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A leap in canine medicine: Researchers create high-quality stem cells from urine

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can be harvested from fat and bone marrow, have immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory effects that are beneficial for both human and veterinary medicine. However, MSCs have a limited proliferation capacity, with their quality varying depending on the donor's age and where they were harvested from.

For this reason, a method for producing MSCs using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is attracting attention as a means to provide a stable supply of homogeneous MSCs. iPSCs have unlimited proliferation capacity and can be differentiated into various cell types. Despite this potential, there are only a limited number of studies focusing on dogs.

To improve canine medicine, a research team led by Professor Shingo Hatoya and Dr. Masaya Tsukamoto at Osaka Metropolitan University's Graduate School of Veterinary Science has successfully generated iPSCs from four different types of canine somatic cells. Using these cells, the optimal method for producing canine MSCs was investigated.

The findings are in the journal Regenerative Therapy.

By applying a method used for producing human MSCs, the research team successfully produced quality canine MSCs with high proliferation capacity and expressed MSC markers. Furthermore, when comparing four types of iPS cell-derived MSCs, it was found that the highest quality MSCs were obtained from urine cells.

"The establishment of a method for producing highly proliferative canine MSCs is expected to advance regenerative veterinary medicine," stated Dr. Tsukamoto. Professor Hatoya concludes, "Going forward, we plan to conduct further verification of the immune regulatory and therapeutic effects of MSCs produced from canine iPS cells."