Vet Institute for Regenerative Cures

Over the past 7 years, faculty at UC Davis have committed significant time and effort into transforming the School of Veterinary Medicine into a national leader for veterinary regenerative medicine. We have established laboratory techniques and animal models that have been used to study regenerative therapies for veterinary and human medicine. We have characterized equine, canine and feline stem cells isolated from different tissues (i.e. fat, bone marrow, umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue) with a focus on adult-derived mesenchymal stem cells. We have developed collaborative, interdisciplinary “disease teams” that include basic research faculty and clinical faculty that focus on “bench to bedside” translation of stem cell therapies. Additionally, we have built strong collaborations with faculty in the School of Medicine, College of Engineering (Biomedical Engineering) and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (Animal Sciences). Areas of emphasis include:

1. Manufacturing quality stem cell products for research use and for use in veterinary clinical trials
2. Labeling stem cells for in vivo imaging and tracking these cells using state-of-the-art imaging technologies in living patients
3. Defining how cells work to heal tissues in in vitro models
4. Developing large animal models of diseases to better understand stem cell function in vivo
5. Identifying relevant naturally occurring animal models of disease to test stem cell therapy in clinical trials that can benefit veterinary patients and inform human clinical trials
6. Training the next generation of undergraduate and professional students, residents and technicians in cutting edge stem cell biotechnology