Advancement in Stem Cell Therapy Could Provide Solutions For Degenerated Discs
Stem cell therapy is the great promise of the 21st century for the treatment of degenerative conditions.
Precious few medical professionals will perform stem cell procedures today, given that they are still considered experimental; most studies into their efficacy have been conducted on animals, with only a few on humans.
Still, the soundness of the theory behind this treatment combined with the growing number of trials being done suggests that stem cell therapy will soon become a more mainstream method.
Your body contains a number of "blank slate" cells that can become other cells; which cell they become depends on the environment they are placed in.
If stem cells are placed inside a joint, they can become cartilage cells; if placed on a nerve, they can become nerve cells.
This means that, for people with damaged joints, spinal discs, nerves or other tissues, stem cell therapy may provide the answer to pain and dysfunction from within their own bodies.
During a stem cell procedure, the cells are extracted from the patient, usually at the hip, with a needle.
They are then combined with factors that aid in the rapid multiplication of the cells, increasing their chances of rejuvenating body tissue.
The treatment of degenerated discs by this method has faced a problem thus far: Stem cells tend to leak out of place in this area of the body, decreasing the effectiveness of this form of therapy in the treatment of disc injury.
Fortunately, Aubrey Francisco, graduate student at Duke University, sought out a solution.
Along with a team of collaborators from Duke, Francisco spearheaded the development of a method with which to deliver cells to the disc area that would not only help them stay in place but help them multiply faster.
When a disc degenerates or herniates, the fluid inside the disc, called the nucleus pulposus, either dries up or leaks out.
This can cause nerve pain and spinal instability.
Stem cells, or other nucleus pulposus cells, may serve to regenerate discs.
Francisco et al developed a delivery system for nucleus pulposus cells that turns into a gel quickly after injection, better ensuring that the cells stay in place.
They also added a protein to the liquid called laminin, which serves important protective functions in the disc but is lacking in adults.
See more on Francisco's work at http://www.
pratt.
duke.
edu/news/duke-bioengineers-develop-new-approach-regenerate-back-discs.
While conventional treatment generally centers around medications, research is being done into safer, natural methods of reducing pain and dysfunction.
Because of the work being done by people like Aubrey Francisco, we have a lot to be hopeful for.
Precious few medical professionals will perform stem cell procedures today, given that they are still considered experimental; most studies into their efficacy have been conducted on animals, with only a few on humans.
Still, the soundness of the theory behind this treatment combined with the growing number of trials being done suggests that stem cell therapy will soon become a more mainstream method.
Your body contains a number of "blank slate" cells that can become other cells; which cell they become depends on the environment they are placed in.
If stem cells are placed inside a joint, they can become cartilage cells; if placed on a nerve, they can become nerve cells.
This means that, for people with damaged joints, spinal discs, nerves or other tissues, stem cell therapy may provide the answer to pain and dysfunction from within their own bodies.
During a stem cell procedure, the cells are extracted from the patient, usually at the hip, with a needle.
They are then combined with factors that aid in the rapid multiplication of the cells, increasing their chances of rejuvenating body tissue.
The treatment of degenerated discs by this method has faced a problem thus far: Stem cells tend to leak out of place in this area of the body, decreasing the effectiveness of this form of therapy in the treatment of disc injury.
Fortunately, Aubrey Francisco, graduate student at Duke University, sought out a solution.
Along with a team of collaborators from Duke, Francisco spearheaded the development of a method with which to deliver cells to the disc area that would not only help them stay in place but help them multiply faster.
When a disc degenerates or herniates, the fluid inside the disc, called the nucleus pulposus, either dries up or leaks out.
This can cause nerve pain and spinal instability.
Stem cells, or other nucleus pulposus cells, may serve to regenerate discs.
Francisco et al developed a delivery system for nucleus pulposus cells that turns into a gel quickly after injection, better ensuring that the cells stay in place.
They also added a protein to the liquid called laminin, which serves important protective functions in the disc but is lacking in adults.
See more on Francisco's work at http://www.
pratt.
duke.
edu/news/duke-bioengineers-develop-new-approach-regenerate-back-discs.
While conventional treatment generally centers around medications, research is being done into safer, natural methods of reducing pain and dysfunction.
Because of the work being done by people like Aubrey Francisco, we have a lot to be hopeful for.
