Colorado Doc Injects Stem Cells

Originally published in Orthopedics This Week by Biloine W. Young | Fri, Aug 26, 2011

Author with Dr. Kenneth Pettine/Source: RRY Publications LLC

Colorado spine surgeon Kenneth Pettine of the Spine Institute and Loveland Surgery Center, has just performed the first minimally-invasive lumbar disc procedure in the Phase 2 clinical trial of mesenchymal precursor cells (MPC) for the treatment of low back pain and degenerative disc disease. The developer of MPC is Mesoblast Limited, a regenerative medicine company based in Melbourne, Australia. Dr, Pettine is the co-inventor of Medtronic’s Maverick artificial lumbar disc device.

The outpatient procedure lasted less than 20 minutes. The patient was fully awake, under light sedation and was discharged by Pettine shortly after. There were no complications.

Commenting on the stem cell treatment, Pettine said, "This marks the third renaissance in spine care. The first was improved diagnosis using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the second was end-stage replacement with artificial discs, and now there is the potential widespread use of adult stem cells for disc repair and regeneration."

This marks the third renaissance in spine care. The first was improved diagnosis using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the second was end-stage replacementIn preclinical trials, the company claims that a single minimally invasive injection of Mesoblast's allogeneic MPCs into severely damaged intervertebral discs resulted in significant reversal of the degenerative process, regrowth of disc cartilage, and sustained normalization of disc pathology, anatomy and function for at least six months.

Building on these results, Mesoblast hopes to show through Phase 2 of its clinical trial that a single minimally invasive injection of its allogeneic or off-the-shelf disc repair MPC product can regenerate damaged discs, reduce pain, improve function, and avoid surgery for patients experiencing lower back pain. Mesoblast's Phase 2 trial, which the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared in July, will enroll 100 patients with chronic low back pain due to lumbar disc degeneration in 15 centers across the United States and Australia. Researchers will compare outcomes at six months in 60 patients receiving MPC injections against 40 patients receiving control injections with artificial discs, and now there is the potential widespread use of adult stem cells for disc repair and regeneration.

Read original article

Spine Institute Home