The Madras Veterinary and Animal Science University (TANUVAS) and Nichi In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM) have agreed to do a collaborative research on clinical application of the new cell-based therapy

An MoU was signed in this regard between TANUVAS Vice-Chancellor P Thangaraju and NCRM director Samuel Abraham in the presence of? Consul General of Japan in Chennai Kazuo Minagawa here on Monday.

Speaking to reporters Thangaraju said that it is the first of its kind initiative in the country to provide stem cell based treatment to animals to? cure diseases such as spinal cord injury and tendon injuries in the animals.

‘This new clinical protocol will be extended in the first phase for the dogs with spinal cord injury and in horses with tendon and ligament injuries,’ he said.

Currently, two stem cell projects on establishment of buffalo embryonic stem cell lines and mesenchymal stem cell therapy on induced mice skin and burn wounds are being carried out in the Madras Veterinary College.

Samuel Abraham said that NCRM is likely to get the technology on Induced Pluripotent Stem cells (iPS) by early next year from Kyoto University in Japan. ‘We have proposed to work together with TANUVAS in this technology, in which iPS can be derived without killing an embryo,’ he said.