NEW YORK (March 4, 2010) -- In a leap toward making stem cell therapy widely available, researchers at the Ansary Stem Cell Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered that endothelial cells, the most basic building blocks of the vascular system, produce growth factors that can grow copious amounts of adult stem cells and their progeny over the course of weeks. Until now, adult stem cell cultures would die within four or five days despite best efforts to grow them.

Reported By: Russ Spencer | Edited By: Leigha Baugham

ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - Adult stem cell therapy is considered the cutting edge for a whole host of illnesses and conditions. The therapy is not just for humans. A growing number of dog owners are turning to it when other treatments have failed to relieve their pets' pain.

These days, 6-year-old Behr is a healthy and happy dog, but the German shepherd was born with hip dysplasia, a condition that gradually erodes the hip joints. The condition causes dogs a lot of pain.

"He wanted to go out, but it hurt too much and he would just lay on his bed and whine a little bit and watch the other dogs running and jumping and carrying on," said Behr's owner, Belinda Lawler. "By the age of five, he couldn't run, or climb stairs or get in and out of the car without help."