Researchers at Colorado State University's (CSU) James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital are seeking feline study participants for a novel stem-cell therapy that could repair the damaged organs of cats with chronic kidney disease.

The study involves injecting feline patients with stem cells cultivated from the fat of young, healthy cats, and has shown promise for treating a health problem that affects approximately 50 percent of cats older than 10, CSU said.

Jessica Quimby, DVM, leader of the CSU research, said the current undertaking is designed to further test the efficacy of the treatment now that previous research at the school has established a strong safety profile.

"In our pilot study last year, in which stem cells were injected intravenously, we found stem-cell therapy to be safe, and we saw evidence of improvement among some of the cats enrolled in the trial," Quimby said in an article published in Phys.org. "In this study, we will further explore stem-cell therapy with the new approach of injecting the cells close to the damaged organs. We hope this proximity could yield even better results."

According to Quimby, her group's prior research has demonstrated that the stem-cell treatment could decrease inflammation, promote regeneration of damaged cells, slow loss of protein through urine, and improve kidney function. 

Learn more about study enrollment

Learn more about the study's details, risks, and eligibility requirements by reading the client consent form.