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Treating animals without steroids

The pioneering use of stem cells to treat injuries in horses will be extended so that camels and even falcons can benefit as well, experts have said.

  • By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 14:14 November 11, 2007
  • Gulf News

  • Dr Ulrich Wernery at the research laboratory. The first fat sample extractions from camels will be conducted next week.
  • Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
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Dubai: The pioneering use of stem cells to treat injuries in horses will be extended so that camels and even falcons can benefit as well, experts have said.

Dubai's Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) has teamed up with California-based company Vet-Stem to offer the technique in the Middle East.

Dr Bob Harman, Chief Executive of Vet-Stem, said: "Next week we'll make the first fat extractions from camels and later [the technique will be offered for] other animals as well. There is no end to it."

Using the technique, veterinary surgeons extract fat from the injured animal and send the sample to the CVRL in a special cool box.

The CVRL purifies the animal's stem cells from the fat sample and then sends it back to the vet in a syringe.

These stem cells are then injected into the part of the same animal, such as a joint, that has been damaged through injury or illness.

The CVRL takes as little as four hours to isolate stem cells from samples of fat, so injured animals can be treated quickly.

Dr Ulrich Wernery, Scientific Director of the CVRL, said: "We are offering this not just for animals in the UAE but also for those in other GCC countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar."

Dr Harman added: "It could be a vet in Oman or Algeria. With very little training they will be able to collect fat samples." The use of stem cells means that animals can be treated for injuries without the use of drugs such as steroids.

Also, compared to some other stem cell treatment techniques, which involve drilling into bones to extract stem cells, the Vet-Stem technology is less invasive because it merely requires a fat sample that can be extracted easily.

Excess storage

Excess stem cells not needed for treatment can be stored in liquid nitrogen and then used to treat the same animal at a later date.

Dr Ali Redha, Administrative Director of CVRL, said: "The reason we were selected [by Vet-Stem to offer this technique] was that it is very difficult to collect samples and send them to Vet-Stem in America. It takes at least 72 hours and time is very important. From Dubai, we can serve all of the Gulf and North Africa."

All types of horses, including Arabian, thoroughbred, endurance and jumping horses, can be treated using the technology. In the US, more than 2,500 horses and 100 dogs with tendon and ligament injuries or arthritis have been treated and more than 70 per cent have returned to normal.

The CVRL, which was established in 1985, has been involved with several pioneering scientific research projects, including one in which camels are used to generate antibodies that could be used in the detection and treatment of prostate cancer.

Vet-Stem first used the technique on horses in the US in 2003 and the CVRL is the first organisation outside the US that it has licensed to offer the treatment.

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