Regenerating Pet Cartilage with Stem Cells... Hopes for Application to Humans Too

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Domestic researchers have succeeded for the first time in the world in differentiating cartilage cells using electrical stimulation, opening the way to regenerate cartilage in companion animals using stem cells.

On the 23rd, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency announced that Hanyang Digitech, which is conducting joint research with the Quarantine Agency, succeeded in differentiating adult stem cells derived from dog adipose tissue into cartilage cells using only physical electrical stimulation.

When cartilage cells made with an integrated device controlling electrical stimulation conditions were transplanted into rabbits, about 30% recovery effect was observed over 16 weeks. The development of stem cell-based therapeutics for companion animals is a highly competitive field worldwide, with the market size expected to reach 3 billion dollars in 2022.

Kim Kisuk, Development Director at Hanyang Digitech, explained, "This is the world's first success in differentiating cartilage cells using only electrical stimulation," adding, "Since only physical stimulation is applied to existing cells, it is considered safer than conventional methods such as genetic techniques." It is expected to take about three more years to mass-produce the therapeutics. Director Kim said, "We will continue research on integrated devices for mass production of therapeutics."

The companion animal health care service market in Korea is also showing annual growth. Last year, the related market size was about 141.4 billion won. The government expects it to expand to 329.7 billion won by 2030. Hanyang Digitech is also conducting research to produce human cartilage cells by applying electrical stimulation to human skin cells. If successful, this is also expected to be a world-first achievement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.