Major Study Update: Stem Cells Ease Back Pain …

Normal cells / Source: Wikimedia Commons and National Cancer Instititute Biloine W. Young Thu, May 2nd, 2013 Print this article

Mesoblast, the highest value stem company in the world, released the latest in string of studies examining the ability of a certain type of stem cell to treat back pain.

In its earliest test of its stem cells (known as mesenchymal precursor cells MPCs) the company injected its MPCs into three adjacent lumbar discs in 24 adult male sheep. The MPCs were injected intradiscally. The particular sheep model that was used (Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine May 2012; Vol. 16; No. 5; Pages 479-488) was one where some discs were injected with chrondroitinase in order to mimic disc degeneration and other discs were left alone to represent normal discs as a control arm in the study.

In the sheep test, the degenerated discs had 45-50% less height before treatment with Mesoblasts MPCs. After MPC treatment the discs rehydrated and increased in height at rates that were statistically significant as compared to the controls. It was, in fact, a significant and highly important animal study and set up Mesoblasts human study.

This past week, Mesoblast released its second round of preliminary results from this Phase 2 human study of MPCs as an intradiscal injection treatment for back pain.

In the study, researchers injected allogeneic mesenchymal precursor cells (MPCs) into damaged intervertebral discs in what is, essentially, a one hour outpatient procedure.

This is the six-month follow-up data. All 100 patients have been enrolled.

Researchers Kasra Amirdelfan, M.D. (IPM Medical Group, Walnut Creek, California), Hyun Bae, M.D. (The Spine Institute, Santa Monica, California, Domagoj Coric, M.D. (Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine, Charlotte, North Carolina), Tory McJunkin, M.D. (Arizona Pain Specialists, Phoenix, Arizona), Michael DePalma, M.D. (Virginia I-Spine Physicians, Richmond, Virginia) and William Beckworth, M.D. (Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center, Atlanta, Georgia) report that a single low-dose injection of MPC significantly reduced low back pain in the treated patients and did so at a statistically significant way as compared to the control group.

The control group, by the way, received hyaluronic acid injections. In terms of safety, the researchers found no cell-related safety issues.

The study has enrolled 100 patients across 13 sites in the United States and Australia. Researchers are randomizing patients to receive direct intra-disc injection of saline (n= 20), hyaluronic acid (HA, n=20), 6 million MPCs in hyaluronic acid carrier (n=30) or 18 million MPCs in hyaluronic acid carrier (n=30).

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Major Study Update: Stem Cells Ease Back Pain ...