Stem Cells
OrthoStemC™ is VTB’s stem cells package which uses stem cells isolated and cultured from adipose tissue. The canine autologous, adipose derived cultured expanded mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are spindle shape in morphology and are positive to CD34, CD45, CD44 and negative to CD90, a characteristics of stem cells. not haematopoietic cells. In addition, under the right conditions these canine MSCs demonstrated their ability to differentiate into osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic linkages.
Resources
How does OrthoStemC™ work?
A fat harvest kit containing a bottle of sterile transport solution and a blood collection kit is sent to the practice. Fat harvest should take place in the morning for the courier to collect in the afternoon. It generally takes about 2 weeks to grow the cells to reach the sufficient numbers in millions ready for injection. The injection should be planned in the afternoon to allow for cells to arrive in the morning before midday. The staff from VTB will liaise with the practice to make sure the procedure goes smoothly and in timely manner.
FAQs
Q: What is the success rate for stem cell therapy?
Stem cell therapy is relatively new in many aspects of treatments and as such osteoarthritis is no exception. At this moment we have no way of predicting which dog will respond to the stem cell treatment. If the dog does respond the clinical improvement is seen very quickly, within a few days to a few weeks after the injection. From our experience with hundreds of cases 35% of arthritic dogs did not respond or responded to the first injection but short lived for less than 3 months. For this reason OrthoStemC™ package includes 2 lots of cells for both first and second injections. The cells for second injection is available regardless of if the dog responded or not. Please also note that some dogs do not respond to both first and second injections.
Q: How frequently does the dog need stem cell injection?
Again, we have no way of telling when the dog needs subsequent injections. Often, this is when the owner brings the dog back because the pain or the lameness has returned. We have the cells frozen in our facility so the cells can readily be supplied. From our experience the subsequent injections appear to have longer lasting affect than the first one.
Q: What are contraindications?
There are a few contraindications to use stem cells. If the dog is on steroid wait until it is clear from the synovial joint. The use of NSAID does not interfere with the stem cells and in many dogs the use is maintained after the injection. Many dogs live on reduced dose of NSAD after stem cell therapy. The use of laser or shockwave therapy is not recommended as they can damage the cells in the joint.