Morris Animal Foundation-funded research carried out by scientists from Cornell University and North Carolina State University has revealed that stem cell function can be enhanced through manipulation of their culture environment, and that “priming” prior to patient administration could optimize their therapeutic potential.

The research team published their results in Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology.

The use of mesenchymal stem cells to treat a wide variety of diseases in both humans and animals has grown in the last two decades. Despite their widespread use, many questions remain about how to optimize the therapeutic potential of stem cells. Since stem cells are harvested and then cultured (to increase numbers), the culture step is an attractive point to study how changes in the local environment affect stem cell behavior.

“The results of this study were really surprising and important for stem cell therapy,” said Lisa A. Fortier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, James Law Professor of Surgery at Cornell University and one of the publication’s authors. “One of the problems we see with stem cells destined for therapy is that they are not all alike in their ability to heal. In the body, stem cells are more or less quiescent or neutral, and they need to be activated or ‘licensed’ to have their full effect