Translating stem cell therapies: The role of companion animals in regenerative medicine

Abstract

Veterinarians and veterinary medicine have been integral to the development of stem cell therapies. The contributions of large animal experimental models to the development and refinement of modern hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were noted nearly five decades ago. More recent advances in adult stem cell/regenerative cell therapies continue to expand knowledge of the basic biology and clinical applications of stem cells. A relatively liberal legal and ethical regulation of stem cell research in veterinary medicine has facilitated the development and in some instances clinical translation of a variety of cell-based therapies involving hematopoietic (HSC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) as well as other adult regenerative cells and recently embryonic stem cells (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). In fact, many of the pioneering developments in these fields of stem cell research have been achieved through collaborations of veterinary and human scientists. This review aims to provide an overview of the contribution of large animal veterinary models in advancing stem cell therapies for both human and clinical veterinary applications. Moreover, in the context of the “One Health Initiative”, the role veterinary patients may play in the future evolution of stem cell therapies for both human and animal patients will be explored.

Regenerative Skin Wound Healing in Mammals: State-of-the-Art on Growth Factor and Stem Cell Based Treatments

“…Besides MSCs, the bone marrow also contains hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The HSCs are a well-characterized population of self-renewing cells [156], which are currently mainly being used for treating acquired and inherited bone marrow and hematologic disorders in man [131]. Krause et al [157] conducted studies on multi-organ, multi-lineage engraftment using a single bone marrow-derived HSC which gave rise to follicular epithelial cells, sebaceous gland cells, epidermal keratinocytes and even dendritic cells after their transplantation in mice.…”

“…Stem cells may be categorized according to their potency: totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent or progenitor cells [129] or conferring to the sources they originate from: embryonic stem cells (ESCs), fetal stem cells, neonatal or umbilical cord stem cells and adult stem cells [130]. Since adult, post-natal stem cells escape the ethical and safety issues associated with ESCs, adult stem cells are an important aspect for cell-based therapies [131] and hence reviewed in this article.…”

Translational Animal Models for Regenerative Medicine Research

“…The application of mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for lameness in horses is another example of such a protocol. Dogs are outbred and as such have contributed greatly to the development of HSC transplantation [103], especially prevention and treatment of acute GVHD. Transplantation studies, e.g., kidney transplantation, make use of dogs.…”

Rabbit common calcanean tendon as an animal model: ultrasonographic anatomy and morphometry

“…Several animal models are currently used in tendinopathy research including laboratory animals, like rabbits [5,23,25,26,29,33], rats [9,15,17] and mice [8] as well as companion animals, like horses [2,3,31] and dogs [20]. Despite the fact that veterinary patients are increasingly recognised as translational models of human tendinopathies [19,30] their use in experimental protocols seems controversial and is not accepted in several countries due to ethical issues. Therefore laboratory animal models are indispensable for tendinopathy research with rabbits common calcanean tendon (CCT) being frequently used, due to its superficial localisation, relatively large size and practical as well as economic reasons [12].…”