More than 260 veterinarians, stem cell researchers and other medical professionals have met in California for a conference on the use of stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine to treat horses and other animals.
Presentations at the inaugural North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Conference focused on the latest research and practical applications of the science.
Regenerative medicine is the field of human and veterinary medicine that involves creating living, functional tissues to repair or replace tissues or organs that have been damaged by injury, disease, aging or birth defects.
Horses featured prominently at conference.
It included formal presentations by 25 regenerative medical research experts from throughout the United States and Canada.
Several open-forum roundtable discussions were held between researchers and practicing clinicians, covering a range of topics including clinical trial development, basic research and stem cell biology, regulatory affairs and in-practice solutions.
"The collaborative setting provided by gatherings such as this will facilitate growth in the field of regenerative medicine," said Dr Doug Herthel, conference speaker and a practicing veterinarian.
"Regenerative medicine has our industry excited because it holds so much potential for treating conditions that were formerly thought to be untreatable," added Dr John Peroni, of the University of Georgia.
The conference, which was moderated by Dr Gregory Ferraro of the UC Davis Centre for Equine Health, included presentations of the research work of Dr Arnold Caplan, of Case Western University; Dr Dori Borjesson, of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine; Dr Thomas Koch, of the University of Guelph; and Dr Alan Nixon, from Cornell University.
Subjects related to the clinical application of veterinary regenerative medicine were made by several practicing clinicians, including Dr Doug Herthel, from the Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Centre; Dr Larry Galuppo, from UC Davis; and Dr Laurie McDuffie, from the University of Price Edward Island.
Many mainstream medical specialists presented the positive effects of regenerative medicine and cell therapy seen in their human patients, holding significant expectations for its role in the advancement of human medicine.
The conference also marked the establishment of the North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association (NAVRMA).
The association will be dedicated to advancing the science and clinical application of non-embryo derived stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine techniques.
The group hopes to facilitate scientific investigations with stem cells acquired from fat, bone marrow and umbilical cord sources and to combine that knowledge with other regenerative medicine technologies designed to improve the health care of animals and humans alike.
NAVRMA is open to membership for all regenerative medical researchers, stem cell biologists, bio-medical engineers, clinicians and health technicians.
The conference was presented by the University of California Davis, Center for Equine Health; the Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Centre and Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital.
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