Stem cell therapy treats infections, arthritis

Johnson works with Dr. Steve Dow to study stem cells’ ability to fight off multidrug-resistant infections. They’ve found that they can clear infections in many dogs by using intravenous stem cell therapy. Dogs enrolled in a clinical trial not only had their infections clear up, but clinicians also heard from older dogs’ owners that the animals were jumping around, behaving like much younger dogs.

This was not a huge surprise, said Johnson, since stem cells are known to have anti-inflammatory effects and have been used for arthritis. But the difference is that in previous studies, the stem cells were injected into the affected joint instead of being introduced intravenously.

CSU veterinarians are currently working with physicians at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to start a clinical trial for humans, based on the success seen with dogs.