New leash on life: Staten Island veterinarian uses stem cell therapy to treat arthritic dog

Monday, November 17, 2008
By ANDREA BOYARSKY
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It was the house call that changed everything for Dr. Keith Gordon.

One of his patients, a pit bull, was suffering from skin problems. His receptionist was sick, so his wife Sandra accompanied him.

Before he knew what was happening, he heard Sandra screaming; the dog was attacking her. The veterinarian rushed to his wife's aid. He began punching the dog, breaking bones in his right hand. The couple escaped and both needed stitches.

After the August 2007 incident, Dr. Gordon experienced permanent arthritis in his joints and his hand was greatly weakened. He couldn't bend his pinkie and ring fingers backward and stopped performing surgeries. Dr. Gordon looked into what could be done. Doctors wanted to put pins in his hand, but his research led him elsewhere.

"I started looking into stem cells," said Dr. Gordon, who previously owned All Pets Animal Hospital in Stapleton. "But they're approved for pets, not for people."

Stem cell research has progressed over the past few years and in the future may be able to help Dr. Gordon. From Crohn's disease and heart attacks in humans to arthritis in animals, the full potential for stem cells is still unknown.

Stem cells are generally early stage cells that don't have a specific physiological function, states the Adult Stem Cell Research Network (ASCRN). They have the ability to continuously divide and develop into other specialized cells like liver and skin cells, among others.

There are two types of stem cells: embryonic, which invoke controversy because they involve taking cells from human embryos, and adult cells, which can be extracted from many types of adult tissues, such as fat, umbilical cord blood and bone marrow.

Dr. Gordon decided to become certified by California-based Vet-Stem to help dogs and cats using adult stem cells. About two months ago, he performed his first stem cell procedure -- Regenerative Cell Therapy -- at the Bay Street Animal Hospital in Rosebank, where he now works. The patient, an 8-year-old rottweiler named Lady, was suffering from arthritis.

"It's hard for her to get up from sitting or laying down. She can't go up the stairs," explained Lady's owner, Montague Taylor of St. George.

During Lady's procedure, Dr. Gordon took fat cells from behind her shoulder and sent them to a Vet-Stem lab, where the stem cells were separated from fatty tissue. Two days later, Dr. Gordon received a syringe with the cells to be inserted into the dog's knee.

Vet-Stem was formed in 2002, initially providing regenerative medical technology to injured horses. In 2006, Vet-Stem started clinical trials with cats and dogs. This past January, the company released findings of those trials to the public.

Since then, Vet-Stem founder Dr. Robert Harman said 900 veterinarians have completed the training course. All together, Vet-Stem has treated more than 3,000 horses and 1,000 dogs -- about 100 new cases each month.

The therapy is most commonly used to treat dogs and cats suffering from osteoarthritis and tendon and ligament injuries. The animals use their own stem cells, so the risk of contamination and rejection is low, Dr. Harman said. To be a candidate, the animal should be in generally good health.

The procedure usually costs between $2,500 and $3,500. About 80 percent of dog and cat patients have shown a substantial improvement, Dr. Harman noted. Most have needed only one shot, although several have returned for a second.

After stem cell therapy, patients usually also need rehabilitation, including daily leash walks and stretching. At the time of initial processing, the company banks extra cells from the animal and freezes them for later use.

About two months after Lady's procedure, she seems to be getting better. "She's still got a ways to go," said Taylor, adding that the dog is having an easier time sitting up and climbing stairs.

And humans, too, may one day benefit from the type of therapy that helped Lady.

While adult stem cells from bone marrow have been used in humans for years, stem cells from fat, also called adipose-derived stem cells, are still in clinical trials for people.

Dr. Keith March, chief medical advisor of the Cell Therapy Foundation, which runs ASCRN, said one trial that has progressed is for Crohn's Disease, an inflammatory bowel disorder. Researchers are also looking into the stem cells for patients suffering from heart attacks and peripheral artery disease and there is evidence that they could help treat strokes and diabetes.

The trials involve removing the cells from one area and reinserting them into another, explained Dr. March, director of the Indiana Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine.

Recruitment for such trials has been relatively slow, he said, because many people are still unfamiliar with stem cell therapy. ASCRN was established, in part, to teach patients about available clinical trials in the United States and abroad.

"I think stem cells will be tried for quite a few diseases and purposes and ultimately, the things they will be used for will be determined by the trials they're functioning well for," he said.

In the future, Dr. Gordon hopes one of these clinical trials will lead to his regaining full function in his right hand. For now, he has a new lease on his veterinary life using stem cells to treat his patients. He recently took on another case, a 4-year-old black Labrador retriever with arthritis in its elbow.

"It's something new and exciting," Dr. Gordon said. "It's amazing, as a veterinarian, I get to see different things all the time. It's invigorating."

Andrea Boyarsky is a features reporter for the Advance. She may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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