With 2 new stem cell treatments coming to market recently Rich Bristow discusses the products.
Pinkham Equine are pleased to announce our use of 2 new forms of equine stem cell therapy, enabling the prompt treatment of a range of joint and soft tissue injuries.
ARTI-CELL FORTE
Pinkham Equine has recently had success treating our first cases with the new stem cell product, Arti-Cell Forte from Boehringer-Ingelheim. The treatment contains specifically primed, chrondrogenically induced stem cells from an unrelated donor horse, meaning that when injected into a joint containing damaged cartilage, the stem cells will specifically repair the damaged cartilage.
Cartilage damage is a frequent cause of lameness in horses, arising from the wear and tear that occurs routinely within the joints of athletic, performance horses. Cartilage, the smooth, almost frictionless surface that covers the ends of bones in joints, can become damaged through the wear and tear that occurs routinely within the joints of performance
horses, leading to joint inflammation and a reduction in the quality of synovial (joint) fluid causing decreased lubrication and shock absorbing capabilities. If not identified and treated promptly this will develop into a degenerative cycle leading to further damage, pain, loss of performance and chronic lameness.
However, if diagnosed and treated effectively then diseased and painful joints may have their function significantly improved, and potentially be restored to a healthy condition and normal function, enabling the resumption of the horse’s athletic career. Arti-Cell Forte is specifically intended to treat cases of cartilage damage causing mild lameness, and has been shown to result in successful repair of the cartilage.
Stemplan
The use of stem cells in the treatment of soft tissue injuries suffered by performance horses is widespread. However, there are some complications to the procedure. Previously, in order to obtain the best quality stem cells, bone marrow has had to be harvested from the sternum or pelvis of the injured horse, at risk of causing further trauma, before being processed in a laboratory for 4 weeks in order to obtain the required number of stem cells to be re-injected into the injured area. BioDivide has developed a new method of culturing stem cells from a blood sample, obtained in straight forward fashion from the horse’s jugular vein, thus minimising further pain, distress and risk of significant injury.
Using this atraumatic method of collection, it has become feasible to pre-emptively collect and process a blood sample from your horse into stem cells, in advance of any potential injury. This aliquot of stem cells may then be stored indefinitely and be available for use immediately after an injury has been diagnosed, minimising the delay and thus the development of scar tissue at the site of an injury. This approach has the benefit of maximising the healing process right from the point of injury, increasing the likelihood of your horse being able to return to its previous level of athletic use.
In addition, unlimited further doses of stem cells may be created from the original blood sample with no requirement to harvest further stem cells from the horse.
For further information on stem cells and the other forms of Regenerative Medicine offered by Pinkham Equine for both orthopaedic injuries and other forms of disease, please contact the office on 01722 741188 or email rich@pinkhamequine.com