Stem cell therapies for treating osteoarthritis: Prescient or premature?

• Published in: The veterinary journal (1997) 2014-12, Vol.202 (3), p.416-424
• Main Authors: Whitworth, Deanne J., Banks, Tania A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Embryonic stem cells; Embryonic Stem Cells - transplantation; Induced pluripotent stem cells; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells - transplantation; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation - veterinary; Mesenchymal stem cells; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis - prevention & control; Osteoarthritis - veterinary; Stem Cell Transplantation - utilization; Stem Cell Transplantation - veterinary; Tissue engineering; Tissue Engineering - veterinary
• ISSN: 1090-0233; 1532-2971
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.09.024

•In recent years there has been unprecedented interest from commercial sectors, the public, veterinary clinicians and researchers in the use of stem cells as therapy for an array of diseases in companion animals.•Several therapeutic applications of stem cells are already employed in a clinical setting, in particular the use of mesenchymal stem cells to treat osteoarthritis in horses and dogs.•However, an assessment of the scientific literature highlights a marked disparity between the purported benefits of stem cell therapies and their proven abilities as defined by rigorously controlled scientific studies.•Thus, while the preliminary data generated from clinical trials in human patients are encouraging, current therapies on offer to veterinary patients are supported by very limited clinical data and the commercialisation of these therapies is perhaps premature.•This review introduces the three main types of stem cells relevant to veterinary applications – embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells – and draws together the research findings from in vitro and in vivo studies to give an overview of the current state-of-play of stem cell therapies for treating osteoarthritis in veterinary medicine.•The review concludes by discussing recent advances in tissue engineering, which is proposed as the future direction of effective stem cell-based therapies for osteoarthritis. There has been unprecedented interest in recent years in the use of stem cells as therapy for an array of diseases in companion animals. Stem cells have already been deployed therapeutically in a number of clinical settings, in particular the use of mesenchymal stem cells to treat osteoarthritis in horses and dogs. However, an assessment of the scientific literature highlights a marked disparity between the purported benefits of stem cell therapies and their proven abilities as defined by rigorously controlled scientific studies. Although preliminary data generated from clinical trials in human patients are encouraging, therapies currently available to treat animals are supported by very limited clinical evidence, and the commercialisation of these treatments may be premature. This review introduces the three main types of stem cells relevant to veterinary applications, namely, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells, and draws together research findings from in vitro and in vivo studies to give an overview of curren