As one of the world’s first fetal surgeons, Diana Farmer has long been focused on the smallest of patients.
She specializes in treating birth defects inside and outside of the womb, treating congenital anomalies and cancer and performing airway and intestinal surgeries. In the late 1990s, she became the first woman in the world to perform open fetal surgery.
Drs. Boaz Arzi and Maria Soltero-Rivera of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service recently attended the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual conference where they presented on stem cell and other regenerative medicine therapies.
Dr. Soltero-Rivera presented the poster “Distinctive Characteristics of Extracellular Vesicles from Naïve and Cytokine-Stimulated Feline Adipose- and Placenta-Derived Stromal Cells” on her groundbreaking work with stem cells and regenerative medicine.
Dr. Boaz Arzi, professor and chief of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service, has been treating patients and conducting research for 18 years. He works extensively with stem cell therapy, to help pets have longer and healthier lives.
When it comes to cancer, Dr. Arzi is optimistic that stem cell therapy is going to be a big part of pet cancer treatment, either in the delivery of drugs or by regenerating organs or other structures in the body that have been damaged by chemotherapy or radiation.
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.”
