Just like humans, dogs, man's best friend, can suffer from all kinds of chronic and degenerative diseases as they age. However, scientists have fewer methods to reverse life-threatening diseases in dogs compared to human patients. Now, a team in Japan has succeeded in developing a new and innovative technique to produce new stem cells from dog blood, opening the door for discovering and developing new treatments that can regenerate a dog's body just as stem cells do in humans.
In humans, stem cells have the ability to grow into a variety of specialized cells, a capability known as pluripotency. After scientists transplant these stem cells into the patient, they direct their differentiation into a specific type of cell that fulfills its purpose, and the new cells can then regenerate damaged tissues and reverse the effects of various diseases. While stem cell research in humans is a well-studied topic, few researchers have focused on doing the same with pets.
In the new study led by Dr. Shingo Hatoya, an assistant professor at Osaka Prefecture University in Japan, the focus was on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that were taken from dog blood samples. The study authors stated that induced pluripotent stem cells are a type of stem cell that can be "programmed" to grow from differentiated cells, which scientists can achieve by introducing specific protein genes known as transcription factors, leading to the transformation from differentiated cell to pluripotent stem cell. Notably, what distinguishes induced pluripotent stem cells is their rapid reproduction, providing a sustainable supply of usable stem cells for medical treatments.
Dr. Hatoya added: "We succeeded in creating an effective and easy method for generating induced pluripotent stem cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in dogs."
- **Finding the Right Combination for Dogs**: It is important to note that this is the first time scientists have attempted to produce induced pluripotent stem cells from blood cells in dogs. The researchers mentioned that their efforts utilized viral vectors to deliver the transcription factors that induce stem cells. During the study, the researchers tested various factors to create pluripotency, and crucially, they had to control how the reprogrammed cells multiplied in the host's body.
- **Could Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Treatments for Dogs Lead to Treatments for Humans?** The study authors claim that the results of their study provide a clear pathway for induced pluripotent stem cell treatments in dogs. However, they added that this study could also have a ripple effect in the world of human medicine. Dr. Hatoya stated: "We believe our method can facilitate research that involves disease modeling and regenerative therapies in veterinary medicine, where dogs share the same environment as humans and can suffer from the same diseases, especially genetic disorders."
Researchers believe that finding a treatment for dog-specific diseases may also open the door for treatments for ailments that still afflict humanity.
