Doha, Qatar: The Equine Veterinary Medical Center (EVMC), a member of Qatar Foundation, is now offering regenerative stem cell treatment to the equine population of the Middle East.
EVMC has developed within the research department, a regenerative section of therapies including platelet rich plasma, autologous conditioned serum, and stem cell treatment. The goal of this service is to treat musculoskeletal equine conditions, where regenerative medicine has been shown to improve the natural healing process and to reduce the rate of re-injury post-healing.
For stem cell obtention, the procedure available at EVMC consists of harvesting a sample of bone marrow, then extracting a pure population of pluripotent cells in order to prepare a final product, two weeks later, that is injected into the lesion using ultrasound-guidance.
EVMC has received the support of Professor Roger Smith and Dr. Jay Dudhia from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London. Their assessment of EVMC facility in 2018 was a crucial step towards setting up the stem cell laboratory. Both researchers have been involved in the development and daily operations of a similar laboratory in the UK, which is authorised by the British Veterinary Medicines Directorate for the production and processing of autologous equine stem cell for the treatment of horses.
Dr. Tatiana Vinardell, Head of Research and Education said: "The stem cell laboratory has been set up with the highest standard of quality control and traceability. The laboratory is divided into a commercial and a research section. Stem cells will be produced for clinical patients, and similar protocols will be used to develop research projects and enhance the scientific knowledge of stem cell therapy in the horse."
"Different conditions will be able to be treated in the horse, from tendon, ligament and joint injury to more experimental treatments such as laminitis or degenerative conditions", commented Dr. Florent David, Equine Surgeon and Sports Medicine Specialist at EVMC on this achievement.
EVMC, located within Education City, is a world-class equine facility, comprising of an equine referral hospital, a diagnostic laboratory and a research and education department. The center, staffed by board-certified specialist veterinarians and researchers, applies advanced veterinary techniques and procedures to the best interest of equine patients.
