was through," said John Doyle, owner of the 3-year-old male border collie that herds sheep on his 40-acre Poway ranch, near Ramona.
Convinced he'd have to retire the working dog and turn him over as someone's pet, Doyle discovered another option available through his veterinarian: stem cell therapy.
Following surgery to repair the shredded tendon, Buzz was well enough to return to work within six weeks after receiving three rounds of stem cell therapy, Doyle said.
"In two weeks you could see that he was healing very quickly," Doyle said. "He was able to do a lot more."
Poway-based Vet-Stem, which touts itself as a world leader in veterinary regenerative medicine, was first to commercialize the process using fat-derived stem cells.
By extracting roughly two tablespoons of fat from behind the dog's shoulder blade or belly, veterinarians can treat the animals with their own stem cells.
The process is simple: Veterinarians ship the animal's fat overnight to the Vet-Stem laboratories. There, workers isolate the fat from the stem cells and ship the stem cells back to the veterinarian overnight in a syringe.
Treatments vary in cost, ranging from $2,500 to $3,500, including anesthesia. Doyle's veterinarian, Dean Gahring, said the therapy can prove cost-effective in the long run for animals that would otherwise be put on anti-inflammatory drugs.
Research at the University of Pittsburgh in the late 1990s, and also UCLA, eventually led to the creation of Vet-Stem in 2002. CEO Bob Harman, a veterinarian and former biotech executive, saw potential in bringing stem cell therapies for animals to market.
Growth Opportunity
The privately held company took early cues from San Diego-based Cytori Therapeutics, which developed a bedside device that separates fat from stem cells during reconstructive or cosmetic surgery.
Toucan Capital of Maryland, which invests in early stage life sciences companies, provided $1 million in seed funding and Harman said the company has raised $5 million to date. It aims to reach a profit this summer, Harman said.
http://www.sdbj.
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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