Choi et al., 2025

Full study linked here

Elita Summary

Pancreatitis remains one of the most challenging conditions in small animal practice, painful, often recurrent, and potentially fatal. This 2025 clinical study explored a novel approach using a membrane-free stem cell extract (MF-STEM), a third-generation stem cell therapy derived from human adipose tissue and free of membrane components, reducing immunogenicity and simplifying administration.

The results? Striking. Compared to conventional therapy alone, dogs receiving MF-STEM showed higher survival, faster biomarker resolution, and no reported adverse effects.

Study Design at a Glance

• Clinical setting: Two Korean animal hospitals
• Sample size: 145 dogs diagnosed with pancreatitis
• Groups:
  • Test group (n = 63): received MF-STEM + conventional therapy
  • Control group (n = 82): received conventional therapy only
• Markers tracked: cPL, CRP, liver and kidney panels
• Outcomes measured: Biomarker trends, survival rate, side effects

MF-STEM was administered IV at 0.2 vials/kg/day for an average of 3.09 days. Dogs were discharged after two symptom-free days.

What Did They Find?

1. Survival Rates

• MF-STEM group: 92% survival

• Control group: 46% survival

  This marks a 46% absolute increase in survival with stem cell therapy.

2. Inflammation Markers

• In severe pancreatitis:
  • cPL decreased from 931 → 192 ng/mL in MF-STEM group; increased in controls
  • CRP dropped from 8.5 → 0.9 mg/L with MF-STEM; increased to 13.2 in controls

3. Biomarker Recovery