What is Canine Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation?
Canine transplantation is a way for doctors start curing canine lymphoma. Bone marrow transplantation in people is a standard of care and the doctors at NCSU have that they should start doing the procedure in dogs also. Assistant professor of oncology in NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Steven Suter, received three leukophoresis machines donated by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Leukophoresis machines are designed to harvest healthy stem cells from cancer patients, no donor is necessary. The machines, once used for human patients, are suitable for canine use without modification, as bone marrow therapy protocols for people were originally developed using dogs. “It’s not a new technology; it’s just a new application of an existing technology. Doctors have been treating human patients with bone marrow transplantation for many years, and there have been canine patient transplants performed in a research setting for about 20 years, but it’s never been feasible as a stand
