At the recent AVMA annual conference, Dr. Boaz Arzi was recognized for his multifaceted research which focuses on feline chronic gingivostomatitis, maxillofacial fracture management, temporomandibular joint disorders, and regenerative medicine.
Collaborative and translational research is a cornerstone of advancing the science of veterinary medicine at UC Davis. Three scientists at the university are taking regenerative medicine to new heights.
Thanks to a university-wide collaboration between veterinarians, physicians, researchers, and biomedical engineers, a groundbreaking clinical trial has been approved in human medicine to treat spina bifida with stem cells.
Life for Miro, a 5-year-old German shepherd, has been what his owner describes as an “emotional roller coaster” over the past two years. Several peaks and valleys have dotted his metaphorical landscape as he has gone from premiere fitness to dealing with injuries and disease. But a clinical trial at the UC Davis veterinary hospital may have put him back on a positive track.
Veterinary scientists at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine have completed a multicenter clinical trial testing the use of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) to treat a debilitating oral disease in cats. Having previously found positive results in a trial performed exclusively at UC Davis, the team of veterinarians and researchers found similar positive results when expanding the trial to another veterinary school and two private veterinary clinics.
“My personal aim with stem cells is not to improve: I use it to cure. It’s ambitious, but that’s where we need to be,” said Dr. Boaz Arzi, director of the UC Davis Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures. “Stem cells do offer promise for many disorders that were previously not considered curable. But giving any regenerative therapy should be based on proper science and proper clinical trials. I think this is what we need to convey to the pet owner: not to be at full expectation, but also not to lose the excitement and the promise that it offers.”
A leg injury can quickly spell the end of a racehorse’s career. For one racehorse in California, though, her injury offered an opportunity for innovative imaging and stem cell treatments, and ultimately a trip back to the winner’s circle. In November 2016, Irish Streetsinger, a 3-year-old female Thoroughbred, was showing some lameness while training and was brought to the UC Davis veterinary hospital for evaluation. Owner Bob McCabe was willing to do whatever it took to get Irish Streetsinger healthy again.
