Experimental bio-treatment repairs degenerated disc cartilage

Australian company Mesoblast Limited has announced successful pre-clinical trials in animals of its adult stem cell treatment used to treat degenerative intervertabral disc disease. Degenerative intervertabral disc disease is a cause of lower back pain.

Mesoblast has reported that a single low-dose injection of its allogenic or "off the shelf" adult stem cells into damaged intervertabral discs resulted in a reversal of the degenerative process, re-growth of disc cartilage and normilasation of function.

Mesoblast's Executive Director, Professor Silviu Itescu said that "Mesoblast's cells may provide a novel theraputic approach to reverse disc degeneration and address [this] number one cause of chronic low back pain".