Research News

Using iPS cells, veterinary medicine has made a step forward in creating a stable MSC supply

Production of mesenchymal stem cells from canine iPS cells

A method for producing MSCs has opened up new possibilities in veterinary regenerative medicine.

Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can be harvested from fat and bone marrow, have immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory effects that are beneficial for both human and veterinary medicine. However, MSCs have a limited proliferation capacity, with their quality varying depending on the donor’s age and where they were harvested from. For this reason, a method for producing MSCs using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is attracting attention as a means to provide a stable supply of homogeneous MSCs. IPSCs have unlimited proliferation capacity and can be differentiated into various cell types. Despite this potential, there are only a limited number of studies focusing on dogs.

To improve canine medicine, a research team led by Professor Shingo Hatoya and Dr. Masaya Tsukamoto at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Veterinary Science has successfully generated iPSCs from four different types of canine somatic cells. Using these cells, the optimal method for producing canine MSCs was investigated.

By applying a method used for producing human MSCs, the research team successfully produced quality canine MSCs with high proliferation capacity and expressed MSC markers. Furthermore, when comparing four types of iPS cell-derived MSCs, it was found that the highest quality MSCs were obtained from urine cells.

“The establishment of a method for producing highly proliferative canine MSCs is expected to advance regenerative veterinary medicine,” stated Dr. Tsukamoto. Professor Hatoya concluded, “Going forward, we plan to conduct further verification of the immune regulatory and therapeutic effects of MSCs produced from canine iPS cells.”

Funding

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (grant numbers JP18K19273, JP18H02349, JP19J22851, 20H03156, and 22H02525).

Paper information

Journal: Regenerative Therapy
Title: Generation of canine induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells: Comparison of differentiation strategies and cell origins
DOI: 10.1016/j.reth.2025.05.008
Authors:  Masaya Tsukamoto, Chiaki Kawabata, Kohei Shishida, Takumi Yoshida, Kazuto Kimura, Kazuya Edamura, Kikuya Sugiura, Shingo Hatoya
Published: 29 May 2025
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reth.2025.05.008

Contact

Shingo Hatoya
Graduate School of Veterinary Science
Email: hatoya[at]omu.ac.jp

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