Spinal Disks Can Be Regenerated With A Single Shot Of Fibroblast Cells
It Is Less Painful And Less Expensive Than The Normal Procedure, Which Consists Of Surgery
There is a new procedure for a degenerative disease that does not require surgery. It just consists of a single injection of fibroblast cells. These are modified human cells similar to stem cells. The procedure resulted in improvements in disk height and pain reduction after 12 months of the initial shot. The company that developed the procedure is the only company that has tested the effects of fibroblasts for degenerative disk disease on humans. This condition occurs when the spinal disks, which act as a shock absorber between the vertebrae, wear out, causing friction between the vertebrae or pinching the nerves. There are two treatments, and both are more expensive and require surgery. One is removing the spinal disc and fusing the adjacent spinal bones, and the other replaces the disk with an artificial one. This new treatment consists in regenerating the spinal disk. Results have shown improvement for 80% of the participants in the trial. According to the researchers, even though stem cells are an excellent alternative, fibroblasts are easier and less expensive to harvest and grow. More info click here.