| Ever wondered what happens to horses when they | | | | cells. The treatment of tendon and ligament injury has |
| severely damage their tendons with what seem to be | | | | been so successful that it is now available to |
| career-ending injuries? Let us introduce MedCell | | | | veterinary surgeons in the UK and internationally. |
| Bioscience who have been helping horses get back on | | | | VetCell have also developed a simple method for |
| their feet following the regrowing of their tendons with | | | | separating and storing stem cells from the umbilical |
| one of the world's first stem-cell technologies. Of | | | | cord of foals. The company hopes that they can |
| course they can't tell us which horses they have | | | | expand these treatments to provide a new range of |
| treated due to patient confidentiality, but three of them | | | | therapeutic options in cats, dogs, horses and other |
| did run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last year. | | | | domestic species. |
| Once a horse has a tendon injury it is one of the things | | | | While the treatment is doing wonders in the world of |
| that is most likely to hamper their future career - while | | | | horseracing, it is really only the beginning for MedCell, |
| tendons repair, they never quite go back to their | | | | who aim to transfer the technique to humans, at which |
| original condition. MedCell have found a way of | | | | point, it has been speculated, professional sport will |
| regenerating rather than repairing tendons, recreating | | | | never be the same again. Sportspeople with tendon |
| perfect healthy tissue which allows the horse to | | | | injuries have already been in touch with Greg |
| continue at their previous peak levels. Prior to this | | | | McGarrell, who owns MedCell, in order to offer |
| innovative science, a horse having suffered a tendon | | | | themselves as test cases for the pioneering treatment |
| injury and getting back to the racecourse and staying | | | | and of course UK Sport would absolutely love the |
| injury free for three years would have had a prognosis | | | | technology to be available in the run up to the 2012 |
| of 24% whereas following this treatment the horses | | | | Olympics. While it all sounds like something that could |
| prognosis is up to 78%. | | | | only happen way off in the future, it is looking likely that |
| VetCell, a trading company of MedCell Bioscience Ltd, | | | | it could be ready for human application in as little as |
| is the leading provider of stem cell technology to the | | | | twelve months time - the only thing lacking at the |
| world of animal health. | | | | moment, as is quite often the case for scientific |
| VetCell was formed in partnership with the Royal | | | | development, is the funding to go ahead with the |
| Veterinary College and the Institute of Orthopedic and | | | | clinical trials. |
| Musculoskeletal Science to develop the veterinary use | | | | So this year when watching both the Cheltenham |
| of stem cell technologies. It was Professor Roger | | | | Festival and the Grand National be aware that some |
| Smith, an equine orthopedic surgeon at the Royal | | | | of the horses competing may have been on their last |
| Veterinary College in London that made the discovery | | | | legs not long before the intervention of McGarrell and |
| following experimentation with the body's own stem | | | | his team - we have a lot to be grateful to them for! |