Bridging Stem Cell Research from Humans to Animals

Bridging Stem Cell Research from Humans to Animals

Translational stem cell research is a relatively young subspecialty of clinical research in animals. Although the success of therapeutic stem cell therapies in humans was based on research in small animal models, namely mice, development of clinical applications for farm and companion animals has been very limited so far. Because basic mechanisms regulating the physiology and function of stem cells are likely to be highly conserved between humans and animals, current  practices and techniques that have been developed for human subjects can now be translated to improve animal welfare.