autologous vs. allogeneic stem cell therapy

As you already know, stem cell therapy in veterinary medicine is not in the future anymore – it is available and has been used to cure animals since 2003. The same goes for the efficiency of this kind of treatment – it has been proven in many cases and studies that the success rate of animal stem cell treatment is quite high in comparison with other available medicine – up to 85%, and, in some cases, even up to 90%. That is why we will take a look at these two – autologous vs allogeneic stem cell therapy.

There are two types of stem cell treatments – allogeneic (donor-derived) and autologous (own-derived) stem cell therapies.

Both therapies have shown very good results and efficiency in animal treatments, mostly in dogs (arthritis cases) and horses (tendon or ligament cases).

Although one could debate and argue about which one of them is better and why there is no doubt that both of these treatments are safe and cause no side-effects if applied properly.

Allogeneic Stem Cell Treatment
Infographic: How Medrego Allogeneic Stem Cell Treatment is performed?

Conditions to treat in animals with Stem Cells

In veterinary medicine, both allogeneic and autologous stem cell treatments are being used for:

  • successful animal recovery after soft tissue injuries, like tendon and ligament ruptures in dogs and horses;
  • for joint problems, like arthritis, osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, joint inflammation in dogs and horses;
  • for an energy boost in any animal (for immunomodulation purposes).

Allogeneic stem cell treatments becoming more popular

However, lately, allogeneic stem cell treatments have been gaining more and more popularity across the globe. And there are a few reasons behind that.

First, they are ready-to-go.

One of the reasons (and perhaps the most important one) why allogeneic stem cell treatments are gaining such popularity is due to their availability. When using autologous stem cell therapy, you need to extract the stem cells from the injured animal, and after that, it takes about 2–3 weeks until the treatment is ready for its application. This is quite a long time, especially considering that stem cell treatments give the best results for the most recent injuries – the earlier they are applied, the better are the results.

Allogeneic stem cell therapy, on the other hand, can be ordered and delivered to the patient in 2–3 days, since the treatment containing the donor’s stem cells is already made and ready for
application.

As for veterinarian use, allogeneic stem cell treatments can be stored for up to 12 months in the right conditions. This means that veterinarians can be ready when the injury appears.

Secondly, it might have a better efficiency rate.

When stem cells are derived from patient-animal, there is a chance that its own stem cells are not very active, or they might be damaged or simply of bad quality. In comparison, when stem cells are derived from a donor animal, scientists look for a young, healthy and powerful donor animal to make
sure that the allogeneic treatment contains stem cells that are highly active and healthy. This ensures the highest possible efficiency rate of the treatment.

There are even some researches that indicate that some animals produce more and “better” stem cells than others.

(meaning the cells’ characteristics are more predictable and consistent), so using allogeneic cells from a donor animal can mean higher-quality cells.

Third, allogeneic stem cell treatment is a non-invasive procedure for a patient animal.

In some cases, this could be a deal-breaker, because in both human and veterinary medicine there are cases when an invasive procedure is done to a patient has some risks, and in some cases, any kind of invasive procedure is nearly impossible to apply.

Therefore, an allogeneic stem cell therapy is sometimes better for animals that are in a very bad condition and cannot allow an invasive procedure to be applied.

And the last, but not the least – affordability.

Simply because allogeneic stem cell treatments use donor-derived cells, it is way easier to produce more stem cell injections (treatment doses) from these cells. In addition, it takes a huge amount of work to make an autologous stem cell treatment – first, cells need to be derived from the patient animal with the help of an invasive procedure, then these cells need to be transported safely and secured to the lab where they will be prepared (a process which could take more than a week to accomplish). And when the treatment is finally made, it needs to be transported to the injured animal.

Basically, allogeneic stem cell therapy is faster and cheaper to manufacture, making this now “not-so-cheap” treatment more available for animal owners, both from a time and a money perspective.

As mentioned before, the efficiency of both allogeneic and autologous stem cell treatments is very high and both therapies show similarly good results.

And it is only natural to consider all pros and cons in the case for or against one or another treatment.

Recently, there have been some updates in the industry, as the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use has recommended marketing authorization for stem cell-based medicine.

The product that EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use (CVMP) recommended for marketing authorization is an allogeneic (donor-derived) veterinary medicine indicated for the reduction of mild to moderate lameness linked to joint inflammation in horses.

Stem cell therapy is emerging as another weapon in the veterinarian’s arsenal,

joining the numerous pharmacotherapeutics, surgical procedures, and mechanical devices employed to help patients return to full function or at least a more comfortable life. And, with this significant event, allogeneic stem cell therapies for animal treatment are bound to grow and become more popular and available for both veterinarians and horse and dog owners.

Autologous Stem Cell Treatment
Infographic: How Medrego Autologous Stem Cell Treatment is performed?

Where to get the stem cell treatment?

EU-based Biotechnology research company Medrego offers both Autologous and Allogeneic stem cell treatments for horses and dogs. The product is being prepared right after doctors order and can be delivered within Europe in 24-48 hours.

Medrego also continuously works developing new ideas in collaboration with best Universities, as well as for future-proof stem cell product development in collaboration with professional veterinarians. To become partner or client of Medrego, please get in touch!

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