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Vet-Stem Provides Free Lifetime of Stem Cells for Canine War Hero

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POWAY, CA--(Marketwire - November 24, 2010) - Lex Lee is a canine commemorative Purple Heart recipient who was a Marine Corps bomb-sniffing canine stationed in Fallujah. Lex survived a rocket-propelled grenade blast in March of 2007 that left him severely injured and took the life of his handler, Corporal Dustin J. Lee.

Since that time, Lex has struggled with several problems related to his injuries including chronic arthritis. Dr. Lee Morgan of the Georgetown Veterinary Hospital teamed up with K9 Soldiers and Jerome and Rachel Lee in order to provide Lex with relief from the pain of his war injuries.

Dr. Morgan elected to use Vet-Stem Cell therapy to treat Lex's arthritis and to hopefully regenerate damage from injuries sustained while serving in Fallujah. Dr. Morgan collected of a small amount of fat, sent it to Vet-Stem where the fat was processed, then Vet-Stem sent the isolated stem cells for injection two days later.

In honor of the contributions that Lex and the Lee family have made to the safety and freedom of people here and abroad, Vet-Stem will provide a free lifetime supply of Lex's stem cells for as long as Lex might benefit from them. Approximately half the dogs treated with stem cell therapy will need to be re-treated within two years. Vet-Stem has over 18,000 doses of stem cells stored for thousands of animals and can create more by using stem cell culture technology.

"We are pleased to be a part of this great effort and to do our small part in providing comfort to Lex and the Lee family and we appreciate Dr. Morgan's contribution and discounted services," says Vet-Stem Founder and CEO Robert Harman.

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Georgetown Vet Aims to Heal War Wounds

There’s an understated resilience in Lex’s eyes. Caught in his soft gaze, the recognition hits that he’s experienced far more in his lifetime than any human would wish to. The Iraqi War veteran has witnessed the terrors of combat. He has weathered that storm. For a nine-year-old German Shepherd, that’s saying something.

A commemorative Purple Heart recipient, Lex was a Marine Corps bomb-sniffing canine stationed in Fallujah, a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar. More than once, the job he and his handler performed out on the front lines saved lives. On March 21, 2007, Lex survived the rocket-propelled grenade blast that claimed the life of his handler, Corporal Dustin J. Lee. Battered but not broken, Lex’s recovery has been an arduous process. Fortunately, he has not undertaken it alone.

Through the efforts of Walter Jones, the Republican U.S. Representative from North Carolina, Cpl. Lee’s parents, Jerome and Rachel, were able to adopt Lex. This was an unprecedented occurrence in the Marine Corps’ history. Nine months following the passing of his handler, and in the midst of his second tour in Iraq, Lex faced early retirement. However, upon arriving in Quitman, Mississippi, it became clear that Lex still struggled to walk.

Despite receiving treatment at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Lex’s condition persisted. Still, fortune continued to smile on the veteran. As a result of correspondence between Connie Harriman-Whitfield, Senior Advisor to the Humane Society of the United States, and her husband, Kentucky Congressman Ed Whitfield, Lex’s situation came to light. The Whitfields, being clients of Georgetown Veterinary Hospital’s Dr. Lee W. Morgan, had heard of a cutting-edge stem cell treatment he offered that could be applied in Lex’s case.

The only issue was cost.

According to Dr. Morgan, “They raised some money and I lowered my price. I cut it to what it cost me to do it, and they raised money through private donations.”

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Vet-Stem Inks License Deal with Australian Veterinary Stem Cells

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Australian Veterinary Stem Cells Ltd. (AVSC) is now authorized to deliver Vet-Stem Inc.’s stem cell services in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. This is Vet-Stem’s third license agreement with an affiliate.

The other two agreements are with the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in Dubai, which has rights for 13 Middle East countries, and Chemaphor, a company in Canada that has laboratories in Prince Edward Island.

Vet-Stem holds the exclusive worldwide rights to the University of California and University of Pittsburgh (via Artecel Inc.) patent portfolios of more than 55 issued patents covering the use of stem cells derived from fat tissue.
The stem cell services are offered to veterinarians for treatment of lameness in horses and for arthritis in dogs and cats. More than 6,500 animals have been treated to date, according to the Poway, Calif.-based company.

“Intellectual property rights can be confusing in a rapidly developing market with evolving technology,” said Bob Harman, DVM, CEO of Vet-Stem. “We have licensed the strongest patents in the world to protect the market that we are creating in regenerative veterinary medicine and to ensure that the value of the company is optimized. Now with these three distribution partners, we can utilize these global patents to reach far beyond the U.S. markets and help animals worldwide.”

AVSC is closely affiliated with Monash University in Melbourne and the laboratory of Dr. Richard Boyd. Dr. Boyd, who is globally known for his work with adult stem cells, will help AVSC rapidly enter the veterinary markets in their assigned territories, according to Vet-Stem.

Vet-Stem expects to expand into other parts of the world in the near future. Negotiations with other companies were under review as of early November.

Exclusive License - Stem Cells from Adipose Tissue

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Australian veterinary stem cells pty Ltd is pleased to announce that it has recently finalized exclusive licensing arrangements with Vet-Stem Inc of the USA in respect to intellectual property (including a granted patent) re the use of mesenchymal stem cells (sourced from adipose tissue) in all veterinary applications. The license covers Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia.

Clinical trial results

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Australian Veterinary Stem Cells Pty Ltd ('AVSC') have recently carried out clinical trials in regard to:-

A) Dogs - the use of AVSC stem cell technology to treat arthritis, DJD and dematitis in the canine population (dogs)

B) Horses - the use of AVSC stem cell technology to treat arthritis and DJD - as well as tendon and ligament injuries in the equine poulation (horses).

 

The trials have been extremely successful with very successful outcomes that are either better or in line with the results of similar studies carried out by Vet-Stem Inc in the USA. The vast majority of animals treated have shown very significant improvements in the conditions being treated.