Vets using stem cells to treat joints

Researchers at Colorado State University are using innovations such as stem cells to heal injuries.

The university's center is among the few medical sites pioneering the revolutionary approach to treating equine joint injuries – ligament, tendon or bone fractures – with stem cells. A small sample of cells are gathered from the fat on the hip of an injured horse and then developed into stem cells. The cells are then injected into the site of the injury.

In addition to stem cell therapy innovations, the Equine Orthopaedic Center is researching how another successful joint treatment works. IRAP, which stands for Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein Procession System, is a substance that blocks the excessive production of synovial fluid in joints affected by osteoarthritis.

This fluid carries a protein called interleukin-1, which plays an important role in inflammation and accelerates the deterioration of tissue.

The treatment works by taking a sample of blood from the injured horse and incubating it for 24 hours in a syringe filled with beads coated with substances that encourage healing, such as growth factors and anti-inflammatory aids. The sample is then “spun” to separate these beneficial substances from red blood cells. The beneficial fluid is then injected into the injured joint three to five times, encouraging healing. The treatment also drastically reduces the animal's susceptibility to infection and immune reactions because the fluid is a derivative of its own blood.

IRAP works well to treat injuries that are too far advanced for other treatment options. It also works well on injuries that don't respond to steroids.