Cell therapy for intervertebral disc repair: Clinical perspective

• Main Authors: Daisuke Sakai, Jordy Schol
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2017-04-01
• Series: Journal of Orthopaedic Translation
• Subjects: cell therapy; clinical trial; intervertebral disc
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214031X16302881

Low back pain is the main cause of disability and is associated with intervertebral disc degeneration. Contemporary treatments are limited to palliative therapeutics or aggressive surgical interventions; however, current advancements in cell therapy offer to fill this breach. Clinical data suggest that cell transplantation can accomplish pain relief without any observed adverse effects. Despite a large variety of preclinical studies and preliminary clinical investigations, controversy remains on the optimal cell type and transplantation strategies. The translational potential of this article lies in the aim to update on the current state of intervertebral disc cell therapy and to identify current obstacles.