Commentary: Past, Present, and Future of Equine Stem Cells

One veterinarian shares his thoughts on the past, present, and future of stem cells in equine medicine.
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One veterinarian shares his thoughts on the past, present, and future of stem cells in equine medicine.


A recent television documentary about stem cell fraud in human medicine posed this question: "Are stem cells the ‘snake oil’ of the 21st century?" The documentary focused on the growing, highly lucrative business of fake stem cell cures that reportedly resulted in a federal investigation. With public awareness of failures in stem cell therapy newly heightened, it is important to reflect on our situation in equine medicine.

Stem cell treatments for horses have been available since at least 2005. They have become a relatively common treatment for many equine musculoskeletal injuries, often promoted as a panacea for bone, cartilage, and tendon healing. Internet testimonials and videos claiming miraculous cures in individual patients with neurologic and laminitic conditions have fueled often irrational exuberance and extravagant expectations. To date, no published, controlled, clinical studies show efficacy in use of stem cell treatment for any of the conditions being treated. In fact, the two most recent studies evaluating stem cells–one in a tendonitis model and the other in a cartilage defect model–showed no significant difference with their use, either clinically or histologically, as compared to controls in which stems cells were not used.

Papers have touted stem cells’ miraculous ability in the laboratory; however, once administered to the patient the situation changes dramatically. A multitude of poorly understood factors likely mitigate the activity of stem cells once administered. Patients have their own stem cells, and wound healing is modulated through a complex array of molecular events, including cytokine signaling. Equally important, stem cell culturing methods and source tissues (bone marrow, adipose, fetal cells, and cord blood) vary among laboratories

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