Feb. 10, 2023
Discogenic low back pain (LBP) can cause persistent, chronic pain and disability, and it has an overall prevalence of between 26% and 42%. Pain related to degenerative changes in the intervertebral disk can lead to structural changes, biomechanical instability, inflammation and nerve ingrowth. Standard therapies, including lumbar fusion surgery, can provide pain relief in some individuals, but the effectiveness of those treatment modalities vary and may diminish over time.
Mayo Clinic researchers are examining novel therapies for the treatment of discogenic LBP. These therapies include intradiscal injections of biologic agents such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which are believed to have regenerative properties.
Wenchun Qu, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, are actively involved in multiple efforts to study whether degenerative disk disease may respond to treatment with MSCs. Dr. Qu is a physiatrist and pain specialist, and the associate director for Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics in Florida. In an article published in Gene in 2015, Dr. Qu and co-authors shared results from a preclinical study demonstrating that MSCs are very effective in treating the degenerative disk condition in animals.
Dr. Qu and colleagues also conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis identifying and evaluating available literature related to the use of biologic therapies, including MSCs and PRP, as a treatment for discogenic LBP. In the review article, published in Spine Medicine in 2022, Dr. Qu and co-authors acknowledged that the quality of evidence on effectiveness of intradiscal biologics in the studies they examined was very low. But overall, they observed that when appropriate inclusion criteria were applied, limited observational data supported the use of intradiscal biologic agents for the treatment of discogenic low back pain.
间充质干细胞治疗腰痛的研究
Qu 博士和妙佑医疗国际佛罗里达再生生物疗法中心的同事目前正在进行多项临床试验，旨在评估间充质干细胞治疗腰痛的安全性和有效性。
To address the need for additional high-quality research data evaluating the safety and efficacy of MSCs in the treatment of low back pain, Dr. Qu is currently leading multiple clinical trials.
"We are now testing mesenchymal stem cells in large phase three clinical trials in collaboration with industry sponsors, and we are waiting for the results to be released," says Dr. Qu. "And we are developing the next generation of mesenchymal stem cells, which show the potential to be more powerful in treating degenerative disk disease."
For more information
Schneider BJ, et al. The effectiveness of intradiscal biologic treatments for discogenic low back pain: A systematic review. The Spine Journal. 2022;22:226.
Wang Z, et al. Efficacy of intervertebral disc regeneration with stem cells — A systematic review and meta-analysis of animal controlled trials. Gene. 2015;564:1.
Refer a patient to Mayo Clinic.