The Western University of Health Sciences veterinary college is collaborating with VetCell Therapeutics to explore the efficacy and safety of using allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat canine atopic dermatitis.
VetCell, headquartered in Santa Ana, California, is a 2-year-old division of PrimeGen Biotech. The company will supply allogeneic MSCs for the study.
Researchers at Western University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in nearby Pomona, California, will determine whether MSCs can serve as a “more extended treatment alternative to corticosteroids and other medical strategies” for treating canine atopic dermatitis, VetCell announced Nov. 8.
Western’s principal investigators will be assistant professors Jijun Hao, Ph.D., and Gagandeep Kaur, DVM, Ph.D.
Stem cell therapy that provides extended or permanent relief from atopic dermatitis symptoms would be a remarkable breakthrough, said VetCell’s chief medical officer, Chad Maki, DVM.
“Based on the immunological testing and field research we’ve conducted at VetCell Therapeutics, our canine MSCs show great potential for treating a wide variety of immune-mediated diseases, such as AD,” Dr. Maki said.
About 10 percent of the dog population is afflicted with canine atopic dermatitis, VetCell reported.