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The VetStem Headquarters

VetStem

Leader in Regenerative Veterinary Medicine®

Since its formation in 2002, VetStem has endeavored to improve the lives of animals through regenerative medicine. As the first company in the United States to provide an adipose-derived stem cell service to veterinarians for their patients, VetStem pioneered the use of regenerative stem cells in veterinary medicine; VetStem holds exclusive licenses to over 70 patents including world-wide veterinary rights for use of adipose-derived stem cells.

In January of 2004 the first horse was treated with VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy for a tendon injury that would normally have been career ending. By August 2007, 2,000 horses had been treated with their own healing stem cells with a high return to performance rate. By December of 2010, the number of horses treated reached 4,000.

Building on the success in equine cases, in 2005 VetStem began working with select veterinary clinics in treating dogs with osteoarthritis and orthopedic soft tissue injuries. In 2007, VetStem had the first published peer-reviewed blinded placebo controlled multicenter study showing a significant difference for stem cell treated dogs in OA of the hip. In May 2007 the company began offering stem cell services for the commercial treatment of dogs and cats, and by January of 2011 over 3,000 had undergone the therapy.

When VetStem began investigating the use of an animal’s own regenerative cells for healing tendon injuries and for easing the pain of osteoarthritis, this form of therapy was not a commonly accepted treatment modality. However, through VetStem’s in-person and online Credentialing Course nearly 5,000 veterinarians in the U.S. and Canada have been educated regarding the benefits of helping the body to heal itself with stem cells. The course covers topics ranging from current research in Regenerative Cell Therapy, to how to select appropriate cases, to adipose collection and stem cell injection techniques.

Looking to the future, VetStem is actively investigating stem cell therapy for immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases, as well as organ disease and failure. VetStem works with its human medicine partners in the hope that VetStem’s work in the veterinary field will lead to advances in human medical treatment, so that both animal and owner will reap the benefits of these efforts in the form of a markedly improved quality of life.

Company History

2024

February

2023

March

August

  • VetStem, Inc. sponsored and presented at the annual Fetch Kansas City conference

September

October

  • VetStem, Inc. sponsored and presented at the annual Fetch Coastal Atlantic City conference

December

  • VetStem, Inc. sponsored and presented at the annual Fetch Long Beach conference

2022

February

March

April

June

October

  • VetStem Chief Development Officer, Dr. Anne Hale, delivered lecture on VetStem Cell Therapy for cats at the 2022 AAFP veterinary conference

2021

January

September

October

  • VetStem is a bronze sponsor and CEO Dr. Bob Harman presents at the 2021 AAFP veterinary conference

2020

May

June

July

September

December

2019

February

March

June

July

August

September

2018

April

July

August

September

2017

February

March

July

September

October

2016

January

May

June

July

August

October

November

2015

April

July

August

September

November

2014

January

February

April

May

June

July

August

  • Vet-Stem starts an investigational study of stem cells for dogs with arthritis, using an allogenic (donor) product- one in a series of studies aimed at receiving an FDA approved allogenic “off the shelf” stem cell treatment for dogs

2013

February

  • Vet-Stem updates the RACE approved Continued Education course for small animal stem cell therapy.

March

  • Robert Harman, DVM, Founder of Vet-Stem, Inc. and CEO presents Stem Cell Therapy in Veterinary Dermatology at the International Veterinary Dermatology Conference.

June

  • Vet-Stem, Inc. iPad App is brought to market as a sales tool for veterinarians and animal hospital staff, highlighting video of stem cell success stories.

July

August

September

October

November

December

2012

January

  • Milestone: Vet-Stem, Inc. achieves over 8,000 veterinary stem cell cases with over half of those being horse.
  • Vet-Stem and Dr. Sherman Canapp present at the 28th International Canine Sports Medicine Symposium about Regenerative Medicine for Canine Sports Related Injuries.

February

  • Dr. Bob Harman invited speaker on Feline Chronic Kidney Disease at AMC Advanced Renal Week.

March

  • StemInsure is launched as a way for dog owners to bank a small number of stem cells for future culture and use, similar to umbilical cord blood storage for humans.

April

  • A new patent for Cartilage Repair Issues is created under Vet-Stem Stem Cell License.
  • Dr. Kathy Fitzwater and Dr. JoAnne Roesner present three hours of stem cell science and data using Vet-Stem data at American Board of Veterinary Practitioners 17th Annual Symposium.

May

  • Stem Cells and Development publishes “Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Collection and Characterization in Bottlenose Dolphins” presenting data obtained from the collaboration between the National Marine Mammal Foundation and Vet-Stem.

November

  • Pets Best Insurance Announces Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Veterinary Medicine by Vet-Stem, Inc. Covered by Their Pet Health Insurance.

December

  • Vet-Stem, Inc. hosts Stem Cell Boot Camp in partnership with Peak Performance Veterinary Group of Colorado Springs, and Dr. James Gaynor.

2011

January

  • Milestone: Vet-Stem celebrates the New Year with the of 3,000th treatment of a canine companion Vet-Stem cell therapy.
  • Harrison Perrin and her horse “Win a Kitty,” who was treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy, won the $100,000 5/6-Year-Old Amateur Championship of the Augusta Classic.

February

  • Dr. Marty Becker, known as America’s Veterinarian and a frequent guest on Good Morning America, launches Vet-Stem Cell therapy at his clinic in Idaho.

April

  • Vet-Stem is one of a select group of sponsors for the Dr. Marty Becker Big Bus Tour which travels to 29 cities in the US educating veterinarians and dog owners about dog health and veterinary stem cell therapy.

May

  • The first public presentation on stem cell isolation from dolphins was given by Dr. Shawn Johnson at the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine in Las Vegas, with information obtained from a funded three-year collaboration between the National Marine Mammal Foundation and Vet-Stem, Inc. to assess the regenerative capacity in bottlenose dolphins.

June

  • Vet-Stem partners with Dr. James Gaynor and Peak Performance Veterinary Group to sponsor the Pet Evaluation Trailer, which provides mobile diagnostic services for.
  • Corey Orava, DVM, Veterinary Services Manager at Vet-Stem, presents Immunomodulation: A Review with a Focus on T-Cells at American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum in New Orleans, Louisiana.
  • Dr. Natanya Nieman speaks about using hyperbaric oxygen therapy and Vet-Stem Cell Therapy for horses, and Dr. Keith Clement presents data on 34 dogs treated for osteoarthritis with Vet-Stem Cell Therapy with greater than 88% showing improvement in quality-of-life, at the 2nd annual North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association Conference.

July

  • Vet-Stem, Inc. hosts six speakers and eight hours of stem cell educational symposium at the annual AVMA.
  • Dr Ross Rich presents Seven Years' Experience Using Adipose-Derived Stem Cells for Treatment of Orthopedic Injuries in the Horse at Pacific Veterinary Conference. Dr. Rich had treated over 400 equine patients with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy since 2004.

September

  • The Tallahassee Museum’s male Florida panther receives Vet-Stem regenerative cell therapy in his right elbow.

November

  • USDF Region 5 Championship honors Fontainebleau in a retirement ceremony celebrating his many accomplishments after Vet-Stem Cell Therapy helped him return to competition. These accomplishments include 2008 USDF Grand Prix Region 5 Championship, 2009 winner of the Mustang Smackdown, 2009 Del Mar Grand Prix 3rd place CDI Freestyle, 2009 National Dressage Championships in Gladstone, and Prix St. George at CDI Rancho Murrieta.

December

  • Dr. Peter Vogel publishes “Making Sense of Stem Cells for Companion Animals” in The Pulse Magazine using Vet-Stem data.

2010

January

  • The North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the Western Veterinary Conference and the Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference (ACVC) invite Vet-Stem to provide on-site regenerative stem cell therapy training for veterinary conference attendees in 2010.
  • Networking with our credentialed veterinarians and pet owners, Vet-Stem begins a fan page on Facebook.

February

  • Fox News features Behr, a young German Shepherd plagued by arthritis pain from hip dysplasia who was successfully treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.
  • Over 1,400 owners bank on the future by storing therapeutic doses for their pet.

March

  • BBC Radio: Dr. Bob Harman is interviewed about the benefits of stem cells.
  • Dr. Martin Gardner presents data on 116 cases of proximal suspensory desmitis treated with Vet-Stem Cell Therapy showing greater than 90% of cases returning to full work.
  • Three major pet insurance companies approve the benefits of Vet-Stem Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy as a treatment option for their clients: Petplan, VPI Pet Insurance, and PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance.

April

  • FoxTV features the Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy story of Lucky, a Chocolate Labrador Retriever.

May

  • Vet-Stem reaches over 1,200 fans on Facebook and can now be followed on Twitter.

June

  • Vet-Stem signs an exclusive license with Chemaphor, a Prince Edward Island based animal therapeutics company, allowing veterinarians throughout Canada to provide fat-derived stem cell therapy to horses, dogs and cats.
  • Milestone: Over 3,600 horses and 2,500 dogs treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy

August

  • Ohio State University invites Vet-Stem to speak provide on-site regenerative stem cell credentialing course as part of their veterinary continuing education program.

September

  • Dr. Robert Harman, DVM, MPVM, CEO of Vet-Stem, presents a talk entitled “Stem Cell Therapy: Mechanisms of Action” at the Annual Research Symposium of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) in Seattle.

November

  • Vet-Stem provides free lifetime stem cell supply to Lex, the military canine hero.
  • Feedback from owners of young dogs indicates that 84% of young dogs with arthritis have an improved quality of life after Vet-Stem Cell therapy.

December

  • Vet-Stem achieves a milestone of 4,000 horses treated with Vet-Stem cell therapy.

2009

January

  • Nightline features Vet-Stem services for dogs suffering from arthritis pain due to hip dysplasia. Hunter, a Golden Retriever faced with a potential hip replacement, demonstrates the benefits of stem cells in reducing pain.

May

  • Vet-Stem employees raise over $2,000 for the ASPCA in a local Southern California walk-a-thon.

July

  • Vet-Stem offers Culture, a service expanding the supply of stem cells for the animal’s lifetime.
  • Results from a voluntary survey of dog owners indicate that at 90 and 246 days after Vet-Stem treatment, more than 62% of dogs with osteoarthritis discontinued or decreased the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs after stem cell therapy.

August

  • Owner evaluations report that for orthopedic conditions greater than 80% of their dogs treated with fat-derived stem cells showed an improvement in quality of life and 85% of dog owners would recommend Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy to others.
  • U.S. Navy, Office of Naval Research, awards a contract to Vet-Stem to engage in a collaborative study of stem cell biology in marine mammals.

October

  • Vet-Stem launches a blog on blog.vetstem.com as a portal to answer frequently asked questions about arthritis and other dog health issues.

November

  • Dr. Bob Harman, Vet-Stem CEO, speaks at the first annual Cell Therapy Summit Meeting (Human) as a Point of Care stem cell therapy expert.

December

  • Milestone: Over 2,000 dogs and 3,300 horses have been treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.

2008

January

  • Vet-Stem’s Small Animal Online Training Program launches on the East Coast at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Florida.

February

  • USA Today features Maggie, a German Shepherd, offering hope through Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy for pets dogged with pain.
  • Vet-Stem is invited to instruct a Small Animal Credentialing Course at The Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas.

July

  • TIME Magazine features Blue, a German Shepherd, in an article on stem cell therapy for pets after being treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.
  • Cornell researchers publish a study on the effects of adipose-derived stem cells on tendon repair in horses. Histological evaluation revealed a significant improvement in tendon fiber architecture; reduction in vascularity, inflammatory cell infiltrate, and collagen type III formation; and improvements in tendon fiber density and alignment in tendons treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.

September

  • Veterinary Therapeutics publishes a peer reviewed study on the use of stem cells for treatment of chronic osteoarthritis in the elbow of dogs. This clinical trial reports a significant improvement in lameness, range of motion, and functional ability in dogs treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.

October

  • Milestone: 3,000 horses have been treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy, and 9 months after launching Small Animal applications over 1,000 dogs have been treated for orthopedic conditions.

2007

May

  • Vet-Stem secures exclusive worldwide rights to the Emcyte Genesis blood platelet concentrating system (Platelet Rich Plasma, PRP) for providing growth factor therapy in animals.
  • Vet-Stem conducts the first formal Small Animal Credentialing Course for California Board Certified Surgeons at a workshop in San Diego, California.

August

  • Milestone: 2,000 horses have been treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.

September

  • Vet-Stem signs an exclusive license to the Central Veterinary Research Labs (CVRL) of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This gives CVRL the rights to provide fat-derived stem and regenerative cells to veterinarians throughout the Middle East region.
  • Newsweek features Nakota, a Siberian Husky, on the road to recovery after Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.

November

  • The first randomized double-blinded placebo controlled multi-centered study is published showing that intra-articular injection of fat derived stem cells into the hip joint of the dog decreases patient discomfort and increases patient functional ability.

2006

April

  • Milestone: Vet-Stem is the first company to provide regenerative stem cell services for 1,000 animals.
  • The first cat is treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.

September

  • Vet-Stem secures additional exclusive worldwide veterinary rights from the University of California for fat-derived stem cells.

November

  • Vet-Stem hosts the grand opening of new laboratories in Poway, California with expansion to over three times its prior laboratory space.

2005

September

  • Milestone: 500 horses have been treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.

2004

January

  • Vet-Stem introduces the first veterinary stem cell service in the United States.
  • The first horse is treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.

October

  • Vet-Stem secures exclusive worldwide veterinary rights for equine umbilical cord stem cell technology from Kansas State University.

November

  • Vet-Stem signs an agreement with Cognate Therapeutics, a leader in human stem cell technology, for the further development of stem cell therapy for use in veterinary medicine.
  • The first dog is treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy.

2003

October

  • Vet-Stem signs a worldwide exclusive license for fat-derived stem cell technology for veterinary applications.

2002

October

  • Vet-Stem founded.