VetiCell, LLC, has announced that it is launching a proactive stem cell storage program for animals, in which it will collect stem cells from the umbilical cord of horses or from the reproductive tissues of dogs following spay or neuter.
VetiCell is a sister company to AlphaCord, a human cord blood bank, with the two companies having the same owner and staff.
Currently, there are a couple companies operating in the veterinary stem cell market that collect stem cells through invasive methods (adipose or bone marrow). However, VetiCell’s new model is to collect veterinary stem cells without surgery from the umbilical cord of horses or from reproductive tissues after canine spay and neuter. These methods require no additional invasive surgery to collect an animal’s stem cells.
Since 2006, BioInformant has been tracking the human stem cell banking market. Initially, the market was focused on the storage of umbilical cord blood, although it has expanded over the past ten years to include the storage of other types of stem cells, including those present within cord tissue, dental pulp, adipose tissue, and more.
With hundreds of human cord blood banks now competing worldwide, it will be interesting to see whether any of them add equine cord blood banking to their portfolio of human stem cell storage services.
