A new professional organization, the North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association, has been launched as the result of a recent international conference, co-sponsored by the University of California, Davis, which focused on the use of stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine to treat horses and other animals.

The new North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association will be dedicated to advancing the science and clinical application of non-embryo-derived stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine techniques that use stem cells derived from other sources.

"The association’s goal is to facilitate scientific investigations with stem cells that are acquired from fat, bone-marrow and umbilical-cord sources, and to combine that knowledge with other regenerative medicine techniques that are designed to improve the health care of animals and humans alike," said Sean Owens, DVM, Dipl. ACVP, a veterinary professor and director of UC Davis’ Regenerative Medicine Laboratory.

The independent association is open to membership for all regenerative medicine researchers, stem cell biologists, biomedical engineers, clinicians, and health technicians. Membership information can be obtained from Owens at sdowens@ucdavis.edu or from Gregory Ferraro, DVM, a veterinary professor and director of UC Davis’ Center for Equine Health, at glferraro@ucdavis.edu