Stem cell treatment reduces the rate of repeat injuries when used for treating superficial flexor tendon injuries in racehorses, according to research at the Royal Veterinary College.
Professor Roger Smith developed a technique for harvesting stem cells from the bone marrow, multiplying them in the laboratory and then implanting them back into damaged tendon. So far, the procedure has been used in over 1500 horses throughout the world. Monitoring the healing process using ultrasound scans showed that the hypoechoic "core" lesion filled in quickly, although a reduced longitudinal striated pattern usually persisted. A study of the clinical outcome in 113 treated racehorses, found that the re-injury rate was significantly lower in stem cell treated horses than in conventionally treated horses. Histopathological examination of 17 tendons from post mortem samples obtained from horses that had undergone stem cell implantation showed both good quality healing with minimal inflammatory cells, and crimped organised collagen fibres. A further experimental study found that stem cell treated tendons had more normal mechanical characteristics and their shape, appearance and composition were also improved. Tendon cross-sectional area, cellularity, crimp pattern and DNA content were all significantly better in the treated tendons than in the saline controls. Read more at www.equinescienceupdate.com
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